Vatican announces pope’s plans for Holy Thursday

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From CNS: Pope Francis will celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper at a Rome rehabilitation facility for the elderly and people with disabilities. He will preside over the Holy Thursday evening Mass and foot-washing ritual at the Father Carlo Gnocchi Foundation’s Our Lady of Providence Center on the outskirts of Rome, the Vatican announced April 8. Last year, the pope celebrate the Holy Thursday liturgy at Rome’s Casal del Marmo juvenile detention center, where he washed the... Read more

Appeals court overturns priest’s conviction

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Potentially significant? Details: A Roman Catholic priest from a St. Paul parish saw his sexual misconduct conviction overturned Monday by the state Court of Appeals in a ruling with broader implications for cases involving allegations of clergy abuse. The ruling created a higher bar for prosecutors and a new avenue of defense for accused clergy. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said he was disappointed with the ruling because he is now required to prove intent by the priest. Defense attorney Paul Engh... Read more

Catholic schools in U.S. actively recruiting Chinese students

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The New York Times has an interesting piece this week about efforts by Catholic schools to recruit well-heeled Chinese students, children of diplomats and executives. At one point, it describes the journey of a young woman named Di Wang, an atheist: When they arrived at DePaul two years ago, Ms. Wang and 26 other students from China underwent a three-week orientation before classes began. They got a primer on the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, ate pizza, toured nearby... Read more

An email from Charlotte: “It’s very challenging seeing so many comment and judge our community”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

A mother with kids at a nearby middle school has been following the controversy at Charlotte Catholic High School, and sent me this email below. It offers another perspective on the story, from a parent very close to it and from someone who lives in the community. She asked that her name not be used. ++ I happen to be a Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools (MACS) parent…As a MACS parent for seven years now, I am very familiar with our... Read more

A “Frozen” father’s lament

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Priceless. One man gives voice to what so many dads are feeling these days. Read more

Queens street renamed for Pope John Paul II

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the In My Backyard Desk, via the New York Daily News: Years before he donned his papal robes, John Paul II spent time at a Maspeth church with ties to the Polish community. That visit to Holy Cross Church will be honored when 59th Road in Maspeth is co-named “Pope John Paul II Way..” The recognition comes weeks before the pontiff, who died in 2005, is set to receive the ultimate honor of sainthood. “I don’t know of too... Read more

Report: Jesuit priest shot dead in Homs, Syria

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From The Catholic Herald: A Dutch Jesuit priest who chose to remain in the beseiged city of Homs to care for its starving population has been shot dead, according to media reports. Fr Frans van der Lugt, a 75-year-old psychologist, had remained in the rebel-controlled Old City throughout the siege, which is now over 600-days long, with government forces surrounding them. He had been offered the chance to leave, but chose to stay. His death was reported by the pro-government... Read more

Washington Post: gay marriage is new test for Catholic Church

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Photo: by Astrid Riecken for the Washington Post Details: Having worked in Catholic church music ministry for nearly 40 years — basically his entire adult life — Mike McMahon thought he knew the landscape and his place in it. As a gay person, all was fine as long as he was “discreet.” And that worked for him even in the conservative Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Va., where he was employed for about 30 of those years as music director... Read more

If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was just another day in the Catholic blogosphere

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

But otherwise: this is pretty sensational. Popped up on my Facebook feed, and I couldn’t resist. It’s a German quartet known as Salut Salon. Enjoy. Read more

Making Reconciliation matter: dioceses promote confession during Lent

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

I made mention of this in my homily today: a special day for the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Diocese of Brooklyn (see the ad above). Other places around my area are also promoting the sacrament. From NorthJersey.com: One of loneliest places in church these days is the confession line. The act of confessing one’s sins, a requirement for Catholics, has sharply fallen over several decades with evolving views on sin, penance and the stature of the priesthood. But now... Read more