The picture here from World Youth Day popped up elsewhere at Aleteia, with a little quiz. Here’s another quiz for you: why does the priest (or deacon) use a big piece of cloth to carry the monstrance? Therein lies the tale of the humeral veil. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and my blog (and my diaconate) were both new, I reflected on the experience of presiding at my first Benediction, and explained:  One of the more exotic and misunderstood vestments is... Read more

Here’s something to make your day, from the In My Backyard Desk.  It’s the story of Brooklyn priest (and Friend of the Deacon) Fr. Jim Cunningham, who discovered through a routine medical checkup that he was desperately in need of a new kidney. This is how a casual acquaintance literally saved his life, from The Rockaway Times:   The word started spreading that Fr. Jim needed a kidney. Enter Patrick Nash, a product of East 29th Street in Marine Park,... Read more

My friend the Rev. John Cush—back in New York, on break from Rome, where he’s a dean at the North American College—will be featured at a special event tomorrow night. (H/T to Deacon Steve Greydanus!). It’s taking place at the Sheen Center in lower Manhattan: Join us for a lively conversation about the Netflix web TV series Marvel’s Daredevil, with members of the show’s creative team, who will discuss what goes into making a hit television series. They will be joined by other... Read more

This liturgy was celebrated yesterday in Sydney, Australia by Archbishop Anthony Fisher, O.P. The video of the homily is at the bottom. From the published text:  Love, and faith, and hope will not be cowed by such barbarism. This very morning, a woman in St-Etienne-du-Rouvray rode by the church on her bicycle and shouted out, “We will not be afraid!” This very morning, Mohammed Karabila, President of the Regional Council of Muslims and a friend of Fr Jacques, joined the Catholic... Read more

The Holy Spirit has been busy. This past weekend, Jim Hoegemeier became Deacon Jim Hoegemeier, and the Diocese of Madison gained one more deacon. I’ve been corresponding with Jim for several years, and have been following his long and winding journey to ordination—a journey that began when he first felt the stirrings of a call, but couldn’t really do anything about it; he was in a diocese that didn’t have an active diaconate formation program. But God found a way. I asked Jim to... Read more

Details:  In 2006, 14 men were ordained to the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese of Perth. A decade on, the Deacons talk to The eRecord about how their work as Deacons has inspired them. Ten years on from their ordination, Permanent Deacons Patrick Moore and Paul Reid say they continue to learn and grow in these positions, despite taking on quite different roles in the Archdiocese. Permanent Deacons are men – married or single – who are called to be... Read more

From Crux:  Australian Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s top financial officer, is facing multiple allegations of sexual abuse in his native country, according to a new report from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. As he has in the past when suggestions of impropriety have arisen, Pell has vigorously denied the allegations while expressing sympathy and concerns for victims of clerical abuse. According to a program on the ABC network, Pell faces accusations from the Australian cities of Ballarat, Torquay and Melbourne... Read more

Details:  One of the Normandy church murderers was a convicted terrorist who was meant to be living with his parents with an electronic tag on his ankle, according to security sources. The astonishing revelation – made to the French TV news channel I-Tele – well cause further outrage in a country devastated by constant security failings. Two attackers were shot dead by police commandos during the siege at Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray this morning, and their identities are already known to the authorities.... Read more

Someone made this observation earlier today on Twitter:  I doubt the #Normandy murderers were aware of the symbolism of killing a cleric in a church dedicated to St Stephen It hadn’t realized it—it’s been a long time since I took high school French— but in fact the town where Fr. Jacques Hamel was slaughtered is named Saint-Étienne, which translates in French as a variation of Saint-Etiève or Saint Stephen. The town is a suburb of Rouen—which is where another famous martyr (and patroness of France),... Read more

From The Catholic Herald:  In a new book-length interview with the French journalist Guillaume d’Alançon, Cardinal Raymond Burke says that when his mother was pregnant with him, she became seriously ill and a doctor advised her to have an abortion. According to Cardinal Burke, the doctor said: “You already have five children, it is important for you to be in good health so as to take care of them.” “My parents refused,” says the cardinal, who is now chaplain to... Read more