This will be hard to top for uplift and sheer wonderfulness. From the St. Louis Review: Make-A-Wish requests often involve meeting athletes, attending sporting events or traveling to amusement parks or beaches. When it came time for 11-year-old Brett Haubrich of south St. Louis County to make his wish, he not only listed none of those things but had no request at all. “He didn’t want anything,” explained his mother, Eileen. “They had to keep asking him, ‘What would you... Read more
Was it a hoax? Or just a tasteless publicity stunt? The Christian Post reports: A novelty Bible honoring rap artist, Kanye West, has been removed from a popular website in the wake of growing complaints. It is unclear whether or not the book is a hoax. The Book of Yeezus, which is a nod to West’s sixth studio album, is said to be a “Bible for the modern day” as it replaces every mention of God in the book of... Read more
Was it a hoax? Or just a tasteless publicity stunt? The Christian Post reports: A novelty Bible honoring rap artist, Kanye West, has been removed from a popular website in the wake of growing complaints. It is unclear whether or not the book is a hoax. The Book of Yeezus, which is a nod to West’s sixth studio album, is said to be a “Bible for the modern day” as it replaces every mention of God in the book of Genesis... Read more
If not, why not? Ladies and gentlemen: this is how it’s done. Spare no one. Leave no drop behind. Attack the faithful with holiness! Douse the world with grace until it is shivering and saturated and sneezing. Then you are truly blessed. Read more
No sooner have I survived Easter—say, is that candle wax in my hair?—and here I am, packing my bags and making a little trip. Actually, it’s more of a trek. I’m headed to the Middle East. Jordan, to be exact. When my boss asked me to go, I thought for a moment. “Will I get to ride a camel?,” I asked. He sighed. “Yes, you’ll get to ride a camel.” He didn’t have to ask me twice. “I’m in.” Yeah,... Read more
Someone posted this on Facebook. It’s something to see. Here’s how they did the Easter Vigil at St. Patrick’s in Seattle five years ago. For further viewing: Pentecost 2014 The Story of Lazarus, Lent 2014 Footnote: someone who saw this commented on the curious arrangement of the altar and the ambo: both essentially equal, neither one taking prominence. From the GIRM: 299. The altar should be built separate from the wall, in such a way that it is possible to... Read more
View image | gettyimages.com From The Washington Post: The atmosphere in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square turned from celebratory to somber as Pope Francis devoted his address Monday to the bleak subject that has occupied most of his recent remarks. “Our brothers and our sisters … are persecuted, exiled, slain, beheaded, solely for being Christian,” he said, his expression tense, his cadence slow but deliberate. Speaking from a window of the Apostolic Palace, the pope said that there have been... Read more
Photographs by Maria Ribar, Rosalind Chan-Ghanzi, Niranjan Fernando and me at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Forest Hills, NY at the Easter Vigil 2015. [img attachment=”74347″ align=”alignnone” size=”medium” alt=”IMG_0068″ /] [img attachment=”74348″ align=”alignnone” size=”medium” alt=”10355748_827304470657458_3239589869075227517_n” /] [img attachment=”74349″ align=”alignnone” size=”medium” alt=”11061975_860694690671003_7974464950439740791_n” /] [img attachment=”74350″ align=”alignnone” size=”medium” alt=”1528490_827304503990788_2014209164257323926_n” /] [img attachment=”74351″ align=”alignnone” size=”medium” alt=”17086_10153198843183967_3931353494718221304_n” /] [img attachment=”74352″ align=”alignnone” size=”medium” alt=”11102625_10204265439376315_388284494161338822_n” /] [img attachment=”74353″ align=”alignnone” size=”medium” alt=”11133780_827304487324123_1503327604044385203_n” /] Bishop Paul Sanchez, Pastor [img attachment=”74354″ align=”alignnone” size=”medium” alt=”11034256_827304587324113_1043856764458430788_n” /] [img attachment=”74355″ align=”alignnone”... Read more
From The Seattle Times: The Richland florist who refused to provide flowers to a gay couple for their wedding has netted more than $80,000 from an online crowdfunding page dedicated to “protect her and her livelihood.” A GoFundMe page set up for Baronelle Stutzman, the owner of Arlene’s Flowers, had raised $80,225 from 1,884 donors by 7:30 p.m. Saturday. While the page was set up in February, nearly half the money has been donated in the past 24 hours. Supporters... Read more
From The New York Daily News: A male attendee of the Easter Vigil mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona brought a loaded handgun to the service and accidentally set it off just before the closing hymn, The Altoona Mirror reported. The firearm’s safety lock was apparently not on and the unidentified man’s pants seemed to have activated the gun when the man stood up in the pew of the Roman Catholic church, Altoona police officer Christy... Read more
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