This is something. It’s been circulating on social media for the last day or so. The exact details are murky, but here’s the story: a woman in Switzerland who adopted two lion cubs, then gave them up for adoption, visits them seven years later at a local zoo. Just watch. Read more

Well, my planned trip to Columbus, Ohio ended up being scrapped Friday night; the flight was cancelled because of thunderstorms, and I was unable to reschedule it for Saturday morning. I wasn’t really prepared to preach anything this weekend—and nobody was expecting me to preach, anyway, since I was supposed to be out of town. But this morning, following the Boy Scout motto  (and the advice I give to my homily students), I decided it best to “Be Prepared.” Over... Read more

Here’s another great chestnut from the 19th century. While most parishes, I suspect, don’t have trumpets and timpani, this rendition (featuring both) gives a thrilling idea of what hundreds of voices raised in song can achieve. (This was our entrance hymn this weekend, and we made do with a simple piano.) About the author: Christian Henry Bateman, son of John Bateman, was born Aug. 9, 1813, at Wyke, near Halifax. After studying in the Moravian Church and exercising his ministry... Read more

Leticia Ocha Adams made this observation yesterday, and it’s one to challenge us all: The hard truth of Catholicism is that even when humans are doing hateful things, they have an innate dignity, because they are created – even the people we cannot stomach — in the Image of God. That inherent dignity must always be respected, and assisted toward its greatest potentiality, even when those humans are neo-Nazis. To fail to do that is to become exactly what the... Read more

Words fail. The story:  A 42-year-old man stabbed to death outside a Brooklyn park was killed by a complete stranger he had the misfortune of eyeballing on the street, police and the victim’s wife said Saturday. George Carroll was walking down Monitor St. near McGorlick Park in Greenpoint with his wife when he became embroiled in an argument with two men sitting on the steps of a school about 9:30 p.m. Friday, police sources said. The couple moved to Greenpoint... Read more

Not long ago, this would have been unthinkable; canon law prohibited ordaining men who were blind or had other physical impairments. But that was then. This is now:  A visitor attending Mass at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church might not notice anything unusual about the celebrant. Father Bernard J. Ezaki walks the center aisle of the massive church in Easton. He climbs the steps leading to the altar like any other priest or liturgical minister. He recites prayers with... Read more

Keep her in your prayers: Sister Joseph Marie Ruessman RSM has been called home to the Lord. That’s how Sister Mary Sarah Macht, RSA, described Ruessman’s passing Thursday at MidMichigan Medical Center – Midland after she was struck by a car earlier that day in Alma in what police are investigating as a hit-and-run. “This is the way He called her home, and we had the privilage of being with her in that,” said Macht on Friday who was with her and... Read more

Deacon Steven Greydanus wrote me about this topic earlier in the week and alerted me to this post of his on Facebook: Note to Catholic clergy, or to other clergy/preachers who use the lectionary: The readings for this coming Sunday lend themselves to the topic of the universal scope of charity and grace, to the universal mission of the Church and the reality underlying it, the unity of the human race. A question many people were asking this week was:... Read more

From the local CBS affiliate: Several people stopped by a statue of Father Junipero Serra in a park across from Mission San Fernando on Thursday after a photo made the rounds on social media appearing to show the statue had been vandalized. A picture circulating Facebook showed the statue spray-painted red and the word “murder” written on Serra in white. While city officials would not confirm the authenticity of the photo or the clean-up, CBS2 reporter Crystal Cruz saw red paint on... Read more

I’m heading to scenic Ohio once more, flying tonight to Columbus to speak tomorrow at the Annual Men’s Retreat at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Sunbury. If you’re in the neighborhood Saturday, stop by and say hello! Meantime, I’m looking forward to some more delicious airline food. Photo: Wikipedia Commons Read more