The press release:  Rev. Gregory J. Boyle, S.J., founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, California, will receive the University of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal — the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics — at Notre Dame’s 172nd University commencement ceremony on May 21 (Sunday). “For nearly 30 years, Father Boyle has served men and women who have been incarcerated and involved with gangs, and, in doing so, has helped them to discover... Read more

From the Diocese of Orange in California: Bishop Kevin Vann has sent a letter to all Diocese of Orange parishes directing them to be prepared in the event of an encounter with immigration enforcement officials at or near a church, school, hospital or clinic. The letter went out after reports of a van believed to belong to Immigration and Customs Enforcement was photographed on the Christ Cathedral campus Feb. 17. It turned out that the van belonged to U.S. Customs... Read more

My wife and I went to see the film Thursday night—we liked it—and picked up on something that writer Jacob Popcak also noticed and appreciated: I want to draw attention to an incredibly beautiful “exclusively Catholic moment” that many of us have missed as we argued about a clip that barely made it into the film. The scene is this: during the memorable opening number of the 1991 animated classic, the titular “Beauty” walks down the thoroughfares of her “provincial”... Read more

Well, ain’t this somethin’?: The first thing you should know about Bryn Thiessen is that he’s the type of person your hip barber is trying to be… …Thiessen speaks in a drawl with a slight twang even though Texan inflection is not a native tongue of Alberta—it is both affectation and aspiration. He writes poetry and has a weekly service where he preaches to locals. His is the Cowboy Trail Church. He is full of catchy phrases and during a... Read more

Details: A high school student asked his best friend’s little sister, who has Down syndrome, to prom, and the heartwarming “promposal” was captured on video. Shaedon Wedel, a senior at Newton High School in Newton, Kansas, had been planning to ask Carlie Wittman, 15, to be his prom date since the beginning of the school year, and he finally did so last Friday. Wedel, 18, posted a video to Facebook that shows him walking up to Carlie’s doorstep with flowers,... Read more

This video for State Farm is causing a small sensation on social media:  The commercial is set to a cover of The Chainsmokers’ “Don’t Let Me Down” by Joy Williams. We are absolutely loving the message in this ad, and the internet is agreeing. It’s not often that an insurance company creates a commercial that tells a story, and inspires people to give back. Some background:  The Bloomington, Ill.-based marketer, the largest auto insurer in the U.S., is debuting its... Read more

The latest:  Pope Francis has issued a decree paving the way for the canonization of two of the Fatima visionaries, brother and sister Francesco and Jacinta Marto. While an official date has not yet been released by the Vatican, Italian media reports suggest the pope may canonize the two shepherd children during his May 12-13 visit to Fatima, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions. The announcement came this morning, after the pope met with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of... Read more

From the Catholic Review:  Cardinal William H. Keeler, 14th archbishop of Baltimore, an international leader in Catholic-Jewish relations and the driving force behind the restoration of America’s first cathedral, died March 23 at his residence at St. Martin’s Home for the Aged in Catonsville. He was 86. Cardinal Keeler served as the spiritual shepherd of the Baltimore archdiocese from 1989 until his retirement in 2007. Archbishop William E. Lori, one of Cardinal Keeler’s two successors, said one of the great... Read more

From National Geographic:  Scientists have discovered that there is a “very real risk” that the holiest site in Christianity may collapse if nothing is done to shore up its unstable foundations. A scientific team from the National Technical University of Athens(NTUA), which has just completed the restoration of what is traditionally believed to be the tomb of Christ in Jerusalem, warns that additional work is needed to prevent the shrine and surrounding complex from experiencing significant structural failure. “When it... Read more

The clear-eyed Simcha Fisher takes aim and tosses some welcome darts: Yelling At the Choir What’s worse than preaching to the choir? How about railing at the choir because the choir is so small? Dear Father, we already know it’s important to come. That’s why we’re here. If you’d like to see better numbers, encourage us to be courageous and invite our friends and family to come next week. Give us some encouragement; feed us some lines; challenge us to reach out. Remind us... Read more