Priests and deacons, if you think “preaching seems pointless”…think again.

Last updated on: May 10, 2015 at 12:06 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

[getty src=”176446023?et=CiDdnuMYScVleuiszgrdlQ&viewMoreLink=on&sig=XAcoDP-eC0UosMxIgHwXQWJ-v0rus9GERtx4l_6WiTU=&caption=true” width=”395″ height=”594″] View image | gettyimages.com My blog neighbor Fr. Dwight Longenecker bemoans the state of Catholic preaching—and the seeming lack of response to said preaching: I sometimes feel like the dog who barks at the train. He doesn’t bark at the train because he thinks the train will stop. He barks because he’s a dog. I know preaching isn’t pointless, and I should stop looking at what seems like a lack of results. Instead I should see... Read more

“Can you drink this cup?”: a stirring vocation story, told through the history of a chalice

Last updated on: May 9, 2015 at 6:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

A beautiful story. Read more about the chalice here. But watch the video below. Read more

It’s that time again: First Communion

Last updated on: May 9, 2015 at 2:48 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Some shots from the big event at my parish this morning. The atmosphere seemed less chaotic than usual—and the parents were well-behaved. (I credit our administrator—who read them the riot act, nicely, before the Mass began.) Tomorrow, they get a chance to wear their communion outfits one more time, for their first Sunday Mass. I hope to have some additional shots from that. (It’s a little hard taking pictures when you’re carrying the Book of the Gospels and processing up to... Read more

Beautiful: how a mother returned to the Church when her son became a priest

Last updated on: May 9, 2015 at 1:00 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

This belongs in the Writing Straight With Crooked Lines file…the story of a mother, Kristin Gilger, who left the Catholic Church, and how God drew her back through her son. A Jesuit reader sent this to me this morning, and it’s just great: When my son, Patrick, first told us he was considering becoming a Jesuit, I chalked it up to age (he was 20) and idealism (he was 20). I thought it was a romantic notion that would pass... Read more

Beautiful: how a mother returned to the Church when her son became a priest

Last updated on: May 9, 2015 at 12:48 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

It’s that time again: First Communion

Last updated on: May 9, 2015 at 12:28 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

“Can you drink this cup?”: a stirring vocation story, told through the history of a chalice

Last updated on: May 9, 2015 at 12:19 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

A beautiful story. Read more about the chalice here. But watch the video below. Read more

Great moments in journalism: worst TV news ad ever? Maybe.

Last updated on: May 8, 2015 at 1:26 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Get a load of how WNEM TV (in Saginaw) is promoting its anchor team for sweeps: Some commentary on this here. As media observer Jim Romenesko notes: “Y’all know Julia Roberts was a prostitute in that movie, right?” RIGHT? Shameless? Yeah. Further proof, if any where needed, that the news business isn’t what it used to be. Not by a long shot. Read more

Pope: church is about unity, not forming lobbies

Last updated on: May 8, 2015 at 9:44 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

I can’t imagine what he’s talking about, can you? Details: Pope Francis says discussions within the Church are to seek unity and and it should not be a place where people are always clashing, betraying each other and forming lobbies to win their argument. He said the Holy Spirit helps bring change and moves things forward within the Church but at the same time it creates unity between all its members. This was the core message of his homily on... Read more

Husband, father, deacon—and soon, a priest

Last updated on: May 8, 2015 at 9:01 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

From CatholicPhilly.com: Thirteen years ago Jim Cardosi’s wife, Cindy, discovered she had little time left to live. In 2002 she experienced symptoms resulting from a neurological illness that by 2005 would be identified as frontotemporal dementia or Pick’s Disease, which Cindy developed in her mid-40s. She required full-time care, so Jim retired from the military. They raised five kids together and built their lives around each other. Jim’s faith kept him poised throughout the illness, and he felt the call... Read more