I think that also includes the family of Christ’s Church. Details: The “enemy attacks the family so much. The devil does not want it. He tries to destroy it, to prevent love from becoming free,” said Pope Francis in responding to a family present at the National Convocation of the Renewal in the Spirit, who told their story to the Pope along with a priest, a young man and a young disabled woman. The venue was Rome’s Olympic Stadium before... Read more
From the German newspaper Bild: On the head, a white cap against the Roman spring sun, a walker in front of him: The Lord in the white cassock is Joseph Ratzinger (87), our Emeritus Benedict XVI. For the first time, there are photos that show the Holy Father retired with a walker. Together with his brother George (90), which has long been dependent on the auxiliary vehicle, Benedict enjoys a bit of fresh air on the terrace of his age seat... Read more
I won’t go into all the plate-shattering and foot-stomping that’s been going on over the pope’s simple gesture a few weeks back. You don’t have to look far to find what people think of it. But I was curious to find out a little of the history behind this act. And one of the first resources that popped up in my Googling was Fr. Z. He answered a question on the topic a couple years back, when someone wondered about the... Read more
He definitely wins the Good Sport award. Can you stand one more rendition of “Love is an Open Door” from “Frozen”? Behold: a father-daughter duet that is now sweeping the interwebs and is guaranteed to have you grinning. Read more
From John Allen in The Boston Globe: Francis, an Argentine, is the first pope in history to bridge the planet’s northern and southern hemispheres — the first multipolar pope, that is — and so he doesn’t carry the baggage of being seen as a Western leader. For centuries, the Vatican’s default setting was to align itself with the perceived great Christian power or powers. For a long time that meant deciding which European monarchy to enlist, while after World War... Read more
From The New York Daily News: She’s good with chalk and ink. This Bensonhurst preschool instructor has managed to bridge the seemingly distant worlds of teaching and tattooing. Jeanine Susca, 29, a teacher at St. Athanasius Elementary School on Bay Parkway, also runs a tattoo shop with her husband on 13th Ave., inking clients on weekends and full-time during the summers. The first-year educator, who looks the opposite of a typical, heavily inked tattooist, has been engraving her religious and... Read more
Some may remember the pictures I posted last week, showcasing the newly renovated Holy Name of Jesus church in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. Saturday, they put the beautiful James Renwick-designed altar to good use and celebrated Mass in the Extraordinary Form. The pastor, Fr. James Cunningham, reports close to 200 people showed up. Fathers Brandon O’Brien, Joseph Zwosta & Stephen Saffron took part. These pictures are from Fr. Cunningham’s Facebook page. UPDATE: There’s a very thorough write-up, with more pictures here:... Read more
Details: Sudanese authorities are planning to free a woman who was sentenced to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faith, the BBC reported. Meriam Ibrahim, who gave birth to a baby girl earlier this week at the clinic at the Omdurman women’s prison near Khartoum, will be released in a few days, a senior official told the BBC. Ibrahim, 27, had been sentenced to death by hanging for apostasy, or “abandoning her faith.” She was given a period of time to renounce her Christian beliefs,... Read more
From a reader (soon to be deacon) in San Francisco, some news that is so extraordinary, it just might be unprecedented: Today, at 11 AM, in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, along with 13 classmates, I will be ordained a permanent deacon, by Archbishop Salvatore Cordelione. I will have my first Mass a deacon tomorrow morning at 11 AM in my parish, St. Sebastian’s, Greenbrae, CA. Celebrant will be my oldest boy, Fr. Joe (5 years ordained), and concelebrating... Read more
A common question among some Christians is “WWJD?” What would Jesus do? Maybe we need to start asking ourselves “WWFD?” What would Francis do? We find the answer to that question again and again in his trip last weekend to the Holy Land. Before leaving Rome, he visited the Basilica of St. Mary Major for a few minutes to do something very simple—but vitally important. He prayed. After arriving in the Holy Land, while traveling through the West Bank, he... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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