The paper pontiff hit a few of the sites in Orlando yesterday, starting out at the Basilica Shrine of Mary Queen of the Universe. Somehow, he found his way to Epcot. He didn’t meet the height restrictions on the rides—which require that you be taller than 11″—but I did sneak him onto Test Track on my backpack. We enjoyed a hearty lunch at the “Taste Track” food truck, with grilled cheese and tomato soup—though Francis and I agreed it would... Read more
There’s been a lot of attention this week to work that’s been undertaken at New York City’s celebrated Church of Our Saviour parish on Park Avenue—for many years, pastored by Fr. George Rutler. Icons that have decorated the church walls for years were mysteriously removed and some feared a “wreckovation” was about to take place. My blog neighbor Katrina Fernandez has written about this at some length and has been following the story closely. Here’s a photo of the sanctuary... Read more
From the magazine’s cover story: “I really need to start making changes right now,” Francis told a half dozen Argentine friends one morning just two months after 115 cardinals in the Vatican conclave vaulted him from relative obscurity into the papacy. To many observers—some delighted, others discomfited—the new pope already had changed seemingly everything, seemingly overnight. He was the first Latin American pope, the first Jesuit pope, the first in more than a thousand years not to have been born in Europe,... Read more
From The New York Times: Armed guards, security patrols and surveillance cameras — at the Potter’s House of Denver, they are just another part of Sunday services, like prayer, psalms and sermons. Much of the security effort is hidden so it does not interfere with worship, but church leaders insist that the military-style protocols are necessary. “We now live in an America where you must be vigilant,” the Rev. E. Christopher Hill, the church’s senior pastor, said. The massacre last... Read more
From Gallup: Pope Francis’ favorability rating in the U.S. has returned to where it was when he was elected pope. It is now at 59%, down from 76% in early 2014. The pontiff’s rating is similar to the 58% he received from Americans in April 2013, soon after he was elected pope. After Pope Francis was elected the leader of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church in March 2013, he attempted to focus the church on a renewed sense of... Read more
From Huffington Post, some news that should get wider circulation: Three Muslim organizations have raised over $100,000 to rebuild black churches in the South. In the days following the shooting of nine people inside Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, a string of church fires at black worship centers in the South raised alarm on social media. Authorities have not indicated that the fires are connected to Charleston, but the blazes made headlines in the wake of what many believe to have been... Read more
From CNS: The Catholic faith tradition “offers a unique perspective on crime and punishment, one grounded in mercy and healing, not punishment for its own sake,” two bishops said in a statement renewing the U.S. Catholic Church’s push to end the death penalty. “ No matter how heinous the crime, if society can protect itself without ending a human life, it should do so. Today, we have this capability,” wrote Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston and Archbishop Thomas G.... Read more
The paper pontiff hit a few of the sites in Orlando yesterday, starting out at the Basilica Shrine of Mary Queen of the Universe. Somehow, he found his way to Epcot. He didn’t meet the height restrictions on the rides—which require that you be taller than 11″—but I did sneak him onto Test Track on my backpack. We enjoyed a hearty lunch at the “Taste Track” food truck, with grilled cheese and tomato soup—though Francis and I agreed it... Read more
Sensational news in the world of Catholic communications—and, really, for the American church— via Vatican Radio: Pope Francis on Tuesday named three new auxiliary bishops to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the United States. Among them was Father Robert E. Barron, the Rector of the University of St. Mary and Mundelein Seminary in Chicago. Father Barron is also the founder of the multimedia “Word on Fire Catholic Ministries”, which produces programs which have been broadcast regularly on WGN America,... Read more
Sensational news in the world of Catholic communications—and, really, for the American church— via Vatican Radio: Pope Francis on Tuesday named three new auxiliary bishops to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the United States. Among them was Father Robert E. Barron, the Rector of the University of St. Mary and Mundelein Seminary in Chicago. Father Barron is also the founder of the multimedia “Word on Fire Catholic Ministries”, which produces programs which have been broadcast regularly on WGN America,... Read more
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