I tell my homiletics students: “A boring four-minute sermon is twice as good as a boring eight-minute one.” A priest in Ireland seems to agree. From The Belfast Telegraph: Fr Paddy O’Kane, who is parish priest at the Holy Family Church in the Ballymagroarty area of Londonderry, decided to cut the length of his sermons in order to encourage parents to bring their children to Mass on a Sunday and to keep his congregation fully engaged. Speaking to the Belfast... Read more

Details: Across the country, churches and congregations have rallied to offer support to undocumented immigrants facing deportation. Now one activist in Manhattan is pushing the powerful Archdiocese of New York to do more to help immigrants. Felix Cepeda, 36, wants the Roman Catholic Church to open at least one of its shuttered churches and provide sanctuary to undocumented immigrants – a step that would be as bold as it could be potentially risky. For weeks, Cepeda has spent every other... Read more

A great idea from Julianne Stanz, who blogs over at Catechists’s Journey: Summer is a great time to reach out to families and build relationships with them, especially with families who we rarely see at the parish. It is a time for us as catechetical leaders to be missionary in our outreach. Faith formation does not always have to take place within the parish! As Pope Francis reminded us in his homily at the 28th World Youth Day in Rio... Read more

From the Archdiocese of San Antonio Facebook page (which has more pictures): Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS, ordained six new permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of San Antonio in a Mass on June 17 at St. Rose of Lima Church. Homilist for the liturgy was Auxiliary Bishop Michael Boulette. The new deacons and their wives are Deacon Steve Michael and Shelly Kerr, Deacon Michael Ray and Janet Vrzalik, Deacon Clinton A. and Diana Couch, Deacon John W. and Elia Gearhart, Deacon... Read more

The press release:   Alvernia University and its athletic program officially change their nickname to the Golden Wolves. “What is most extraordinary about this announcement is the overwhelming support and consensus that emerged from across the university community regarding the selection of the new nickname,” said Thomas F. Flynn, president. “Throughout this very inclusive process, the university community consistently emphasized the importance of having our new nickname be directly connected to our distinctive Franciscan heritage.” According to the iconic Wolf of Gubbio story, St.... Read more

Details:  Two Catholic bishops passed away on the same day after they lost their battle with cancer. Bishops Leopoldo Tumulak of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines and Rodolfo Beltran of San Fernando in La Union died on Saturday in separate hospitals in Manila. Tumulak, 72, succumbed to a short battle with pancreatic cancer at 1:26pm at the Cardinal Santos Hospital where he was rushed on Friday evening. Six hours later, Beltran died after a brief confinement at the University... Read more

I was an 8-year-old kid living in Rockville, Maryland and enjoying the first days of summer vacation. It was Sunday, which meant my family went to Mass in the un-airconditioned cafeteria of the Earle B. Wood Junior High School, singing and praying amid the drone of whirring fans; our new parish, St. Patrick’s, hadn’t yet built a church. Lyndon Johnson was president. People were listening to “Groovin'” by the Young Rascals, and “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum.... Read more

From The New York Times:  Three Christian civilians said they had cowered in a basement for weeks while militants inspired by the Islamic State went door to door killing non-Muslims in the southern Philippine city of Marawi before fleeing for their lives at dawn on Tuesday. “We heard them shouting ‘Allahu akbar’ and asking neighbors about religion,” said Ian Torres, 25, a house painter who had come to Marawi for a job. “We could only hear them. If they could... Read more

A reader sent this to me, from the Facebook page of the Diocese of Tulsa: The Diocese of Tulsa gives thanks to God that ten men were ordained by Bishop David Konderla to the permanent diaconate at Holy Family Cathedral this morning! Please pray for these men as they begin their ministries throughout the diocese. Check out this link for a gallery of images. You can read the names and assignments of the new deacons (which were announced last month)... Read more