Check this out: The Missionaries of Charity have patented the white and blue sari designed by Saint Teresa of Calcutta, obtaining a legal copyright recognizing the pattern as the intellectual property of the order. Although it was never officially announced, the copyright had been granted the same day as Mother Teresa’s Sept. 4, 2016 canonization as the culmination of a three year legal process. According to the Press Trust of India, intellectual property attorney Biswajit Sarkar said that “the blue-designed... Read more

Now for something completely different, via the Fort Worth Star Telegram:  It’s hard to maintain any preconceived notions about the priesthood after the Rev. Jeff Poirot of Fort Worth starts talking about his beer. Or at least about this specific priest. Sure, he’s thoughtful, soft-spoken yet authoritative, and plays the role of his buddies’ more reverent counterpart on his (few) off hours. But two weeks ago, the Roman Catholic priest won a national award for his brewing, not his preaching.... Read more

Cleveland’s new bishop-designate, Nelson J. Perez, took a moment yesterday, hours after he was  named bishop of the diocese, to send an email to the deacons: Message to Deacons: Dear Brother Deacons, As I prepare to come to the Diocese of Cleveland as your new bishop, I wanted to take this opportunity to write directly to you. Throughout my twenty-eight years as a priest, including the last five as auxiliary bishop in Rockville Centre, I have been blessed and supported... Read more

The drone footage from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty says it all. At one time, it was home to tens of thousands of Christians, including Chaldean Catholics and members of the Syriac Orthodox Church. And now? Pray for this broken country, and our broken world.     Read more

From Vatican Insider:  The Shroud of Turin, the linen cloth that according to an ancient tradition, wrapped the body of Jesus after crucifixion, actually came into contact with the blood of a dead man who suffered many serious injuries. This is what emerges from a research on a fabric fiber extracted from the dorsal imprint of the cloth, around the feet area. The study was conducted by two CNR institutes, the Istituto Officina dei Materiali (IOM-CNR) in Trieste and the... Read more

The curious might want to check out the video above, of recent FSSP ordinations— the first ordinations in the Extraordinary Form in decades in the United Kingdom. The celebrant is Archbishop Malcom McMahon of Liverpool. And, as an added bonus, you get to see the cappa magna in action. Rorate Caeli notes: The growth of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) has been well known. This year, however, was a record-setter for the Fraternity as it ordained 19 young... Read more

You may remember this shocking video from last week.  The sister who was attacked has been speaking out about her ordeal (check out the video above.) But what about her attacker? An update:  The New York City Police Department late Thursday announced the arrest of a man who they say threatened to kill a nun inside a Brooklyn church. Derrick Gadson, 56, is charged with aggravated harassment as a hate crime and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Another report... Read more

From Vatican Radio:  Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter motu proprio on Tuesday, by which he created a new category, distinct from martyrdom, under which a Servant of God may be declared Blessed: oblatio vitae, or “the free offering (i.e. “oblation”) of [one’s] life”. The Letter, Maiorem hac dilectionem, takes its title from the words of Our Lord as recorded in the Holy Gospel according to St. John, “Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down... Read more

Here’s something you don’t hear about very often, via The Catholic Weekly in Australia: A remarkable journey will reach a new stage on 15 July when Br Robert Krishna OP will be ordained a priest by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP at St Benedict’s, Broadway. Br Robert’s journey began in Bangalore, India. Originally a Hindu, he became an atheist at the age of 10, and in his late teens considered himself an agnostic. When he was almost 18 he arrived in... Read more

An oldy but a goody. Words by Isaac Watts, from the 18th century, music is a popular setting known as Ellacomb and written by William Monk, a 19th century organist. This was the recessional at our parish this Sunday. It’s performed in this clip by Church of St. Michael in Stillwater, MN. Words: I sing the mighty power of God, that made the mountains rise, that spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies. I sing the wisdom... Read more