It’s here: Dave Barry’s Year in Review for 2014

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:13 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

A snip of another instant classic, from The Miami Herald: Speaking of surprises, in… APRIL …Russia, ignoring both the Stern Warnings and the Harsh Sanctions, continues its military intervention in Ukraine, leaving the United States with no choice but to deploy the ultimate weapon: Joe Biden, who is sent to Kiev to deliver a Strong Rebuke, followed by dinner. On the domestic front, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, who oversaw the rollout of Obamacare, resigns from... Read more

John Paul II on the family

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:13 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

And now, at the end of my pastoral message, which is intended to draw everyone’s attention to the demanding yet fascinating roles of the Christian family, I wish to invoke the protection of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Through God’s mysterious design, it was in that family that the Son of God spent long years of a hidden life. It is therefore the prototype and example for all Christian families. It was unique in the world. Its life was passed... Read more

Let there be Christmas lights!

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:13 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

While visiting family in Maryland for the holidays, we decided to stop by a place that’s gotten a lot of attention in the local media: the Kentlands Christmas Lights in Gaithersburg. From Patch.com: If you happen to be out for a drive in Gaithersburg, be sure to stop at this home where Mike Draghici has programmed 18,600 lights timed to dance music. This Gaithersburg light show features three different shows that each run for about 20 minutes. For each 30 seconds... Read more

Best. Son. Ever.

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:13 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

App developer Joe Riquelme has done pretty well for himself—he developed Videoshop, an editing app for iPhone—and this Christmas, he gave his parents the ultimate Christmas gift. He paid off their mortgage. You can read about here. Watch the moment below. Warning: kleenex required. Read more

Slain NYPD officer saw job as ministry, was studying to be a chaplain

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:13 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From CNN: Rafael Ramos was an unusual cop. He saw the streets of New York as his ministry. In fact, he was just hours away from becoming a lay chaplain and graduating from a community-crisis chaplaincy program before he and fellow New York police Officer Wenjian Liu were gunned down in their patrol car a week ago in Brooklyn. The gunman in the two officers’ killing, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, was found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wounds at a subway station... Read more

Topless woman who snatched Baby Jesus from Vatican freed

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:13 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: The Holy See has released a radical feminist activist who bared her breasts in St Peter’s Square on Christmas Day and snatched the statue of Baby Jesus from the Vatican’s outdoor Nativity scene. The Holy See prosecutor met Yana Zhdanova and decided to order her release, according to Vatican spokesman the Rev Federico Lombardi. The Ukrainian protester was also ordered to never enter Vatican City State, including St Peter’s Basilica, or other Vatican property outside the city-state’s walls. Read... Read more

“They knew profound hope”: A homily on the Holy Family

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:13 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Nativity scene at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Forest Hills, NY (photo: Deacon Greg Kandra) This family knew profound hope. They trusted completely in God. They call all of us to that kind of trust. And they are with us. In our own time, they stand beside all who worry, who struggle, who search, who pray. The Holy Family stands beside parents anxious about their children, worrying for their welfare. They walk with immigrants and refugees separated from those they... Read more

Must-see video: “The 12 Days After Christmas”

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:13 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Image: “The Twelfth Night” by David Teniers (17th century) Very cute. From those jolly folks who comprise the Mormon Tabernacle Choir—believe it or not. Enjoy. I think we’re all about ready for this now, don’t you? Read more

Did you get a Christmas card from the pope?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:13 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Mine must have gotten lost in the mail. But if you’re wondering what a card from Pope Francis looks like, the good people at Rome Reports have the scoop: Read more

Life support ends for pregnant Irish woman declared clinically dead…

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:13 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The case has polarized Ireland, where abortion is still illegal. Details, from the Associated Press: A clinically dead pregnant Irishwoman was removed from life support Friday after a Dublin court ruled that her 18-week-old fetus also was doomed to die. The case highlighted fear and confusion among doctors over how to observe Ireland’s ban on abortion, the strictest such law in Europe, in an age of medical innovation. The three-judge Dublin High Court ruled that all artificial support for the woman, aged... Read more