SNL’s Pete Davidson Compares R. Kelly Scandal to Catholic Church

Last updated on: March 10, 2019 at 2:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The latest, from SNL: Pete Davidson tackled the R. Kelly sex abuse scandal on “Saturday Night Live” and compared the R&B singer’s fans to Catholic church supporters. Davidson appeared in the “Weekend Update” segment Saturday night and began his appearance by calling R. Kelly, who was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sex abuse, a “monster” and “should go to jail forever.” He then likened the R. Kelly allegations to the Catholic church child abuse scandal. “But if you support the Catholic church, isn’t that the same thing as being... Read more

Ordination Update: 42 New Deacons for Galveston-Houston

Last updated on: March 8, 2019 at 6:17 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

You read that right: 42. Details: When NASA engineer Charles Pitman was furloughed again for the third time by recent federal government measures during his six-year diaconate formation, he kept working on becoming a deacon, never letting up on his daily prayers of the Liturgy of the Hours. On Feb. 22, his prayers were answered when he was ordained along with 19 other men. Then the next morning, on Feb. 23, Auxiliary Bishop George A. Sheltz celebrated all over again,... Read more

Boom: Dominican Sisters Expand to Texas

Last updated on: March 8, 2019 at 1:40 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Awesome news. I wish they’d come to New York: The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist had a problem. They were running out of room at their convent in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where they had been based since 1997. It was a good problem to have, the result of a boom in young vocations. But it meant that the community of 140 sisters needed to expand. With property in both California and Texas, the sisters prayerfully considered both options,... Read more

Vatican Stats: Worldwide More Catholics, Bishops, Deacons; Fewer Priests

Last updated on: March 8, 2019 at 10:42 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Catholicism by the numbers: The percentage of Catholics in the world has remained steady, while the number of priests has decreased for the first time in almost a decade, according to Vatican statistics. Meanwhile, the numbers of bishops, permanent deacons, lay missionaries and catechists have all increased, it said. At the end of 2017, the worldwide Catholic population exceeded 1.3 billion, which continued to be about 17.7 percent of the world’s population, said a statement published March 6 by the... Read more

The problems of ordaining ‘viri probati’ as married priests — and how this relates to deacons

Last updated on: March 8, 2019 at 9:18 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

A good analysis from Charles Collins in Crux, who looks at a proposal that may come up during the Amazon summit this fall: The lack of priests in the region is a very real problem. In Brazil, there is only one priest for every 10,000 Catholics – in the United States, the ratio is about one for every 2,000. In the Amazon region, the situation is even more acute: In some areas, congregations might see a priest once or twice... Read more

French Cardinal Offers to Resign After Cover-up Conviction

Last updated on: March 7, 2019 at 11:01 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

From The New York Times: A Catholic cardinal offered his resignation on Thursday after being found guilty by a French court of covering up decades-old sexual abuse by a priest in his diocese, a surprise victory for the priest’s accusers, who had forced the case to trial after it was dropped by prosecutors. The conviction of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon, was the first in France against such a high-profile clergyman, adding to a long list of sexual... Read more

Chris Cuomo, Catholic

Last updated on: March 7, 2019 at 9:04 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

After I returned home from all the Ash Wednesday liturgies last night, I collapsed on the couch, picked up the remote, and one of the first things I saw on TV was this. It’s not that uncommon to see prominent figures showing their ashes on Ash Wednesday, but seeing a broadcaster of Cuomo’s stature doing it on CNN was a jolt. It was also a blessing. It is good to see a fellow sinner professing his desire for repentance. Some... Read more

Look Who Got Ashes Today …!

Last updated on: March 6, 2019 at 2:26 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Emmy-winning actress (and Catholic) Patricia Heaton snapped this picture and posted it on Instagram this morning. Meanwhile, a Lutheran church in Pennsylvania is one of many that has adopted the popular practice of “Drive Thru Ashes.” N.B.: Despite what the anchor says, the ashes do not represent “mortality.” They are a sign of repentance. Check out the video below. Read more

It’s Unanimous: Court Rules in Favor of Fulton Sheen’s Niece in Bid to Move His Remains

Last updated on: March 5, 2019 at 11:20 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Is this the final chapter of this saga? From the Diocese of Peoria: It is again with great joy that Bishop Daniel Jenky, Bishop of Peoria, Illinois, and Promoter of the Cause for Canonization of Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, announces the unanimous decision of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, ruling in favor of Joan Sheen Cunningham’s petition to transfer the earthly remains of Archbishop Fulton Sheen from New York to Peoria. Today’s decision is the third time that the... Read more

Canadian Archbishop Argues for Women Deacons: ‘They Would Be Part of the Management Teams’

Last updated on: March 5, 2019 at 10:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: The time has come to study and consider “seriously” the issue of the presence of women in the Church, pleaded Sunday evening Bishop Paul-André Durocher on the airwaves of Tout le monde en parle ( TLMEP ). “If women were deacons, for example, [people assisting the leader of a local church], they would have the power to marry, to baptize. They would be part of the management teams. It’s a first step, I think, “he explained when called to react on the issue. But among... Read more