Report: Meriam Ibrahim’s husband says she is safe at US embassy

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From The Guardian: The husband of a Sudanese Christian woman facing threats after her apostasy death sentence was overturned has expressed relief that the family has been given refuge at the US embassy in Khartoum. “Really, it’s good,” Daniel Wani, the American husband of Meriam Ibrahim, told Agence France-Presse by telephone on Friday, adding that embassy staff had been “very helpful and very nice”. He said his wife and two children, who could be heard in the background, were doing... Read more

Hillary Clinton’s faith

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

TIME magazine is publishing a book about Hillary Clinton, and it includes a lengthy section about her Methodist upbringing, the role of prayer in her life, and a surprising Catholic connection. Snip: At times, she would let the public catch a glimpse of this inner faith. When George H.W. Bush called Bill on election night in 1992 to concede, Hillary recalled in Living History, “Bill and I went into our bedroom, closed the door and prayed together for God’s help... Read more

“The Lord is with me”: The trials of Deacon Francisco Hernández

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the In My Backyard Desk, a story of a vocation that has been tested, and tested, and tested. Meet Brooklyn’s newest permanent deacon. From The Brooklyn Tablet: Fully aware that being a disciple of Christ means embracing the cross, Francisco Hernández stood before Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros and bound himself to Church service as a permanent deacon. The Rite of Ordination of a Deacon took place June 21 during a Mass in Spanish at Immaculate Conception Church, Astoria. “He... Read more

When the parish administrator is a deacon

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Photo: Lisa Johnston An interesting glimpse into another aspect of the vocation, from the St. Louis Review: Deacon [Allen] Boedeker came to St. Andrew Parish in 2001, assisting Father Joseph Weber, who later was named pastor of St. Justin Martyr Parish in Sunset Hills. Deacon Boedeker’s wife, Mary, began work as religious education director at the time. The next two pastors had health difficulties, and the parish had been doing a team approach along with the business manager, Karen Wood.... Read more

SCOTUS strikes down certain “buffer zones” around abortion clinics

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Big news: In a ruling that may rekindle legal challenges in California, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday found that a Massachusetts buffer zone around abortion clinics to keep protesters from patients violates the First Amendment. The high court justices unanimously concluded that a 35-foot zone around clinics that provide abortion services prevents protesters from any free speech rights, even though the justices made it clear such laws serve the state’s “legitimate interests.” The ruling hinged on the fact that... Read more

Vatican publishes working document for extraordinary Synod of Bishops

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

An overview from CNS: The working document for the October 2014 extraordinary Synod of Bishops offers a picture of the Catholic Church today struggling to preach the Gospel and transmit moral teachings amid a “widespread cultural, social and spiritual crisis” of the family. The 75-page “instrumentum laboris,” published by the Vatican June 26, is supposed to “provide an initial reference point” for discussion at the synod, whose theme will be the “pastoral challenges of the family in the context of... Read more

Ordination update: 11 new deacons for New York

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:28 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: Eleven men were ordained to the permanent diaconate for the archdiocese June 21 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. As ordaining bishop and principal celebrant of the 9 a.m. Mass, Cardinal Dolan shed light on the significance of the conferral of the sacred order of deacon in concurrence with the summer solstice, which signifies the first day of summer and the day of the year that has the most hours of sunlight. He referenced a simultaneous yet unrelated event in Times... Read more

Santa Fe pursuing sainthood for “Fastest Nun in the West”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the AP: The Archdiocese of Santa Fe announced Wednesday it is exploring sainthood for an Italian-born nun who challenged Billy the Kid, calmed angry mobs and helped open New Mexico territory hospitals and schools. Archbishop Michael Sheehan said he has received permission from the Vatican to open the “Sainthood Cause” for Sister Blandina Segale, an educator and social worker who worked in Ohio, Colorado and New Mexico. It’s the first time in New Mexico’s 400-year history with the Roman... Read more

“In place of the homily, two leaders from the local mosque were invited to join us in prayer…”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Here’s something I’ve never heard of before, from a question sent to Fr. Edward McNamara of Zenit: Q: During our sacred liturgy on Pentecost Sunday, in place of the homily, two leaders from the local mosque were invited to “join us in prayer in light of the example given by our Holy Father.” The first gentleman shared his views on God and how we are all searching for peace and how it can be found only in God. He explained... Read more

From the Bronx, a bishop in a bulletproof vest

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Meet one of New York City’s new auxiliary bishops, via The New York Daily News: He’s a bishop in a bulletproof vest. The silver-haired pastor often seen on the streets outside Our Lady of Refuge in the Bronx has dodged gunfire, rallied for affordable housing and railed against drug dealers. Now, Monsignor John Jenik, a Bedford-Fordham area fixture who still prefers to be called Father, will become a bishop. The 70-year-old priest, who admits his crusade against drug dealers in... Read more