“The emergence of the Catholic blogosphere is one of the most significant developments in the 21st century Church”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:57 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

An editorial from the UK’s Catholic Herald: It’s not difficult to find evidence of our fallen nature online – the querulous, the obsessive, the paranoid and the uncharitable nestle alongside the illuminating, inspiring, persuasive and heartwarming. Perhaps some bishops have also come across blogs that were unjustly critical of them and therefore rejected the blogging enterprise out of hand. But we believe that the emergence of the Catholic blogosphere is one of the most significant developments in the 21st-century Church.... Read more

Donate to support legal abortion, get a tiny coat hanger necklace!—UPDATED

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:57 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

How charming: DC Abortion Fund is the only organization in the D.C. region that focuses solely on disbursing small patient grants for abortion care in our community. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and our work is possible because of supporters like you. Join our monthly sustainer program! DCAF relies on monthly sustainers to provide a steady source of income we can pledge to callers year-round. Can we count on you to support our helpline and ensure our patients get the best... Read more

Fortune favors the pope: magazine names Pope Francis world’s greatest leader

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:57 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

David Gibson has the scoop: Fortune magazine today released its list of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders and guess who came in at Numero Uno? Yep: Francis recently asked the world to stop the rock-star treatment. He knows that while revolutionary, his actions so far have mostly reflected a new tone and intentions. His hardest work lies ahead. And yet signs of a “Francis effect” abound: In a poll in March, one in four Catholics said they’d increased their charitable giving... Read more

“Where is my confidence? In the Lord? Or am I a pagan, who confides in things, in idols I have made?”

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:32 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Once again, in his daily homily, Pope Francis touches on a favorite theme and image: idols. (Are your ears burning, Elizabeth?) From the Vatican: “The one who trusts in himself, in his own richness or ideologies is destined for unhappiness. The one who trusts in the Lord, on the other hand, bears fruit even of time of drought.” That was the message of Pope Francis at Mass this morning in the chapel at Casa Santa Marta. “Cursed is the man... Read more

A contrarian view of “unplugging”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:57 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

If you are one of those who has forsaken Facebook or Twitter for Lent, you might want to ponder these thoughts from Casey N. Cep in The New Yorker, writing about the recent National Day of Unplugging: I was struck last year when Pope Benedict XVI, after he started tweeting, delivered a message on social networks. “The exchange of information can become true communication, links ripen into friends, and connections facilitate communion,” the Pope said. He added that, with effort, “it... Read more

Report: Russell Crowe meets Pope Francis

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:57 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From Religion News Service: Russell Crowe, who plays the title character in the new Hollywood blockbuster “Noah,” lobbied hard for a personal audience with Pope Francis. What he got Wednesday instead was a blessing. Crowe used social media in recent weeks to try to cajole Francis to watch “Noah,” which has drawn fire from religious groups that say the film takes too many liberties with the biblical story of Noah’s Ark and the great flood. Crowe also asked for a... Read more

Sentenced to life behind bars—and finding new life in the Eucharist

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:57 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details, from Catholic San Francisco: A San Quentin prisoner sentenced to life for his role in a double murder when he was just 17 was one of four inmates confirmed by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone Sunday, March 9, at the prison chapel. In an interview with Catholic San Francisco following the Mass where he and three other men were confirmed and a fifth received first Communion, Kent Wimberly, 52, talked about coming to faith in a prison environment and finding... Read more

Newark’s coadjutor archbishop defends Archbishop Myers

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:57 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Newark Archbishop John Myers’ large retirement home has gotten a lot of ink—and criticism—and the other day the man who will succeed the archbishop, Bernard A. Hebda, wrote a column in his defense: While The Record has been quick to criticize Archbishop Myers for the expenditures related to the construction project in Clinton Township, no mention has ever been made of the far greater savings that have come from his decision to live in the Cathedral rectory on Ridge Street these... Read more

A liturgical practicum for deacons?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:32 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

I spotted this notice on an Orthodox website, and thought something like this might benefit Roman Catholic clergy, too—both priests and deacons: The Eighth Annual Diaconal Liturgical Practicum — a program held in conjunction with the Orthodox Church in America’s Diaconal Vocations Program (DVP) and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary — will be held Sunday, June 22 through Wednesday, June 25, 2014 on the seminary campus in Yonkers, NY. The four–day program will focus on intense practical liturgical training for deacons and lay diaconal... Read more

“Deacons are a constant call to the Christian community to open its doors…”

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:32 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

An interview on deacons, from Vatican Insider: Msgr. Nicora Filippi, who is representing the Permanent Diaconate in Rome, said deacons do a lot of work with families and in the professional sphere, becoming living examples of day-to-day faith. Msgr. Nicora Filippi (a delegate for the diocese of Rome), how can the permanent diaconate contribute to the reform phase launched by Pope Francis? “As a ministry of charity the diaconate is naturally inclined towards the existential peripheries Pope Francis has been encouraging... Read more