The cardinal archbishop of New York talked about this on his radio show:  The leader of the Archdiocese of New York doesn’t shun homeless panhandlers — he gives them $5 gift cards from McDonald’s and Starbucks and sometimes buys them sandwiches. Timothy Cardinal Dolan made the admission Tuesday on his SiriusXM/Catholic Channel radio program while interviewing Msgr. Kevin Sullivan of Catholic Charities. “Let me ask you this, is this wise or not?” Dolan began. “I know somebody who carries gift... Read more

From Long Island Catholic: Archbishop Bernardito C. Auza, Pope Francis’ representative at the United Nations, was the guest of honor Nov. 6 at the weekly gathering of Filipino-American Catholics at St. Kilian Church here. The Vatican nuncio, a native of Talibon, Philippines, presided at an evening Mass that attracted more than 300 worshippers. The event was sponsored by the St. Kilian-based, New York metropolitan-area chapter of BLD, a Catholic charismatic ministry founded in Manila, Philippines, in 1985 that has spread... Read more

Crux reports on an idea whose time has come: Four Louisville city councilors have signed onto a campaign to name the Ohio River Bridge, set to open in December, after the late Trappist monk Thomas Merton, the prolific author and peace activist who was born in France but chose to live his monastic life at Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky. Paul Pearson, who moved to Kentucky from England 15 years ago to lead The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University, which... Read more

The accompanying story, about Marian apparitions, is that rarity in the modern media: a treatment of religion and faith that is both compelling and respectful. Snip:    PRAYING FOR THE VIRGIN MARY’S intercession and being devoted to her are a global phenomenon. The notion of Mary as intercessor with Jesus begins with the miracle of the wine at the wedding at Cana, when, according to the Gospel of John, she tells him, “They have no wine,” thus prompting his first... Read more

He made his remarks today in Florence, Italy: Pope Francis has strongly outlined anew a comprehensive vision for the future of the Catholic church, forcefully telling an emblematic meeting of the entire Italian church community here that our times require a deeply merciful Catholicism that is unafraid of change. In a 49-minute speech to a decennial national conference of the Italian church — which is bringing together some 2,200 people from 220 dioceses to this historic renaissance city for five... Read more

Here’s a good glimpse into the life of permanent deacons, through the eyes of the men recently ordained in the Diocese of Gaylord. From The Traverse City Record-Beacon:  It’s a big deal,” said Deacon Paul Fifer, director of the diaconate program for the Gaylord diocese, which includes 21 counties in northern Lower Michigan. “It’s one of the Sacraments of Holy Orders. St. Francis was a deacon, not a priest. Some of the greatest saints were deacons, including Saints Lawrence and... Read more

It made news in Buffalo this weekend, when those words were spotted on a sign outside a Catholic Church. That led to this response from Buffalo’s Bishop Richard Malone: “Thank you for your message regarding the sign at SS Columba – Brigid Church here in Buffalo. As soon as I learned of this sign, I took immediate action to have it removed. The pastor of SS Columba – Brigid Church told me that the “2 Dads” were meant to refer... Read more

Interesting postal news from Belgium: In an effort to promote coexistence amongst all religions, the Belgian post office, Bpost, has announced a new stamp to feature three religious Belgian leaders: the country’s chief rabbi Albert Guigui, Imam Khalid Benhaddou from the Belgian port city of Ghent and the Bishop of Antwerp Johan Bonny. The stamp, to be unveiled sometime in 2016, will display a powerful message of unity and equality: “Everybody equal, everybody different.” “The stamp is meant to show that in Belgium, despite... Read more

On Facebook this morning, I reposted an image from last year, showing the Vesting Prayers we have in the sacristy at my parish in Queens. The prayers are to be said by the priest as he prepares for Mass. [img attachment=”75177″ size=”medium” alt=”1982120_10204585570811702_8757078419995486620_n” align=”aligncenter”] A couple people have asked if there are prayers like that for deacons. Why yes, there are. You can read the complete prayer here, in both Latin and English.  Two key portions: for the stole and... Read more