View image | gettyimages.com From Reuters: Preparing for the visit, Bosnians of all faiths are showing a rare unity in a country plagued by political and ethnic tensions nearly 20 years after the end of its 1992-95 war that claimed over 100,000 lives. While the pontiff’s June 6 visit is the most eagerly awaited by Catholic Croats, the smallest group in the ethnically segmented state, Orthodox Serbs and Muslim Bosniaks have also taken an active part in preparing a warm... Read more
Details: Saint Louis University has removed a statue on its campus depicting a famous Jesuit missionary priest praying over American Indians after a cohort of students and faculty continued to complain the sculpture symbolized white supremacy, racism and colonialism. Formerly placed outside the university’s Fusz Hall in the center of the private Catholic university, the statue will go to the university’s art museum, a building just north of the bustling urban campus. The statue features famous Jesuit Missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet S.J. praying over... Read more
Wednesday evening, I was invited out to Queens Village to lead a Holy Hour and Benediction for the Little Sisters of the Poor. I took the opportunity afterward to stroll the grounds, which have some unusual areas for prayer and contemplation, even at night. This statue of the Holy Family struck me for a couple of reasons: the family is young and they actually look happy. Many thanks to Sister Regina, who extended a gracious welcome, and all the Little Sisters who... Read more
Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, almost 40 years ago, The Diamondback was one of the best student newspapers in America: a daily paper with a circulation of about 40,000 that consistently turned out award-winning journalism from some of the best and brightest young writers around. To write for The Diamondback (or DBK, as we knew it then) was a privilege, and the next best thing to working for a professional daily. It was a training ground for journalism students who... Read more
Wednesday evening, I was invited out to Queens Village to lead a Holy Hour and Benediction for the Little Sisters of the Poor. I took the opportunity afterward to stroll the grounds, which have some unusual areas for prayer and contemplation, even at night. This statue of the Holy Family struck me for a couple of reasons: the family is young and they actually look happy. Many thanks to Sister Regina, who extended a gracious welcome, and all the Little Sisters who... Read more
Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, almost 40 years ago, The Diamondback was one of the best student newspapers in America: a daily paper with a circulation of about 40,000 that consistently turned out award-winning journalism from some of the best and brightest young writers around. To write for The Diamondback (or DBK, as we knew it then) was a privilege, and the next best thing to working for a professional daily. It was a training ground for journalism students who... Read more
A reader sent this my way today. This story got a lot of attention a couple weeks back, and now the other shoe has dropped: Just before graduation last year, campus priest Warren Hall was walking across Seton Hall’s grounds sipping some coffee when a student ran up to him. The student thanked Hall for his tutelage and posed a question he hadn’t heard before. “Are you gay?” Hall nearly dropped his coffee cup. She reminded him that he had always taught... Read more
From Vatican Radio: Pope Francis on Wednesday spoke to couples who are engaged to be married and told them not to be superficial as they prepare to enter into a life-long covenant of love. In yet another catechesis dedicated to the family, the Pope chose to speak of the importance of engagement as preparation for marriage. Engagement – the Pope said – has to do with trust and reliability. He said it is beautiful that two people who are engaged... Read more
[getty src=”552211483?et=FrXTKXjISCB0xOdND2s77Q&viewMoreLink=on&sig=YqN9zo7UlKqj3OWlSVCMNpQfpOwk5a4bDrxWIX8QPEQ=” width=”517″ height=”334″] View image | gettyimages.com Msgr. Charles Pope address that provocative question—and provides some equally provocative answers—over at his blog: Simply being single does not seem to qualify for what we have traditionally termed vocations. Consider first some basic differences. 1. Those who marry as well as those who enter religious life or the priesthood make promises and vows. What promises and vows do those who are single make? To whom? For what purpose? Unless they become consecrated virgins or... Read more
From my colleague Fr. Elias Mallon, over at the CNEWA blog One-to-One: Now that ISIS has gained control of Palmyra — and, some fear, could destroy many of the priceless artifacts in the ancient Syrian city — an important Muslim voice has been raised, calling on the world to protect and defend these treasures. Al Azhar, one of the oldest universities in the world and a center of Sunni Muslim learning, has declared that “protecting archaeological sites from destruction and plundering... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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