Cardinal Levada arrested for DUI

Last updated on: August 25, 2015 at 9:16 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: One of the Roman Catholic Church’s most senior clergymen was arrested last week for driving under the influence during a trip to Hawaii. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Monday that 79-year-old Cardinal William Joseph Levada, of Menlo Park, California, was stopped at about midnight Thursday in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island after a patrol car saw him swerve. Levada, formerly the highest ranking American official in the Vatican, was charged with driving under the influence and was released from police custody after posting $500 bail. In a... Read more

Dorothy Day would be appalled

Last updated on: August 25, 2015 at 12:46 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Back in the 1950s, the venerable woman who founded The Catholic Worker wrote a famous essay on “holy obedience”: Most cradle Catholics have gone through, or need to go through, a second conversion which binds them with a more profound, a more mature love and obedience to the Church. I do know that my nature is such that gratitude alone, gratitude for the faith, that most splendid gift, a gift not earned by me, a gratuitous gift, is enough to... Read more

Measuring the “Francis Effect”: in poll, most say they believe pope will attract Catholics back to the Church

Last updated on: August 25, 2015 at 12:38 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

A new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) offers an interesting snapshot of the “Francis Effect“ in the U.S., just ahead of his first visit: More than one year into his papacy, Pope Francis remains popular among the American public. Two-thirds (67%) of Americans have a favorable view of the pope, while 15% say they have an unfavorable view. Nearly one in five (19%) Americans did not offer an opinion about the pope. Views of the Catholic Church... Read more

Francis bobble head with Philly cheesesteak and a pretzel!?

Last updated on: August 25, 2015 at 12:35 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Just when you thought you’d seen it all…some savvy Philadelphia promoters offer us this. And yes, for good measure, he’s also wearing “Rocky” boxing gloves. Read more

Some proposals for allowing divorced and remarried to receive Communion

Last updated on: August 24, 2015 at 3:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From CNS: The discussion at last year’s extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family was lively — some media coverage made it sound like a battle — and a new book from the Pontifical Council for the Family shows the debate continues. “Family and Church: An Indissoluble Bond,” published this summer only in Italian, is a collection of presentations by theologians and canon lawyers gathered by the council for three full days of discussion and debate. Their consensus is that... Read more

Dog bites man: star of “Big Bang Theory” says being religious in Hollywood “not trendy”

Last updated on: August 24, 2015 at 12:37 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Really? Who knew? Details: Mayim Bialik is best know for her role as “Blossom” on the NBC sitcom of the same name and as the quirky Amy Farrah Fowler on “The Big Bang Theory,” but the 39-year-old is also known as a person of faith in Hollywood. Bialik has consistently used her celebrity as a platform to support causes that are important to her and to share her message of modesty with her fans. At times that means upsetting a... Read more

Some proposals for allowing divorced and remarried to receive Communion

Last updated on: August 24, 2015 at 12:32 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Dog bites man: star of “Big Bang Theory” says being religious in Hollywood “not trendy”

Last updated on: August 24, 2015 at 12:30 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Visiting an Anglican Ordinariate parish: “You know that you are in a different place, a place set aside for holy use”

Last updated on: August 24, 2015 at 12:25 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

I’d be curious to experience this liturgy sometime. It sounds like something I’d like. Here Devin Rose describes his first experience visiting Our Lady of Walsingham in Texas: The parish is beautiful. It is like an acre of England has been cut out and dropped in Houston. The church itself looks like a classic Anglican (originally Catholic!) church. The language of the liturgy is English, but the phrasing and words used are elegant, dignified, and mellifluous. They have a great organ and... Read more

Want to pass through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s next year? Get a reservation.

Last updated on: August 24, 2015 at 12:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From CNS: Drawing on the experience of the public exposition of the Shroud of Turin, Vatican officials are adopting a reservation system for pilgrims who want to cross the threshold of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica during the Year of Mercy. The free, online registration will not be activated until October, but in late August the Vatican published a brief explanation of the plan on www.im.va, which is the website for the Year of Mercy that begins Dec. 8.... Read more