The following email was forwarded to me from Wordnet.tv We know you are concerned and praying for Father Mike Manning, SVD. Father Mike was re-admitted to Riverside Community Hospital yesterday due to severe physical weakness.  He has been diagnosed with cancerous lesions in his chest and brain.  Father Mike will begin radiation treatment soon.  Cards of support can be sent to the SVD Community, 11316 Cypress Avenue, Riverside 92505; or Wordnet Productions, 532 North D Street, San Bernardino 92401. Thank... Read more

This was delivered to the Catholic Leadership Conference in Denver: Dear Friends: Unfortunately, my schedule precludes me from meeting and talking with you at the Catholic Leadership Conference today in Denver. First, I would like to send my warm greetings to the Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila. In discussions with my Catholic Advisory Group, it is clear Archbishop Aqulia’s leadership in the Denver Archdiocese has been exemplary, as was the leadership of his predecessor, Archbishop Charles Chaput. Second, should I be... Read more

Despite rumors to the contrary, Pope Francis has another agenda in mind for the next synod: The theme chosen by Pope Francis for the XV General Assembly of the Ordinary Synod of Bishops taking place in October 2018 will be “Young people, faith and vocational discernment.”  A press release from the Vatican on Thursday said the Pope made the choice after consulting, as normal, with Bishops Conferences, the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris and the Union of Superior Generals, in... Read more

From The New York Times:  Edwina Sandys had seen this before: the 250-pound bronze statue of a bare-breasted woman on a translucent acrylic cross being installed in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. This time around, however, she does not expect to see something else she had seen before: the statue being packed up after a call from a ranking church official telling her it had to go. That happened the first time “Christa,” Ms. Sandys’s sculpture of... Read more

From The Washington Post:  “Today in vindication,” wrote a woman on Twitter on Tuesday, summarizing the way many have received a striking new study that found those who use birth control — especially teenage girls — may be at a significantly higher risk of experiencing depression. The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, has been heralded as groundbreaking for its depth and breadth, even if it seems to only confirm what some women say they’ve been feeling for years — that... Read more

How cool is this? Details:  “I want my children and future generations to have good priests in their lives,” actorMark Wahlberg says in a new video, “just like I had.” The video was addressed to the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors in Boston and was posted online on the Facebook page for the Diocese of Providence Office of Vocations. Wahlberg has starred in blockbusters such as Transformers: Age of Extinction, Invincible, and The Italian Job. “My Catholic faith is the anchor that supports everything I do... Read more

From the Catholic Herald:  A London nun who saw the Eucharist turn to bloody flesh in the hands of a priest is to be put on the road to sainthood by Pope Francis. The Vatican has agreed to open the Cause for the canonisation of Mother Marie Adele Garnier, the foundress of the Tyburn Nuns. Mother Garnier, who died in Tyburn Convent, near Marble Arch, London, in 1924, has been given the title “Servant of God” after the Congregation for... Read more

Details:  Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde and has appointed as his successor Raleigh Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, 59. Bishop Loverde, who turned 76 in September, has led the Arlington Diocese since 1999. Canon law requires all bishops to submit their resignation at age 75. The changes were announced Oct. 4 in Washington by Msgr. Walter Erbi, the charge d’affaires at the apostolic nunciature to the United States. Bishop Loverde will serve as apostolic... Read more

I missed this item when it popped up several weeks back, but the current edition of The Catholic Journalist, published by the Catholic Press Association, retold this woman’s remarkable journey—one that has echoes in my own vocation story. From Crux:  As with other new employees at the Catholic Standard newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington, Henrietta Gomes’ first day at work began uneventfully, as she met coworkers, received supplies including reporter’s notepads, and learned how to log on to her computer.... Read more