Breakthrough: an artificial hand that feels

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Fascinating stuff. This holds out hope for thousands who have lost limbs: There have been remarkable mechanical advances in prosthetic limbs in recent years, including rewiring nerve fibers to control sophisticated mechanical arms (see “A Lifelike Prosthetic Arm”), and brain interfaces that allow for complicated thought control (see “Brain Helps Quadriplegics Move Robotic Arms with Their Thoughts”). But for all this progress, prosthetic limbs cannot send back sensory information to the wearer, making it harder for them to do tasks... Read more

Patriarch tells pope of three “true martyrs” executed in Syria

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: The Syrian Greek-Catholic Church has three “true martyrs”. They are the “three men from Maaloula who refused to repudiate their faith,” and were killed for this reason, said Patriarch Gregory III Laham during his meeting with Pope Francis on Sunday, this according to a press release issued by the Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkites. The events that led to the three men’s death occurred during fighting on 3 -7 September... Read more

Obama quotes the pope in economic address

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details, from the AP: The Pope is making the world sit up and pay attention to poverty with his dedication to serving the poor, and it looks like world leaders are taking a leaf out of his book, including President Obama. During a Wednesday speech on income equality, Obama remarked, “Across the developed world, inequality has increased. Some of you may have seen just last week, the pope himself spoke about this at eloquent length.” He went on to quote a line... Read more

Theology of the Dead Body: “‘The Walking Dead’ is fully Catholic”

Last updated on: March 14, 2016 at 11:28 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

There are two key moments that clinched it for me in “The Walking Dead.” A couple of years ago, Sheriff Rick, hunting for any signs of life in the world of the zombie apocalypse, stumbled on a plain wooden church, in the middle of nowhere. When he stepped inside, he discovered the congregation was made up of zombies, sitting in the pews, staring silently at Jesus on the cross. Even zombies go to church. Who knew? Not long after, the... Read more

Where the Extraordinary Form isn’t so extraordinary: South Carolina

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

A look at one parish that has made the traditional Latin Mass an integral part of its culture, from the Catholic World Report: The Coalition in Support of Ecclesia Dei keeps a comprehensive list of locations in which the traditional Latin Mass is available. At last count, in the 191 dioceses in North America, there are about 485 parishes that offer Mass in the Extraordinary Form with some frequency (monthly, twice-per-month, or weekly), with 335 parish locations offering it weekly. In North America... Read more

Jesus in a snowglobe? See that and more, on a list of the 50 weirdest Nativity sets—UPDATED

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Egad. Details from blogger Mark Oestreicher: There’s no question about it: some are horrible and tacky. some are weird and freakish. some are merely meh. and some, well, rock. I have one primary rule for inclusion (which i break a couple times because i can’t help myself: I only include nativities that were made as nativities. In other words, I haven’t included photos of the dozens of lego nativities, superhero nativities, star wars figurines nativities, barbie doll nativities, coke can... Read more

Dutch bishops give bleak report to Pope Francis

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: Dutch bishops visiting Rome this week have given Pope Francis a dramatic snapshot of the steep decline of Roman Catholicism in its European heartland. Both Catholic and Protestant Christian ranks have shrunk dramatically across Europe in recent decades, and hundreds of churches have been sold off to be turned into apartments, shops, bars or warehouses. In the Netherlands, churches have been closing at a rate of one or two a week. The bishops told the pope in Rome on... Read more

“TipsForJesus” leaving thousands of dollars for servers

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Amazing, from NPR: “Crazy-generous” tips, as Gawker says, have been showing up on checks across the nation as some anonymous good Samaritans known only as “TipsForJesus” add hundreds or thousands of dollars to their restaurant and bar bills. In South Bend, Ind., $10,000 was tacked on to the tab at Legends of Notre Dame on Oct. 19 — the day the Fighting Irish played the University of Southern California Trojans. Three men enjoyed themselves at the bar before and after the game. “We... Read more

Argentine congress moves to nominate Pope Francis for Nobel Peace Prize

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From Catholic News Agency: Argentina’s House of Representatives has passed a resolution to nominate Pope Francis for the Nobel Peace Prize for his call to end the violence in Syria. The resolution was passed by an overwhelming majority and now goes to the Senate for ratification. Representative Oscar Martinez, who sponsored the resolution, described Pope Francis as “a man who throughout this year has been decisive in maintaining international peace through his clear position regarding the conflict in Syria.”... Read more

New Jersey offers full police honors at funeral of 10-year-old boy

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Photo: NBC News Beautiful and heartbreaking: In the New Jersey village of Ridgewood, Michael Feeney was a celebrity. He swapped campaign advice with the mayor. For a short time, he served as police chief. This Friday, he was to light the big Christmas tree downtown. He was 10 years old. Michael Feeney died last week after a four-year struggle with a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer. On Tuesday, the village honored him with a funeral with full police... Read more