From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A Marquette University grad’s poignant note to President Barack Obama about his hopes as a gay man and a Catholic have garnered him an invitation to join the president when Pope Francis comes to the White House on Sept. 23. Aaron Ledesma, 23, who has been chronicling his return to the church in a blog titled The Gay Catholic, first thought he was being punked when he answered a call from a blocked number on Aug.... Read more
This is extraordinary—and, I think, unprecedented. It’s also a testament to the intense interest in all things Francis, as he makes his first visit to the United States. From The New York Times: Time Warner Cable is rolling out the Papal Visit 2015 channel, a sort of C-Span for fans of the pope, telecasting around the clock on Channel 199 in most areas from the opening event of Francis’ tour, a Mass in Havana on Sept. 20, until Shepherd One lifts off from... Read more
A rough translation of the pope’s historic remarks today during the Angelus: Dear brothers and sisters, Mercy of God is recognized through our works, as we witnessed the life of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, which yesterday we commemorated the anniversary of the death. Faced with the tragedy of tens of thousands of refugees fleeing from death by war and hunger, and are on their way to a hope of life, the Gospel calls us, asks us to be “next”,... Read more
Stories like that of young Aylan Kurdi have riveted the attention of the world on the plight of refugee families fleeing Syria, Turkey and the Middle East. But his story is the tragic tip of a large and overwhelming iceberg. Recently, The Guardian put this crisis in perspective: What does this emergency look like? Half of Syria’s population has been displaced since the popular protests began in March 2011. To put that in perspective, this equates to 160 million Americans fleeing their homes.... Read more
From Rorate Caeli: The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with an order signed by Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, has prohibited the Parish Priest, Fra Marinko Sakota and the six supposed visionaries who claim they have been seeing the “Gospa” for 34 years, from delivering testimonies or spreading the “messages” inside the Parish of Medjugorje. This is a very hard blow inflicted on the “Ministry of Propaganda” in Medjugorje, the communication-machine of the supposed visionaries, named such because it... Read more
The actress best known for her role in “The King of Queens” made headlines when she very publicly left the Church of Scientology two years ago. Friday, she had her 10-year-old daughter baptized. Details: Remini, best known for her role as Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom “The King of Queens,” shared a couple of snapshots from her daughter’s baptism that was attended by some of her immediate family and close friends. “A very special day for our little girl and her... Read more
The actress best known for her role in “The King of Queens” made headlines when she very publicly left the Church of Scientology two years ago. Friday, she had her 10-year-old daughter baptized. Details: Remini, best known for her role as Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom “The King of Queens,” shared a couple of snapshots from her daughter’s baptism that was attended by some of her immediate family and close friends. “A very special day for our little girl and her... Read more
From Rorate Caeli: The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with an order signed by Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, has prohibited the Parish Priest, Fra Marinko Sakota and the six supposed visionaries who claim they have been seeing the “Gospa” for 34 years, from delivering testimonies or spreading the “messages” inside the Parish of Medjugorje. This is a very hard blow inflicted on the “Ministry of Propaganda” in Medjugorje, the communication-machine of the supposed visionaries, named such because it... Read more
Stories like that of young Aylan Kurdi have riveted the attention of the world on the plight of refugee families fleeing Syria, Turkey and the Middle East. But his story is the tragic tip of a large and overwhelming iceberg. Recently, The Guardian put this crisis in perspective: What does this emergency look like? Half of Syria’s population has been displaced since the popular protests began in March 2011. To put that in perspective, this equates to 160 million Americans fleeing their homes.... Read more
A rough translation of the pope’s historic remarks today during the Angelus: Dear brothers and sisters, Mercy of God is recognized through our works, as we witnessed the life of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, which yesterday we commemorated the anniversary of the death. Faced with the tragedy of tens of thousands of refugees fleeing from death by war and hunger, and are on their way to a hope of life, the Gospel calls us, asks us to be “next”,... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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