From Pew:  The share of U.S. adults who describe themselves as Christians has been declining for decades, but the U.S. Congress is about as Christian today as it was in the early 1960s, according to a new analysis by Pew Research Center. Indeed, among members of the new, 115th Congress, 91% describe themselves as Christians. This is nearly the same percentage as in the 87th Congress (1961 to 1962, the earliest years for which comparable data are available), when 95%... Read more

It happened in Phoenix. A report from the Daily Mail in the UK: A church pastor has achieved global fame after footage of his Christmas service descending into chaos swept the internet. The hilarious video shows Pastor Don Grosvenor leading the prayer during a Christmas Eve service at the Phoenix Christian Assembly church in Arizona, America. However as he delivers the prayer his son-in-law Bobby Brewer can be seen in the background re-arranging candle stands – before sending them crashing to... Read more

A friend posted this on Facebook, something to ponder at the start of a new year, from an AA forum “Wisdom of the Rooms”: When I was new to the program, I had a slight control problem. OK, a Big Problem. I was pretty convinced I could manage, manipulate, plan and control people, places and things so I could achieve the outcome that would be best for myself and others. Needless to say, it was an exhausting and frustrating job.... Read more

A great reflection at the start of the new year from the co-host of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper:” This past year has been tough. In my lifetime, I can’t recall humanity being more divided. Plenty of folks are sad and scared and angry and there are sound bites being fed to us that seem fueled by judgement, fear and even hatred. Jo and I refuse to be baited into using our influence in a way that will further harm an already hurting... Read more

From The Chicago Tribune: The nuns always come to the Westmont dentist in pairs, dressed in full habits, to which the dentist adds a white paper bib when it’s time for one sister to lean back, open her mouth and say “Aaahh.” Before they head back to their convent in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, Dr. Patrick Blaney tells the Missionaries of Charity to keep him in their prayers — and he doesn’t collect a dime. “He does it for lots of... Read more

That happened to writer Egan Millard, who describes his experience attending an Episcopalian service with just himself and the minister:  I was new to Portland and I’d only been to St. Luke’s, the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, once before – and that was for the busy, colorful morning service. I felt a pang of dismay as I hovered on the threshold, deciding whether to investigate further or just go home. Through the open door, I could smell... Read more

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Comedian Jim Gaffigan is famous for his jokes about foods like Hot Pockets, bacon and McDonald’s french fries. But on Tuesday, he and his wife, Jeannie, and their children spent the day making sure those who need food can get it by volunteering at a Milwaukee food pantry — one that is receiving some $70,000 thanks to them. Gaffigan added an extra Friday performance to his series of New Year’s Eve shows at the Pabst Theater, and is donating 100%... Read more

Consider this your warm-up for the Exsultet. A lot of places don’t do this chant anymore; a visiting priest who heard me do it last January was amazed. “I’ve never heard that before, anywhere,” he said. But my parish also does arcane bits of liturgy like the Blessing of Chalk and marking the church portal with the initials of the wise men. (That ritual is getting harder to repeat every year — nobody uses chalk anymore! It’s hard to find.) A... Read more

For a time, he played the most visible Catholic priest on American television—arguably the most recognizable man of the cloth since Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Details:  William Christopher, the actor best known for playing Fr. Francis Mulcahy on the smash sitcom “MASH,” has  died, CBS Los Angeles reports. He was 84. Christopher’s son confirmed his death to CBS Los Angeles. The Illinois-born Christopher’s other acting credits included “Hogan’s Heroes,” “Gomer Pyle,” “That Girl” and “Columbo.” But it was “MASH” that made Christopher... Read more

From Vatican Radio:  Pope Francis has condemned the deadly New Year’s Eve terror attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, in which a gunman opened fire on New Year’s revelers in Istanbul’s popular Reina venue at 1:30 AM (22:30 GMT), killing at least 39 people and wounding scores of others. At least 69 people were taken to hospital with injuries. Speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the New Year’s Day Angelus, Pope Francis offered prayers for... Read more