A little oddity, courtesy The New York Times:  The New York Mets were leading the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1, after two innings when Tom McDonald stood up from his upper-deck seat at Citi Field. Nature was calling, and so was his obligation to his childhood friend and fellow Mets fan Roy Riegel, whose death nine years ago left Mr. McDonald, 56, vowing to honor their baseball bonds in an unconventional way: by disposing of Mr. Riegel’s ashes in ballparks across the... Read more

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas released the following statement yesterday: After several consultations with the Presbyteral Council and with the recommendation of our Office for Youth Ministry, I have asked the pastors of the Archdiocese to begin the process of transitioning away from the hosting of parish Girl Scout troops and toward the chartering of American Heritage Girls troops. Pastors were given the choice of making this transition quickly, or to, over the next several years, “graduate”... Read more

I’m so proud to have been a part of this:  It sounded like a nice idea that might raise a little money and get some attention. It got a lot more than that. Last Friday, a remarkable fundraiser by a group of New York teenagers known as Relief United drew a crowd of some 300 people to a park in Westchester, New York — and, at last count, raised more than $15,000 to support CNEWA’s work with the people of... Read more

The actor has given a new interview to a Polish journalist, in which he discusses among other things his most famous role and the pope who inspired him. From CNA: You met John Paul II during an audience after playing Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ.” After watching the film he said “It is as it was.” How did you receive the praise coming from the Pope? The Pope always called young people to break away from contaminated and... Read more

The video here, from CNN, is remarkable for a number of reasons—including the dignity the newscaster shows the church and its parishioners. (It’s also one of the few times I’ve heard a reporter use the verb “celebrate” with Mass; usually reporters talk about how people “attend” Mass or “hear” Mass.)     Read more

Last year, a teenager by the name of Michal Kozlowski, a student at Regis High School, had the chance to attend World Youth Day in Poland. It was a remarkable experience, and one of the things that impressed him was a group of young people he got to know from Syria. One night, one of these new friends told him how sad he was that his younger brother wasn’t able to be there.. His brother was trapped in Syria and... Read more

Wonderful:  Dressed for the occasion in a red dress and a headband with a white, glittery flower, 10-year-old Isabella Nicola picked up her violin. But this was no recital. And Isabella is no ordinary violin player. The fifth grader from Alexandria, Va., was born without a left hand and part of her forearm. That hasn’t stopped her. Her mother, Andrea Cabrera, always instructed her not to say “I can’t,” but to say “I can’t yet.” Now, thanks to five George Mason University bioengineering... Read more

From today’s Mass readings, Acts 6: 1-7… As the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task,... Read more

Words fail: One of the last substantial barriers to increasing the number of euthanasia cases for non-terminally-ill psychiatric patients in Belgium seems to have crumbled. A religious order in the Catholic Church, the Brothers of Charity, is responsible for a large proportion of beds for psychiatric patients in Belgium – about 5,000 of them. The international head of the order, Brother René Stockman, is a Belgian who has been one of the leading opponents of euthanasia in recent years. Nonetheless,... Read more

From Politico: President Donald Trump on Friday said he would name one of the most prominent anti-abortion activists in the nation to a top communications post at the Department of Health and Human Services. Charmaine Yoest, tapped to be to be assistant secretary of public affairs, is a senior fellow at American Values. She is the former president of Americans United for Life, one of the most prominent anti-abortion groups in the country, which has been instrumental in advancing anti-abortion... Read more