Details: The Most Rev. Francis Xavier DiLorenzo, who has been bishop of the Catholic diocese of Richmond since March 2004, has died. He was 75. He was named the 12th bishop of Richmond by Pope John Paul II on March 31, 2004. “With great sadness, I announce The Most Rev. Francis X. DiLorenzo, Bishop of Richmond, died at St. Mary’s Hospital, late last night. He was a faithful servant of the church for 49 years and a shepherd of the... Read more

From The Washington Post: Nic and Trees Elderhorst knew exactly how they wanted to die. They were both 91 years old and in declining health. Nic Elderhorst suffered a stroke in 2012 and more recently, his wife, Trees Elderhorst, was diagnosed with dementia, according to the Dutch newspaper, De Gelderlander. Neither wanted to live without the other, or leave this world alone. So the two, who lived in Didam, a town in the eastern part of the Netherlands, and had been together 65 years, shared... Read more

Here’s something you don’t hear every day on late night television: Ellie Kemper and Michael Koman had a big decision to make when it came to raising their 1-year-old son, James. You see, Kemper was raised Catholic, while Koman was raised Jewish… Well, the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star joined The Late Show Wednesday night and dished to Stephen Colbert that they decided to go the Catholic route…though she’s not sure if she received a sign from the “higher ups” that perhaps she made the wrong choice. “He got baptized sort of late, like in... Read more

From The New York Times:  Dr. Ruth Pfau, a German-born medical missionary who was hailed as the “Mother Teresa of Pakistan” for her pivotal role in containing leprosy there, died on Thursday in a hospital in Karachi. She was 87. Her death was announced by Prime Minister Shahid Abbasi, who said she would receive a state funeral. She had kidney and heart disease. “Dr. Ruth came to Pakistan here at the dawn of a young nation, looking to make lives... Read more

From the In My Backyard Desk, some news from the next diocese over, Rockville Centre: Ten Sisters of Life professed their first vows Aug. 3 at a Mass of Profession celebrated by Bishop John Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre at Sacred Heart Church in Suffern. The Sisters of Life is a religious community of diocesan right in the Archdiocese of New York founded in 1991 by the late Cardinal John O’Connor. Sisters of Life take the traditional vows... Read more

Here’s a message we all need to hear right now: After recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia involving white supremacy groups and counter-protesters, the father of the woman who was killed after the rally spoke out against hatred and offered a different message: forgiveness and love. “I just think about what the Lord said on the cross, ‘Forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing,’” Mark Heyer said Monday, according to USA Today. “I include myself in that in forgiving the... Read more

The local NBC affiliate paid them a visit this week: Bucking the trend, some millennials are seeking a nun’s life, and an Order in Duarte is attracting eager, college-educated women. They wear the traditional habit they’ve worn since Mother Lucita first arrived in LA from Mexico in 1927. The gowns are brown — symbolizing the humility of the Earth; white — a symbol of purity; and black — a symbol of death to the world with life in Christ. The... Read more

This is how CBS News cheerfully reported on a practice that is “eradicating” Down syndrome, thanks to abortion: With the rise of prenatal screening tests across Europe and the United States, the number of babies born with Down syndrome has significantly decreased, but few countries have come as close to eradicating Down syndrome births as Iceland. Since prenatal screening tests were introduced in Iceland in the early 2000s, the vast majority of women — close to 100 percent — who received a... Read more

And bishops are, understandably, fighting the move:  The bishops of Australia have indicated that they will resist the Royal Commission’s proposal that priests be legally obligated to disclose details of sexual abuse revealed in the confessional, facing criminal charges if they don’t. “Confession in the Catholic Church is a spiritual encounter with God through the priest,” Archbishop Denis J Hart of Melbourne said in an Aug. 14 statement. President of the Australian Bishops Conference, Hart said confession “is a fundamental... Read more

From their website, the Knights have posted a news release today, reacting to some of the controversy that surrounded the new uniforms: Earlier this month, the Knights of Columbus board of directors unanimously voted to adopt a new uniform for the Fourth Degree. The decision was made with the good of the entire Order in mind. While we understand that some members may prefer the old regalia, the supreme master and vice supreme masters urge all Fourth Degree members to put... Read more