From Deacon Sean Keller’s FB feed comes this poignant picture, snapped in Washington state: Snohomish County Firefighters recently responded on a mission of mercy to an elderly hospice patient, and former forest ranger who wished once more to see his beloved great outdoors. Working with hospice, firefighters granted that wish, wheeling the man up and down forest paths, much to his delight as he took in the sights, sounds, and smells of the Pacific Northwest. Read more
From the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter: The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter mourns the death of Rev. Kenneth Walker, FSSP, who was murdered on June 11, 2014 at the Rectory of Mater Misericordiae Parish in Phoenix, Arizona, where he served as assistant priest. He was dearly loved by the faithful he served and his confreres in the Fraternity. Fr. Joseph Terra was also injured in the assault; he is hospitalized and in critical but stable condition. We ask for... Read more
A first snapshot, below, of the new deacons and their wives: Details, from Catholic San Francisco: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone ordained 14 men as permanent deacons May 31 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, noting their “special relationship to those who are marginalized.” “The thrust of a deacon’s life is always other-centered,” the archbishop said in his homily, noting that the ordination date was the feast of the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, when John the Baptist leapt in Elizabeth’s... Read more
Photo: Victor Aleman From Angelus, the online edition of The Tidings: In the days leading up to his ordination to the permanent diaconate, Ryan Adams was reflecting on his relationship with the Holy Spirit — how, in his ministry as a deacon, he “must be a living vessel for the Spirit to not only dwell in, but also a vessel for the Spirit to work through,” serving others in need. Interviewed by The Tidings after the June 7 ceremony in... Read more
You never know who God will call—or when. From The Ottawa Citizen in Canada: At age 60, Léo Villeneuve can look back on much: life as a father and hockey Dad, the joy of grandparenting, a full career in nursing, the sudden plunge into widowhood. All of which prepared him, strangely, for Friday, when the short, amiable man shatters Catholic convention. Villeneuve was to be ordained a priest in a ritualized ceremony in L’Orignal, his hometown about 80 kilometres east of Ottawa. “Nervous? Yes,” he said one... Read more
From First Things: Like Quebec, Ireland, or Boston, Spain has epitomized the fading of Catholic faith. In the twentieth century, religious practice in Spain fell sharply, especially as the country transitioned to democracy and resentment of the Church’s support for Franco’s dictatorship surfaced. Recently, however, the downward trend has stopped and is recovering. According to Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS), the proportion of Spaniards attending Mass has increased from 12.1 to 15 percent between 2011 and 2012. In absolute terms,... Read more
First there was the Italian TV ad showing Rio’s famous statue of Christ wearing a soccer uniform. Now this. As CNS notes: A statue of the infant Jesus, dressed in a replica of the Mexican national soccer team’s uniform, is displayed at St. Gabriel the Archangel Church in Mexico City June 10. (CNS photo/Daniel Aguilar, Reuters) The pope is getting into the act, too: As the World Cup was about to kick off, Pope Francis called on fans and... Read more
Preach it, Rick: Sharing how he has coped after his son’s suicide last year, megachurch pastor Rick Warren urged Southern Baptist pastors on Monday (June 9) to let their times of suffering be acts of ministry. “Behind every publicly successful ministry, there is private pain,” Warren said at the Southern Baptist Convention’s Pastors’ Conference. “Pain is God’s megaphone. There is no testimony without a test. There is no message without a mess. There is no impact without criticism.” Warren’s son,... Read more
The professor who upset Eric Cantor in Tuesday night’s election has an interesting religious background: The Republican primary race in Virginia’s 7th district was a David and Goliath story from the beginning. Perhaps that’s why David Brat—the Tea Party professor who stunned the country and took down House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on Tuesday—waved a piece of paper with a Bible verse in the air when he won: “Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with man is possible with God!’” he announced to the crowd’s... Read more
Details: A priest was fatally shot at a Catholic church and another was left critically injured, police in Phoenix said early Thursday. Officers discovered the two victims when they responded to reports of a burglary around 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday at the Mother of Mercy Mission in Phoenix’s downtown district. Police spokesman Sgt. Steve Martos told NBC News said that officers arriving on the scene found a 56-year-old priest critically injured. That priest – who had called police... Read more
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