And he should have worn an alb with the stole. This comes from the Facebook page of the USC Caruso Catholic Center in California. They held a “Mass on the Grass” outdoors, and this fellow stopped by. Did they check to see if he had faculties? (Ha! Get it? Faculties at college!) Some of the participants from last year are shown below. [img attachment=”89700″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” alt=”12507506_972155889521892_4895279211043727765_n” /] Read more

Here’s a real day-brightener for you: It’s the resurrection! An important piece of a Bath Beach church’s century-old altar has returned from the grave thanks to a pious parishioner whose de-shrine intervention saved it 30 years ago, his pastor said. “The high altar is right in the center of the church, and the piece Bill saved is an important piece of it,” said the Rev. Michael Louis Gelfant. Bill Coppa rescued the face of St. Finbar Church’s tabernacle — where... Read more

Details from MIT Technology Review:  A Spanish scientist working at the Salk Institute in California told Scientific American that Pope Francis personally blessed his cutting edge research to mix human cells into animal bodies. Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a prominent stem-cell biologist, is engaged in efforts to grow human tissue inside of farm animals such as pigs, sheep, and cows. This type of research is sensitive because scientists have to inject human stem cells into early-stage animal embryos, then try... Read more

From Vatican Radio:  Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, held a press conference on Friday (29 Jan) to discuss the Missionaries of Mercy to be sent out into the world by Pope Francis for the Jubilee of Mercy and the temporary exposition of the body of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Lenten season. Archbishop Fisichella also gave some statistics on the number of pilgrims participating in Jubilee Year... Read more

With last night’s debate still fresh in the public memory, Michael O’Laughlin has a good explanation at Crux: Brian Burch, president of Catholic Vote, said lay and ordained Evangelicals often see steering fellow believers toward particular candidates as part of their job, whereas Catholic priests and even some lay heads of Catholic organizations are much more reticent to engage directly in politics. “They don’t see a need to invite the sorts of divisions that politics often brings,” he said. John Gehring, whose... Read more

This is an interesting effort from the Archdiocese of Newark, posted recently on YouTube: a six-minute video that gives some explanation and catechesis regarding the Order of Christian Funerals. Take a look: Unfortunately, as laudable as this effort may be, I think this was a missed opportunity. The production values are good (though, frankly, scripted and stagey) and the subject is sensitively handled, but I don’t think it adds much to what most lay Catholics probably already know about the funeral ritual. And it’s unclear what... Read more

But will the declaration have teeth? From CNS:  Muslim leaders from around the world adopted a declaration defending the rights of religious minorities in predominantly Muslim countries. Participants said the Marrakesh Declaration, developed during a Jan. 25-27 conference, was based on the Medina Charter, a constitutional contract between the Prophet Muhammad and the people of Medina. The declaration said the charter, instituted 1,400 years ago, guaranteed the religious liberty of all, regardless of faith. The conference included Muslim leaders from... Read more

The story, from Vatican Radio: Pope Francis on Thursday met with actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor gave the Pope a book of art from the Dutch Renaissance painter, Hieronymus Bosch, and at the end of the encounter, DiCaprio kissed the Pope’s ring, and, in Italian, thanked the Holy Father for meeting with him. DiCaprio addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this month, calling on business leaders to do more to fight global warming, and... Read more

Fascinating and inspiring stuff, from Aleteia’s brand new sister publication, For Her: I recently spoke with a 28-year-old woman who isn’t just listening to Gregorian chants and putting crucifixes on her wall, she’s living the day-in, day-out life of a nun. Sister Mary Veronica entered a cloistered monastery at the age of 23. She took her first vows at the Dominican Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary in Summit, New Jersey, in 2013. Sometime in the next couple of... Read more