Some months back, the star of “The Middle” and “Everybody Loves Raymond” caused an Internet sensation when she engaged in a “Catholic Throwdown” with Stephen Colbert. (Check that out above). But this weekend, she offered a profound—and thought-provoking—witness with this post on Twitter: Spent Mass internally grumbling about lame sermon; received Eucharist, knelt down, burst into tears. #NoOneExpectstheHolySpirit. — Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) July 30, 2017 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js That prompted a longer exchange with her Twitter followers about the Mass. (Visit her... Read more

Here’s something that hasn’t been reported on much—and it comes from the Christian Broadcasting Network: A spiritual awakening is underway at the White House. Some of the most powerful people in America have been gathering weekly to learn more about God’s Word, and this Trump Cabinet Bible study is making history. They’ve been called the most evangelical Cabinet in history – men and women who don’t mince words when it comes to where they stand on God and the Bible.... Read more

The guy hasn’t gone on hiatus since the ’70s. So how does he spend his time? Some answers from Vatican Insider: The Pontiff has always preferred to spend his summer vacation without leaving his usual residence and his city; slowing down the pace of daily work without leaving home. The Bergoglio family did not take vacations: “We were not rich. Normally we made it to the end of the month but not much more. We did not own a car,... Read more

These images, posted by the Venezuela bishops conference on Twitter Friday, show priests intervening to stop tanks moving on a crowd of people in Venezuela. The story:  Five young Catholic priests walked in front of tanks and managed to negotiate and stop them from advancing on a crowd gathered near a church on Friday, 28 July. The incident was documented in a number of photographs on the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference Twitter account. [img attachment=”221168″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” /] The controntation took... Read more

Some news from Maine: With just a fifth of the number of nuns in Maine today as there were 50 years ago, the Roman Catholic church is augmenting prayer with social media in the face of declining numbers. Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and more have become a way that some convents are trying to attract new members. According to Dave Guthro, spokesman for the Diocese of Portland, there were 1,131 sisters in 1967 in the state and that number shrunk to... Read more

A deacon friend in the U.K. sent this to me last night, some happy news from the Archdiocese of Cardiff:  There was much joy and celebration today at Cardiff Cathedral – the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. David as exactly a week after the ordination to the priesthood of Fr. Daniel Stanton, we celebrated the ordination of a long serving Deacon to the priesthood. Fr. Peter McLaren was one of the original 13 Permanent Deacons ordained for the diocese over 10... Read more

A definitive version is seen and heard here, from the papal Mass in Washington, D.C. in 2015. The lyrics: In the faith of Christ we walk hand in hand, light before our path as the Lord has planned; shining the torch of faith in our land: in the name of Christ Jesus  In the name of Christ we will spread the seed; share the Word of God with all those in need, faithful in thought and word and deed: in... Read more

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been hearing a series of parables in Matthew’s gospel, describing what the kingdom of heaven is like—everything from a mustard seed to a treasure buried in a field. But this parable we hear today takes a different direction. We hear mention of a “pearl of great price” and it’s natural to think: okay, so the kingdom is like a pearl. But listen again: “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine... Read more

Details:  Eleven-month-old Charlie Gard, whose short life captured the hearts of the world, has died a week before his first birthday. Charlie suffered from a rare genetic condition which saw him in hospital for the majority of his short life. His parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, fought a lengthy and emotional legal battle to take their severely ill baby son to the US for treatment, but were denied by judges. Charlie’s mother, Connie, said tonight: ‘Our beautiful little boy... Read more

I love this:  A glance, a thought, a prayer are what St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Parish had hoped to inspire in commuters when it launched its first billboard campaign in 2015. Now the parish, situated in Barberton, Ohio, has launched its sixth billboard campaign, with the message: “Life is tough. We are praying for you.” The parish wants to communicate its prayerful presence and solidarity with community members in the midst of their daily struggles, said the pastor, Father Miron... Read more