Details from The Catholic Commentator:  Bishop Robert W. Muench and a large crowd at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge welcomed seven new permanent deacons during the Rite of Ordination of Deacons on June 10. Bishop Muench ordained Deacon Stephen Brunet, Deacon William Corbett, Deacon Kirk Duplantis, Deacon George Hooper, Deacon Tim Messenger, Deacon Gary Mooney and Deacon Minos Ponville Jr. In his homily, Bishop Muench said the morning was one of a “spirit of joy, excitement and enthusiasm.” “All... Read more

From The Michigan Catholic:  Karen Ervin couldn’t wait to share the good news with her friends and family. She has the dress all picked out, a church ready to go, a date set — all the makings of a typical Catholic wedding. On June 24, Ervin, a parishioner at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth and principal of St. Catherine of Siena Academy in Wixom, will be celebrating one of the most important days of her life. But the... Read more

It happened today: Archbishop-designate Charles C. Thompson ordained the new deacons at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. Sean Gallagher sent me the snapshot above of the soon-to-be archbishop and his newly ordained deacons. You can read profiles of the men here.  Congratulations and welcome, brothers! Ad multos annos! Read more

A great story of bringing grace to the streets, from Denver Catholic‘s Roxanne King: For the last several years, the Neocatechumenal Way, a charism of the Catholic Church that aims to bring people to mature Christian faith, has announced the Good News of Jesus Christ in public squares across the archdiocese during Easter season. This year, for the first time, the “Great Mission” evangelization project took place on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver. Since it’s inception 35 years... Read more

That’s what it costs for four years at premiere Catholic university of the United States, Notre Dame, and the New York Times is wondering if that’s a good deal. Details: Families with teenagers starting this fall can expect to pay close to $300,000 over four years, assuming costs increase 3 percent or so each year. Even families with incomes over $100,000 who qualify for financial aid will still probably pay a whole lot more than they would at their flagship... Read more

I preached about him in my homily on Holy Thursday:  Last December, 35 years after Father Stanley Rother’s murder, Pope Francis declared him officially a martyr of the faith—the first martyr born in the United States. In September, he will be beatified. Tonight, I suggest, attention must be paid. Here was a man who washed the feet of others. We need to remember great priests like Father Stanley Rother—ordinary figures of extraordinary commitment and generosity and faith. There are so... Read more

So I’m up here in Québec for the Catholic Media Conference, and was privileged to attend Mass Wednesday night celebrated by Canada’s primate, the cardinal archbishop of Québec, Gerard Lacroix. First, the setting was the city’s lovely cathedral, Notre Dame de Québec. [img attachment=”210315″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” /] It’s undergoing some renovation inside, so the main altar was covered by an enormous scrim bearing a photograph of the sanctuary. [img attachment=”210316″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” /] The ceiling is simply beautiful: a glimpse... Read more

The group Hope Not Hate, based in the U.K., posted this on social media a few days ago. The organization says it was founded in 2004 “to provide a positive antidote to the politics of hate.” I think we need more messages like this now, don’t you? (Please be patient. It may take a minute for the video to load.) https://www.facebook.com/hope.n.hate/videos/10154424855236854/   Read more

…which is something a few people are doing on social media right now, it’s worth reading in full just what Bishop Robert Barron has to say on the subject right here.  Snip: At bottom, Luther was a mystic of grace, someone who had fallen completely in love—which helps enormously to explain what makes his theological ideas both so fascinating and so frustrating. People in love do and say extravagant things. So overwhelmed are they by the experience of the beloved... Read more

This is making the rounds on social media, and I think it deserves sharing. (It may take a moment for the video to load.) A random act of kindness gives a man who has nothing something beyond price: a sense of worth. https://www.facebook.com/uniladmag/videos/2815248981831476/ Read more