From Vatican Radio:  Pope Francis will travel to Sweden in October for a joint ecumenical commemoration of the start of the Reformation, together with leaders of the Lutheran World Federation and representatives of other Christian Churches. The event will take place on October 31st in the southern Swedish city of Lund where the Lutheran World Federation was founded in 1947. While kicking off a year of events to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, it will also highlight... Read more

From Runner’s World:  The Rev. Michael Alello set two PRs [personal records] at the Louisiana Marathon on Sunday: a 4:03:28 for the actual race and an even more impressive 27-minute Catholic Mass that began an hour before he ran his 26.2 miles. As he told Runner’s World last week, Alello offered runners a chance to gather and pray at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, which is just a few blocks from the race’s start and finish line. About 800 people took him up... Read more

From The New York Times:  Donald J. Trump is not usually a candidate who invokes the words of evangelical voters. But on Sunday, he went to church in eastern Iowa, where he studied “humility,” he later told attendees at a rally. Mr. Trump sat for the entire service, which lasted over an hour, at First Presbyterian Church here, accompanied by Deborah Whitaker, whose son was killed in an accident shortly after returning from a tour of duty. From the front... Read more

I’m preaching at the 8:30 Mass Sunday morning, and had prepared a homily already. But events of the last several hours have made me realize that this storm, and the remarkable outpouring of faith by pilgrims along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, demanded something else. Below is my revised homily for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.  + This storm may be remembered as one of the biggest in New York history, but this morning, it should be remembered for another reason.... Read more

Took a walk around the block this afternoon. Here’s the view out the front door of my building: [img attachment=”88792″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” alt=”IMG_4440″ /] And Queens Boulevard: [img attachment=”88793″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” alt=”IMG_4445″ /] Elsewhere: [img attachment=”88794″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” alt=”IMG_4444″ /] [img attachment=”88795″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” alt=”IMG_4441″ /] God bless the tireless people keeping the sidewalks and roadways clear. This is far from over. I’m planning to stay home tonight, skipping the 5 pm Mass—and I suspect the number of people in... Read more

A post on Facebook describes the scene: Amazing site from Pennsylvania. Dowling Catholic [High School, in Iowa] students stuck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike meet kids on the bus from Missouri. They have a priest. And create a snow altar for mass in the middle of this stand still. Very proud of all you Dowling Catholic students. [img attachment=”88783″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” alt=”12592305_10208777242447181_7364174190549737605_n” /] WBAY from Green Bay reports on another stranded band of marchers: A group of 150 people from the Catholic... Read more

Over the last 48 hours, the news has been filled with stories about this incredible storm, the Blizzard of ’16. At times, it can sound like the same thing over and over. Snow falls, roads close, stores are emptied…snow falls, roads close, stores are emptied…repeat.    When I was first working at CBS News, a wise old editor had some advice on how to write a news story. “It’s simple,” he said. “Tell them what you’re going to tell them,... Read more

Archbishop Arthur Roche of the Congregation for Divine Worship has just published in L’Osservatore Romano a commentary on the decree altering the foot-washing ritual of Holy Thursday—and it includes some significant historical context (h/t Pray Tell): Illuminated by the gospel of John the rite carries a double significance: an imitation of what Christ did in the Upper Room washing the feet of the Apostles and an expression of the self-gift signified by this gesture of service. It is not by... Read more

Ain’t that the truth? Details:  The Fall River Diocese has a new director of pastoral planning, Plainville resident Joseph Regali, 61, who also currently serves as a deacon at Sacred Heart Parish in North Attleboro. “I love to cook,” said Regali in an interview. After more than 30 years in law enforcement and many years serving as a deacon, cooking is just one way Regali had served others before taking the job with the diocese. Regali was a state trooper... Read more