You may remember his diaconate ordination from last year. Well, now he’s completed his journey to the priesthood:  The former Northern Ireland footballer Philip Mulryne has been ordained a Roman Catholic priest in the Dominican Order. Fr Mulryne, who is reported to have once earned £600,000 a year, has also taken a vow of poverty. He was ordained in Dublin on Saturday by Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia, who had travelled from Rome for the ceremony. Philip Mulryne had been... Read more

Amazing vocation story, from Baton Rouge:  Pat Broussard answered a knock at his door in 2002 to find two Mormon missionaries standing there. What happened next surprised his visitors. “I looked at them and thought: ‘You boys look hungry. Come on in. I’m going to feed you,’ ” Broussard said. “There was something about them that said, ‘Let them in; talk to them.’ ” By the time they left, Broussard had begun an unusual faith journey. And missionary Andrew Blackwell missed on... Read more

If you leave St. Patrick’s Cathedral by the front door, on Fifth Avenue, you can’t help but be jolted by the figure greeting you as you leave. It’s Atlas: a mammoth, four story high statue of the Greek titan, cast in bronze, his arms spread wide has he carries the universe on his back. He was created by artist Lew Lawrie in 1937.  It’s the largest sculpture in Rockefeller Center – bigger, even, than Prometheus, down by the skating rink. ... Read more

None other than Father Z has this translation of a video, which evidently contains part of the Last Will and Testament of the cardinal who died this week. The will was drafted in 2011. The words are beautiful, powerful and timely: Christ gave the Petrine office to the Church in order to give an orientation and support to the many people in the different times. That is my last request to you all for your salvation. Stay with our Holy... Read more

Details:  A new hearing in the case of Charlie Gard will take place as early as 2pm on Monday, at the High Court, after Great Ormond Street Hospital applied following ‘fresh evidence’ about treatment for the terminally-ill baby. The hospital announced today that two international hospitals have given them new evidence about treatment, and they want to explore those options. They have told his parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates, a spokesman confirmed. Speaking outside the hospital this evening, Ms... Read more

A snapshot of our world today, from The New York Times:  The annual father-daughter dance at Benito Martinez Elementary School in El Paso is a highlight on the school calendar. Candy-color tablecloths camouflage cafeteria tables, and strobe lights transform the gymnasium into a dance floor. The girls, from kindergarten through fifth grade, don dresses and pose for pictures with their dates. Many of the 300 guests stay for the grand finale: a slow dance to Bob Carlisle’s “Butterfly Kisses.” This... Read more

The outspoken Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, had a lot to say when he sat down for a chat with Crux during the Orlando convocation: If anyone suspects his backing for Francis comes at the expense of Catholic orthodoxy on matters such as the Church’s pro-life teaching or its sexual morality, Tobin has some surprises in store. Asked about his outspoken support for immigrant rights, for example, he quickly connects it to the 1973 Roe v. Wade and... Read more

From The Tablet:  Russia’s Orthodox church has reported a sharp rise in seminary admissions, with the highest numbers ever recorded now training for the priesthood in its 261 eparchies, or dioceses. The Interfax news agency said 1,593 ordinands were expected to begin studies this summer, a 19 percent increase from 2016, while a further 827 young men would also join the church’s preparatory course, or propaedeuticum, a quarter more than last year. It added that a total of 5,877 seminarians... Read more

While America was grilling burgers and lighting sparklers, this news broke: In 2016, the fertility rate in the United States was the lowest it has ever been. There were 62 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, down 1 percent from 2015. There were 3,941,109 babies born in 2016. In an analysis issued by the National Center for Health Statistics, researchers report that birthrates declined to record lows in all groups under age 30. Among women ages 20 to... Read more