From Vatican Radio: Pope Francis has declared Armenian poet and monk, Saint Gregory of Narek, a Doctor of the Universal Church. Meeting with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints on Saturday ahead of his departure for Aricca on Lenten retreat, the Pope confirmed the proposal put forward by the Plenary Session of the Congregation to confer the title of Doctor of the Universal Church on the 10th century saint. St. Gregory of Narek is widely... Read more
With headlines like this: Pope Gets Away from Vatican to Work on Correcting “Defects” AP’s lede: Pope Francis is getting away from the Vatican for a few days and taking his advisers along, to work, as he put it, on fixing the ” many defects we all have.” Francis told tens of thousands of Romans, tourists and pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square that he and top aides will begin a spiritual renewal retreat Sunday. Until Friday morning, they will spend... Read more
From The Georgia Bulletin: The State of Georgia executed Warren Lee Hill, who had received the sacraments of the Catholic Church while on death row, the evening of Jan. 27. Hill, sentenced to death for the 1991 murder of a fellow inmate, died by lethal injection. The U.S. Supreme Court denied his application for a stay of execution earlier that day. Hill’s original prison sentence was a life term for the killing of his girlfriend. In the years leading up... Read more
The stunning icon here depicts the martyrs and was created by Egyptian American artist Tony Rezk. It appears on the website for the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles. From Vatican Radio: The Coptic Orthodox Church has announced that the murder of the 21 Egyptian Christians killed by the so-called Islamic State in Libya will be commemorated in its Church calendar. Pope Tawadros II announced that the names of the martyrs will be inserted into the Coptic Synaxarium, the Oriental Church’s... Read more
How’s this for an unusual marketing gimmick: Red Robin is hoping to lure Catholics who are abstaining from meat during Lent by presenting its latest seafood menu — even inviting Pope Francis to lunch. And other fast food restaurants are jumping on the Lent wagon as well. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc., based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, extended an invitation to the pope on Wednesday as it introduced its new “Wild Pacific” crab cake burger. The company released a statement “joyfully” extending an invitation to... Read more
I’m flying south Saturday morning: headed to sunny St. Petersburg, Florida, to give a parish mission at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church. I’ll be speaking Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night at 7 pm so if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello. I’ll be easy to spot: just look for the pasty-faced northerner blinking in all the sunshine. I’ll miss the snow and near-zero temperatures of New York. But these are the sacrifices one must make to serve the... Read more
From The Catholic Herald in the UK: It is always interesting to read the various ways that converts stumble onto the path to Rome. Surely one of the strangest accounts in modern times is that of Dr Una Kroll, whose autobiography, Bread Not Stones, has recently been published by Christian Alternative. Dr Kroll received quite a lot of publicity in the past as an active and vocal Christian feminist. Indeed, she was ordained into the Anglican priesthood as one of the... Read more
From The Georgia Bulletin: During the Mass of ordination to the diaconate Saturday, Feb. 7, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory reminded the 2015 class of men ordained that the meaning of the word deacon is “one who serves.” Twelve men were ordained to the permanent diaconate in the Archdiocese of Atlanta at the Cathedral of Christ the King. The new deacons are Christopher Andronaco, David Baker, William Brown, Bernardo Buzeta, Brian Campbell, Michael Chavez, Jerry Daly, William Donohue, Derek Gant, John... Read more
From The Independent: In a show of solidarity, Muslims are standing with Christians and giving up guilty pleasures for lent. For Christians, Lent is a period of self-restraint, marked by fasting, repentance, prayer and self-control. Luxury or rich foods, such as meat and dairy are often avoided by those taking part. Abstention from personal “bad habits” such as watching television or eating too much sugar is also commonly practised. The observance starts on Ash Wednesday and lasts until Easter, as Christians... Read more
It’s sweeps. CBS has a special on the Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. ABC has the Oscars. EWTN has this. Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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