I found myself this weekend in Central City, Pennsylvania, somewhere west of Harrisburg, in the diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, speaking on behalf of CNEWA. While there, I served and preached at a parish, Our Lady Queen of the Angels, with two worship sites—and one of the Masses was celebrated ad orientem.  The pastor is a dynamic young fireball by the name of Father Aron Maghsoudi—he’s the only priest in town and had to handle two churches and three Masses and did it... Read more

From CNN: He was raised Catholic but now worships with his wife and two daughters at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Boulder, Colorado. Like the city, the congregation is politically liberal. It bars guns from its campus and installed solar panels; it condemns harsh rhetoric about Muslims and welcomes gays and lesbians. And its rector, the Rev. Susan Springer, attended the Women’s March in Denver, though not as a form of protest but as a sign of support for “the... Read more

Details:  Pope Francis on Friday said confessors “should not hesitate” to refer penitents to exorcists, if they are suffering from “genuine spiritual disturbances.” The pope was speaking to hundreds of priests taking a course on confession organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican court which deals with issues surrounding the sacrament. Francis said having good confessors “was more useful than ever,” and “even necessary in our times,” and said churches should make confession more available to the faithful. He said... Read more

From NCR:  Dr. Gerard Weigel of Somerset, Kentucky, is 89, old enough to know something about what makes him happy. Close to the top of his list is being married. “My personality is suited to feminine companionship,” he said. In 2010 his wife Dorothy died. They had been married 53 years and were the parents of eight and the grandparents of 28. “It gets tough at Christmas,” Weigel joked to NCR about his large family. And then, life got better. “I met a lady who’s been... Read more

You may remember his story and the images of his ordination in January.  This morning, this news was posted on Facebook: Dear Brother Priests, On behalf of Msgr. Michael Shugrue, Diocesan Administrator, your prayers are requested for Father Philip Johnson, a newly ordained priest of the Diocese of Raleigh and who is currently stationed in priestly ministry at Sacred Heart Parish in Pinehurst and its mission, San Juan Diego in Robbins. Father Johnson has requested I share with you that... Read more

Details:  Melanie Segard is 21 years old, with a bright smile, a love of parties and restaurants, and a job at a packaging company. And, oh yes: She also happens to have Down syndrome. “I’m different,” the French woman states on her official Facebook page, “but I want to show everyone that I can do a lot of things.” But there was one thing she had always wanted to do that had eluded her: to present the weather on television.... Read more

That would include crosses and hijabs. From The Catholic Herald:  Employers will be able to ban staff from wearing ‘political, philosophical or religious’ symbols such as crosses, a European court has ruled, in a decision welcomed by right-wing politicians but criticized by some religious leaders. The European Court of Justice ruled that employers are not allowed to target particular religions. But they are allowed to have a general policy forbidding the wearing of religious symbols. The case was brought by two... Read more

When was the last time you saw something like this? This is a huge billboard outside Citi Field in Queens (home of The New York Mets), promoting Reconciliation Monday (April 10) in three local dioceses: Rockville Centre, Brooklyn and New York. A great reminder and a great public witness, courtesy DeSales Media, the communications arm of my diocese, Brooklyn. Kudos! [img attachment=”149513″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” /] Read more

Here’s a great write-up from CNS about the place where I’m proud to work, which just completed it’s 90th anniversary year: An “invisible” Catholic organization celebrated 90 years of quiet service to the poor in the Middle East, northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe. Msgr. John E. Kozar, president of Catholic Near East Welfare Association, said the agency maintains a low profile because it works through and with the local church. “They know best how to represent the face of Christ.... Read more

A trip to Disneyland was less-than-magical for this self-described progressive mother from Los Angeles, who encountered a man hanging out in the women’s restroom. She sums up what a lot of people are thinking these days: There were women and small children using the restroom and this man was walking around knowing no one would say anything.  So here I am…writing this blog, because honestly I need answers. We can’t leave this situation ambiguous any more. The gender debate needs to... Read more