Millennials in London drawn to ‘smells and bells’: ‘Church shouldn’t pretend to be your nightclub’

Last updated on: January 5, 2019 at 1:26 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From The Times of London: Almost everything about services at St Bartholomew the Great church is old-fashioned. Purple-robed choristers process through clouds of pungent incense. The priest, the Rev Marcus Walker, brandishes an ornate golden King James Bible above his head before reading from the 1611 text. The liturgy is a mixture of 16th-century prose and sung Latin. The medieval priory church, which sits a stone’s throw from the central London hospital of the same name, was founded in 1123.... Read more

Prayer request: seminarians killed in car accident over Christmas break

Last updated on: January 4, 2019 at 11:09 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

The following item popped up on the Facebook page of Holy Apostles Seminary in Connecticut: Please pray for the repose of the souls of two of our seminarians who died in a car accident in Houston, TX, while spending Christmas break with their religious order. Brother Joseph Cuong Viet Thai, ICM, 29 years old (who had been at our seminary for two semesters) and Brother Joseph Lam Phong Pham, ICM, 30 yrs old (who had just arrived in USA to... Read more

Another McCarrick? AP reports on investigation of Argentine bishop

Last updated on: January 4, 2019 at 12:58 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: The Vatican has confirmed that an Argentine bishop, who resigned suddenly in 2017 for stated health reasons and then landed a top administrative job at the Holy See, is under preliminary investigation after priests accused him of sexual abuse and other misconduct. In a statement to The Associated Press, Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti stressed that the allegations against Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta only emerged in recent months, nearly a year after Pope Francis created the new position for him as... Read more

Germany’s Cardinal Marx: ‘Further adaptations of church teachings are required’

Last updated on: January 3, 2019 at 9:55 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details from CNS: German Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising called for change in long-standing church tradition as the German bishops’ conference prepares for a workshop debate to “review” the issue of celibacy for priests. In his homily at New Year’s Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady in Munich, Marx said the church must, “in light of the failure” surrounding the clergy sex abuse crisis, modify tradition in response to changing modern times. “I believe the hour has... Read more

Who can be a godparent?

Last updated on: January 3, 2019 at 1:26 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

I got an email from a woman recently, inquiring about having a child baptized at our parish. She has chosen a Greek Orthodox friend to be the godmother and wanted to know if that was okay. I assured her it was, provided the other godparent was (at minimum) a baptized Catholic. “One of the godparents,” I wrote, “needs to be Catholic; the other can be Christian.” The mother wrote back: “Unfortunately, the godfather is neither Catholic nor Christian.” Well. This... Read more

‘Dear Brothers…’: Read the full text of Pope Francis’s letter to the U.S. bishops on their ‘crisis of credibility’

Last updated on: January 3, 2019 at 12:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From CNS: The clerical abuse crisis and the “crisis of credibility” it created for the U.S. bishops have led to serious divisions within the U.S. church and to a temptation to look for administrative solutions to problems that go much deeper, Pope Francis told the U.S. bishops. Without a clear and decisive focus on spiritual conversion and Gospel-inspired ways of responding to victims and exercising ministry, “everything we do risks being tainted by self-referentiality, self-preservation and defensiveness, and thus doomed... Read more

Pa rum pum pum pum: The story behind ‘The Little Drummer Boy’

Last updated on: January 2, 2019 at 1:37 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

As we get ready for Epiphany, and prepare to hear again the Gospel account of the gifts of the magi, I was reminded of a modern Christmas carol about someone who visited the newborn Christ child, but had no gift to bring. We know it as “The Little Drummer Boy,” but it began as “The Carol of the Drum” — and the first known recording was actually done by the Trapp Family Singers. You can hear it below. It moves... Read more

‘Today we became Catholic’: an update on Andrew Petiprin

Last updated on: January 2, 2019 at 9:25 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Prayerful good wishes to Andrew Petiprin, former Episcopal priest who on the first day of this new year embarked on the greatest adventure of his life. I posted on his story a few days ago. He’s given up a secure job with the Episcopal church and is setting off into the Great Unknown — walking, as the great hymn tells us, by faith. An update (with several pictures) can be found on his Facebook page: Today on the Solemnity of... Read more

What is a permanent deacon? Watch this superb video and you’ll find out.

Last updated on: January 1, 2019 at 5:54 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Check this out, from the good people at the Archdiocese of Edmonton in Canada. The video is entitled “The Form of a Servant,” and offers a wonderful glimpse inside the life and ministry of deacons. It’s long, but well worth it. Read more

Chants encounter: deacons, remember this tradition on Epiphany!

Last updated on: January 1, 2019 at 3:27 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Every year, it is the deacon’s privilege to announce the dates of the Church’s moveable feasts on Epiphany Sunday. It is almost a preview of the Exsultet, with some of the same musical threads. If the deacon is unavailable (or not up to it), a cantor can do it. Here’s a great explanation and preview (using dates from a few years ago): I know some parishes who scoff at this — “We have calendars these days, you know” — but... Read more