You may remember this story. The update, from a Columbus TV station: A teacher who was fired from a central Ohio Catholic school after her homosexuality was made public has agreed with the Columbus Diocese that she will not return to her former job. The law firm representing former Bishop Watterson High School teacher Carla Hale, along with a spokesperson for the Columbus Catholic Diocese, announced via a joint media release that the sides had agreed to the resolution during... Read more
Since this is a subject my parish is now facing, I thought I’d share some details about traditions and customs surrounding the funeral of a priest. Fr. Joshua Janko blogged about this a few years ago: What are some of the traditional practices that accompany a priest when they die? Well, I should first start out in sharing a traditional practice that was part of my own ordination. The traditional practice includes the newly ordained priest having his hands consecrated... Read more
[From the vault: here’s my 2010 homily for the vigil of tomorrow’s feast.] Years ago, a friend gave me a holy card with an unusual depiction of the Blessed Mother. She is visibly pregnant, and reading from a book – praying from scripture. As my friend explained to me: it’s a great image for a writer. It shows Mary reading the word, while carrying The Word. The Word is within, and without. When I was in formation, studying to become... Read more
Yesterday, I asked for prayers for my pastor emeritus, Msgr. Joseph Funaro. Early this morning, his earthly journey came to an end. He was 76. O God, Thou didst raise Thy servant, Joseph, to the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ, according to the Order of Melchisedech, giving him the sublime power to offer the Eternal Sacrifice, to bring the Body and Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ down upon the altar, and to absolve the sins of men in Thine... Read more
Since this is a subject my parish is now facing, I thought I’d share some details about traditions and customs surrounding the funeral of a priest. Fr. Joshua Janko blogged about this a few years ago: What are some of the traditional practices that accompany a priest when they die? Well, I should first start out in sharing a traditional practice that was part of my own ordination. The traditional practice includes the newly ordained priest having his hands consecrated... Read more
[From the vault: here’s my 2010 homily for the vigil of tomorrow’s feast.] Years ago, a friend gave me a holy card with an unusual depiction of the Blessed Mother. She is visibly pregnant, and reading from a book – praying from scripture. As my friend explained to me: it’s a great image for a writer. It shows Mary reading the word, while carrying The Word. The Word is within, and without. [img attachment=”76040″ size=”full” alt=”BLOG – DEACON GREG... Read more
Details: Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Thomas Tobin revealed Tuesday night that he recently became a registered Republican, but he also emphasized that the church and its mission shouldn’t be viewed through a narrowly partisan lens. “The a-ha moment for me was the 2012 Democratic National Convention. It was just awful,” Tobin, 65, told the Rhody Young Republicans during an event at the Holy Rosary Band Society Hall in Providence. The leader of Rhode Island’s roughly 621,000 Catholics said he had been a registered... Read more
An amazing saga, from the Louisville Record: Sister Mary Emily Burks, a Louisville native who died last month at age 92, was one of five siblings who, in the 1930s and 40s, joined the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore, Maryland. The sisters grew up as members of St. Augustine Church at 13th Street and West Broadway near downtown Louisville. They were among eight siblings — six daughters and two sons of Emma and Charles Burks. Oblate Sister of Providence Mary Emily Burks, left,... Read more
Details from the Irish Times: A search for a religion with ‘more morals’ than the Catholicism she was raised in led Katherine Russell, 24, the widow of Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, to convert to Islam, her husband’s former friend has revealed. According to the Boston Globe, retiree Donald Larking, 67, commenced an unlikely friendship with Tamerlan in 2011 when the Boston bomber was 25 and his mother Zubeidat Tsarnaev had begun caring for Larking’s quadriplegic wife in their home just west of the city. ‘She wanted a... Read more
The Anchoress had a scare the other night—and it turns out, there are many out there who believe the best weapon against Satan may not be prayer, but a pistol. Check this out, from Huffington Post: Every email Carl Chinn sends features the same signature: his name, followed by Chapter 4, Verse 9 from the Book of Nehemiah. “We prayed to our God and posted a guard.” On Sept. 10, Chinn will lead a seminar for several local, faith-based organizations... Read more
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