Details: A man was caught on camera stealing from a tip jar. But instead of pressing charges, a local coffee shop is choosing to host a food drive. If you saw the surveillance video from the Nervous Dog Coffee Bar in Stow, Ohio, you would probably think it was a Christmas grinch stealing from these hard-working baristas. “He stuck his hand straight into the tip jar and took out as much as he could get and walked out like nothing... Read more
From the Associated Press: In their zeal to tout their faith in the public square, conservatives in Oklahoma may have unwittingly opened the door to a wide range of religious groups, including satanists who are seeking to put their own statue next to a Ten Commandments monument on the Statehouse steps. The Republican-controlled Legislature in this state known as the buckle of the Bible Belt authorized the privately funded Ten Commandments monument in 2009, and it was placed on the... Read more
Some provocative and inspiring words from Fr. Peter-Michael Preble, an Orthodox priest: Are you, as a Christian, prevented by anyone from setting up a Christmas tree in your home? Are you, as a Christian, prevented from attending the church of your choice on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Are you, as a Christian, prevented from saying “Merry Christmas” to anyone you choose? Or when you hear “Happy Holidays,” do you respond with Merry Christmas? Have armed rebels stormed your church... Read more
“The man is an activist, a street-worker, a foot-washer and an evangelizer. There’s nothing passive or pandering about him. And it would appear that Francis is quite willing to offend sensibilities. It is useful to remember that Jesus wasn’t only a carpenter’s son but also a radical who turned the tables on the status quo. Likewise Francis — a Christian right down to his sensible black leather shoes, the better to walk the walk and sneak out at night to... Read more
Details from Vatican Radio: Eighteen years after Samunder Singh stabbed and murdered a Catholic nun in northern India, the former prisoner has been invited to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican. Sr. Rani Maria was murdered in 1995. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for Family, invited Singh after the pope expressed his desire to meet him. Accompanying him will be a Catholic priest and a nun, the younger sister of the slain Rani Maria. The priest, popularly... Read more
Details: A gay teacher at a suburban Philadelphia Catholic high school was fired Friday after he applied for a New Jersey marriage license. Michael Griffin was fired from Holy Ghost Preparatory School after administrators said his obtaining a license to marry his same-sex partner was a violation of his contract. Father James McCloskey, the school’s headmaster, said in a statement that faculty at the school are required to follow church teachings, NBC Philadelphia reported. He said in the statement that... Read more
This picture below popped up on Twitter, the new deacons for Tyler, Texas, ordained today by Bishop Joseph Strickland: Unfortunately, on the diocesan website I couldn’t find a link to a diocesan newspaper or Facebook page. Anybody know more? Meantime, congratulations, brothers, and welcome! Ad multos annos! Read more
Deacon Bill Ditewig, commemorating the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, has this take: Pope John Paul II, in his 2004 Message for the World Day of Peace, referred to the Second World War as “an abyss of violence, destruction and death unlike anything previously known.” How does a world recover from such madness? For those of us who were born following the War, we have lived with its effects our whole lives, even though specific memories of... Read more
From Reuters: A group of nuns who went missing in Syria after Islamist fighters captured a Christian village this week have appeared in a video, saying they are in good health and denying that they had been kidnapped. The nuns were taken after militants seized the ancient quarter of Maaloula, a Christian village north of Damascus, following heavy fighting with President Bashar al-Assad’s forces on Monday. The fighters then moved the nuns from the Greek Orthodox monastery of Mar Thecla... Read more
Honestly, I thought it must have been a joke. When I saw the story online last Sunday, I didn’t quite believe it. Many of you probably saw it, too: it’s Amazon.com’s proposed new delivery system. The idea is to use small, unmanned airplanes—drones!—to pick up packages at a warehouse and deliver them to your door, in 30 minutes or less. When it was unveiled on “60 Minutes” last weekend, I think Charlie Rose summed it up eloquently in one word:... Read more
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