Report: Trump ‘Saving’ a Seat on SCOTUS for Catholic Judge Amy Barrett

Last updated on: April 1, 2019 at 6:48 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

From Axios: As he was deliberating last year over replacing Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, President Trump told confidants he had big plans for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. “I’m saving her for Ginsburg,” Trump said of Barrett, according to three sources familiar with the president’s private comments. Trump used that exact line with a number of people, including in a private conversation with an adviser two days before announcing Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination. Barrett is a favorite among conservative activists, many of whom wanted... Read more

What Did Pope Francis Say in Morocco About Proselytism?

Last updated on: April 1, 2019 at 12:44 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

AFP reports: Pope Francis on Sunday warned Catholics in Morocco against trying to convert others to boost their small numbers, during a rare visit by a pontiff to the North African country. Speaking in Rabat’s cathedral on his second day in the Moroccan capital, Francis insisted trying to convert people to one’s own belief “always leads to an impasse.” “Please, no proselytism!” he told an audience of around 400, who greeted the pope’s arrival by ululating and applauding, while hundreds... Read more

It’s a Hit: ‘Unplanned’ Does Boffo B.O.

Last updated on: March 31, 2019 at 8:10 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The highly anticipated movie about pro-life activist Abby Johnson did tremendous business over the weekend, according to this press release, which arrived in my in box Sunday night: The controversial abortion biopic UNPLANNED overperformed its pre-release projections to become the #5 movie at the box office this weekend. The film took in an estimated $6,110,000 or a cumulative per-screen average of $5,770 on only 1,059 locations across the country. The film received a rare A+ CinemaScore. Industry projections underestimated the... Read more

This is Why Deacons, Like Boy Scouts, Should Be Prepared

Last updated on: March 31, 2019 at 7:50 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

That’s something I often tell guys in homiletics class: always be ready to preach, whether you’re scheduled or not. Just because you aren’t on the schedule doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t find yourself in the pulpit. This morning was another lesson why. I’d spent the first part of the week shuttling back and forth between my home in Queens, my office in Manhattan and a parish in Pleasantville, about an hour north of New York City, preaching a Lenten mission.... Read more

What’s Behind the Report of Wilton Gregory Going to Washington?

Last updated on: March 31, 2019 at 8:58 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Some very good analysis from Michelle Boorstein in The Washington Post: When the pope names a new bishop for a diocese, it’s always buzzy Catholic news. But a leaked report this past week about the next archbishop of Washington was big news for unexpected reasons. The Catholic News Agency, citing anonymous sources, reported Thursday that Pope Francis is going to appoint Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory to replace embattled D.C. Cardinal Donald Wuerl — which would make Gregory the first black... Read more

Trump Administration Awards $1.7 Million Grant to Anti-Abortion Clinics

Last updated on: March 30, 2019 at 12:01 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: The Trump administration announced Friday it would award a $1.7 million family planning grant to a chain of crisis pregnancy centers that oppose abortion and don’t offer contraceptives, while at the same time cutting funds to some Planned Parenthood affiliates. The Obria group, which considers itself the “pro-life” version of Planned Parenthood, says it will receive a grant to provide family planning services in California. The administration’s decision to fund Obria is a signal of its desire to shift... Read more

CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Man Steals Beloved Crucifix from California Church

Last updated on: March 29, 2019 at 9:23 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Incredible: California police were on the hunt for a man accused of burglarizing a Catholic Church near Palm Springs on Monday, taking with him a $1,600 wooden cross. The unidentified man was captured on video the approaching the St. Louis Catholic Church early Monday morning and then leaving with a wooden cross of Jesus Christ under his arm, the Cathedral City Police Department told KESQ. Reverend Luis A. Guido told the station that the Cristo Negro, a replica of the... Read more

‘Hail Mary’ at Disney World?

Last updated on: March 28, 2019 at 11:31 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Here’s something you might not expect to encounter at Walt Disney World: a father offering a stunning rendition of “Ave Maria” in the lobby of the Grand Floridian Resort Hotel. It’s quickly gone viral — and understandably so, especially when you watch his daughter watching him. This is just lovely. Read more

Report: Atlanta’s Wilton Gregory to DC?

Last updated on: March 28, 2019 at 4:01 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From CNA: Pope Francis is expected to appoint Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta to serve as the next Archbishop of Washington, multiple sources have independently reported to CNA. Gregory would become the seventh Archbishop of Washington, succeeding Cardinal Donald Wuerl. A formal announcement could come as early as next week, sources say, though it has not yet been confirmed that the archbishop has accepted the appointment. Sources in Rome and the United States told CNA that Gregory was informed of... Read more

Tragic End: Remains Found of Missing Priest

Last updated on: March 28, 2019 at 12:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Some may remember when I posted on this story two years ago. Now, an update, from Epic Pew: The Comanche County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that human remains found in a pasture are those of Father Marvin Reif, a Catholic priest who has been missing for two years. The body was found when someone was in the pasture looking for deer antlers. Father Reif’s remains were found in a brush area. In April 2017, the fifty-three year old Father Reif walked... Read more