From the In My Backyard Desk (Brooklyn Division)…a press release from the Archdiocese for the Military Services: The Reverend Mr. Mark Bristol, a candidate for the Catholic priesthood and United States Military chaplaincy, was ordained a transitional deacon on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, for his home diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y. The U.S. Navy veteran and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, hopes eventually to return to active duty as a Navy chaplain with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese... Read more

A mother and blogger weighs in: I just don’t find it necessary. In general, I am rather offended by the concept that in order for a woman to be empowered, she must stop doing women’s things and do men’s things instead. It’s a misunderstanding of our dignity as women and our place in the world God created for men and women to share. …I have no interest in devaluing traditional women’s roles and suggesting that women can have purpose only... Read more

Details:  The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for shooting and wounding an Italian priest in Bangladesh this week, according to a notice released Thursday by the SITE Intelligence Group. “Security detachments of soldiers of the Caliphate in Bangladesh carried out some unique operations (including)… Targeting the Italian Crusader foreigner Piero Parolari,” the jihadist monitoring organisation SITE quoted IS as saying. Parolari, who worked as a priest and a doctor at Suihari Catholic Mission in the northern city of Dinajpur,... Read more

From The Daily Mail:  Hundreds of Muslim groups have taken out an advert condemning the Paris terror attacks and pledging allegiance to ‘the values of pluralism and tolerance’. A message placed in the national Press today criticised the ‘barbaric acts’ of the bombers and gunmen who murdered 129 people in the French capital last week. It also praised a security guard who was working at the Stade de France at the time of the assault and is believed to be... Read more

Another victory for the culture of death—and another reminder of why the Catholic Church prohibits this practice.  Details:  In the first decision in California to address a dispute over the fate of frozen embryos after a couple’s divorce, a state judge in San Francisco on Wednesday ordered the destruction of five embryos after a man challenged his ex-wife’s right to use them. The woman, Mimi C. Lee, a 46-year-old cancer survivor, argued that she would not have another chance to... Read more

The website for Madonna House, the apostolate founded by Catherine de Hueck Doherty, just posted this reflection by Christopher Zakrzewski. It first appeared in their magazine Restoration in 2004, but it’s more timely now than ever. The essay begins by describing a priest who battled the loneliness of his vocation and eventually left the priesthood. Read on: The fact is that there are parishes that are notoriously indifferent to their parish priests. And even in parishes with conscientious, caring families, the tempo... Read more

This item popped up on the blog Pray Tell:  The Pope has halted the canonization process for Aloysius Stepinac, the Croation Catholic Archbishop of Zagreb from 1937 until his death in 1960.  Pope John Paul II had beatified the fiercely anti-communist archbishop, who spent many years in prison and under house arrest in Communist Yugoslavia, in 1998. The archbishop’s actions during World War II, however, especially his ties to the Nazi-aligned, murderous Ustaše regime, have raised criticism not only from the... Read more

This looks like a wonderful opportunity for deacons and their wives. I wrote about the upcoming Jubilee here and here. And I’ve mentioned, too, that I’ve been invited to speak at this event. Well, now comes news that Deacon Bill Ditewig and Deacon Fritz Bauerschmidt will be leading a pilgrimage to Rome in May to coincide with the Jubilee for Deacons. It’s sponsored by Liturgical Press. Read more here.  See you in Rome! Read more

N.B.: The Vatican has not confirmed it, or announced it, but Fr. James Martin posted the news on social media a short time ago, citing an Italian news agency. The Catholic Herald in the UK has this:  Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be canonized on Sunday September 5 according to the news agency, Agi. Catholic News Service have reported that a panel of doctors have concluded that there is no natural medical explanation for the miracle attributed to Mother Teresa’s intercession.... Read more

He spoke during today’s General Audience—and referenced the opening of the Holy Doors for the coming Jubilee Year of Mercy. His prepared remarks from Vatican Radio:   As the extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy approaches, today we consider the great open door of God’s mercy, symbolized by the Holy Doors which will open in Churches throughout the world.  The recent Synod of Bishops on the Family encouraged families in a particular way to enter this door of mercy and to open... Read more