Obama administration turns to Catholic Church for help handling immigrants

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From The National Review Online: In order to avoid future clashes with the citizens of Murrieta, Calif., over attempts to transfer illegal immigrants there, the Obama administration has turned to an unusual bedfellow: the Catholic Church. Deacon Luis Sanchez of the Diocese of San Bernardino tells National Review Online that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent approached the diocese on July 2, 2014, and “expressed his desire for the Church to help in helping these families reach their destination.” Since that time, he says, diocesan... Read more

The Catholic Church in the U.S. in 2000 vs. today

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

An interesting analysis here, with some significant news about deacons: Ordinations to the priesthood and seminarians preparing for this vocation are up. Ordinations have increased by 12% since 2000 and the number of seminarians enrolled has increased by 5%. Yet the strongest growth among the clergy is in the number of permanent deacons who have gone from 12,378 in 2000 to 17,464 in 2013 (+41%). Essentially the Church now has enough deacons to have about one in every parish. The... Read more

Nancy Pelosi on child migration: “No one speaks more eloquently than the bishops”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

No, this is not a joke: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, not known for rigorous adherence to Catholic Church teaching, found herself citing the bishop of El Paso on Thursday while drumming up support for the White House’s requested $3.7 billion emergency supplemental spending bill. The bill, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid considers a top priority for the Democratic caucus this month, was requested by the president on Tuesday to help deal with the current child migration crisis. “During the break... Read more

Mass attendance in Poland dips below 40% for first time

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: According to the latest figures from the Polish Institute of Catholic Church Statistics, only 39 percent of declared Catholics take part in Sunday Mass. The figure marks the first time Mass attendance has dropped below 40 percent, head of the Institute, Wojciech Sadlon told Polish Radio. “People who go to church merely spurred on by tradition do not experience a deep personal commitment, and have started to stop practising the faith,” he said. “Along with the modernisation of [Poland],... Read more

After compromise with Catholic Church, New York street to be named for George Carlin

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From The Daily News: Legendary comedian George Carlin now has a Manhattan street named in his honor, but it took a compromise with an old nemesis — the Catholic Church — to make it happen. Mayor de Blasio signed legislation Wednesday renaming W. 121st St. between Morningside Drive and Amsterdam Ave. as “George Carlin Way” for the “Seven Dirty Words” comic. That’s one block from the Morningside Heights block where Carlin grew up — because the Catholic Church did not... Read more

Catholic doctor fired for refusing to perform abortion

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

It happened in Poland: Warsaw’s mayor said Wednesday that she fired the head of a maternity hospital who refused to perform or facilitate an abortion of a badly deformed fetus for reasons of conscience. The case — which saw the recently delivered baby put under intensive care with major brain and skull deformity — has stirred debate, raising questions about the boundaries of faith in public life in a country that is traditionally Catholic but increasingly becoming secular. Mayor Hanna... Read more

“How do Christians respond to the transgender issue?”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

A priest reader passed this along, noting: Perhaps some of your readers, especially priests might benefit from it. Three years ago I had my first experience with this in confession. I was speechless during the face to face encounter. At the time, I truly felt horrible because in my mind I was thinking “what are you?” – “how do I respond?” Later that night I did some research on line about transgender. Thankfully, the person was extremely understanding and recognized... Read more

Pierce Brosnan: “Being Catholic, it’s ingrained in my DNA”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: The 61-year-old actor was left devastated when his first wife Cassandra Harris died from ovarian cancer in 1991 and his adopted daughter Charlotte succumbed to the same disease last year, and thinks his religious beliefs and upbringing have given him the strength he needed to carry on. Asked how he gets through his dark days, he said: “I would say faith, being Irish, being Catholic, it’s ingrained in my DNA.” …Pierce has previously spoken of how his faith has... Read more

UPDATE: Priest who shamed unwed mother at baptism faces probe, sanctions

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: A priest who was caught on video shaming a single mother before the baptism of her baby in Cebu last Sunday now faces an investigation and sanctions from his own religious order. In a statement, the Congregatio Redemptoris said it was deeply saddened over the incident at the Sacred Heart Chaplaincy in Mandaue City involving Fr. Romeo Obach. The order, speaking through media liaison Fr. Alfonso Suico Jr., also noted the video of the incident had gone viral over... Read more

Baton Rouge Diocese condemns ruling that could compel a priest to testify about confession

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From NOLA.com: The Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge has issued a statement decrying a decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court that could compel a local priest to testify in court about confessions he might have received. The alleged confessions, according to legal documents, were made to the priest by a minor girl regarding possible sexual abuse perpetrated by another church parishioner. The statement, published Monday (July 7) on the diocese’s website, said forcing such testimony “attacks the seal of confession,” a sacrament that “cuts to the core of the Catholic... Read more