Fr. Pavone holds service to name babies aborted by Gosnell

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:51 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the Washington Times: A Catholic priest presided over a service Thursday to give proper names to the 45 babies whose bodies were found in the West Philadelphia abortion clinic of Dr. Kermit Gosnell. He is charged with killing five people – a patient and four viable babies that prosecutors say were born alive. He has also been charged with performing late-term abortions that violate Pennsylvania’s 24-week limit on the procedure. “People have names, people deserve names. The name expresses the... Read more

Tabernacle stolen from Michigan church

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:51 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: Detectives from the state police post in Mt. Pleasant are looking for information in the theft of a Tabernacle from a church in Isabella County. A Tabernacle, which holds communion wafers, was stolen from St. Charles Of Leaton Catholic Church Friday, state police Detective Sgt. Gary Green said. In the church, the Tabernacle, which stores the what Roman Catholic doctrine holds is the body of Christ, is considered very holy, Green said. Because the Tabernacle is very heavy, police... Read more

Geek alert: Spock vs. Spock in new Audi commercial

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:51 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Whoever came up with this idea should win the Nobel prize. Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto star in a car commercial that may be the coolest nerdfest since that Darth Vader Volkswagon ad. Read more

Seminarian battling cancer ordained to priesthood

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:51 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The following email arrived in my in-box tonight, forwarded from a reader in Ohio: I am pleased to announce that late this morning, Wednesday, May 8, 2013, Bishop Leonard Blair ordained Deacon Scott Carroll to the priesthood at a Mass celebrated at Father Carroll’s home in Maumee, Ohio. Concelebrating the Ritual Mass of Ordination were the Reverends Keith Stripe and Kishore Kottana, Pastor and Associate Pastor respectively of Father Carroll’s home parish of Saint Joseph, and the Reverend Monsignor Charles Singler, Vocations... Read more

Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp hits a home run without even picking up a bat

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:51 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the Los Angeles Times: He had just made the final out in a city where his name is booed, his jersey is reviled, and his team had been swept. His power had disappeared, his swing was spotty, and his season was a wreck. Matt Kemp would have been excused for quickly disappearing through the dugout at San Francisco’s AT&T Park on Sunday night and forgetting all about an earlier promise to third base coach Tim Wallach. But that was the... Read more

Yawn: another rock video mocks the Catholic Church

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:51 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Hasn’t Madonna already done this to death? Details: Gary Oldman and Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard star in the latest video from David Bowie, featuring debauched Catholic clergymen. The promo, which premiered online this morning, depicts French star Cotillard as a dancing girl who bleeds from stigmata marks on her palms while Bowie plays a Jesus-like figure in robes fronting his band in a seedy basement bar. It is the latest stylish video released by Bowie and accompanies the title track... Read more

Pope Francis to nuns: “Be a mother, not an old maid”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:51 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From CNS: Pope Francis told 800 superiors of women’s orders from around the world that the Catholic Church needs religious women and that religious women need to be in harmony with the faith and teachings of the church. “What would the church be without you?” the pope told the women May 8. “It would be missing maternity, affection, tenderness and a mother’s intuition.” Religious superiors, Pope Francis said, need to ensure their members are educated in the doctrine of the... Read more

The Kissing Pope

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:51 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

This pontiff loves to hug and kiss—especially babies, the disabled, the handicapped. Watch some of the video below from today’s General Audience and you can’t help but be charmed and moved by his affection for people—and theirs for him. For the full audience, watch below. Read more

“Why I wear a biretta”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:51 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

An explanation from an Episcopal priest: I saw somewhere on Facebook where a priest asked the following: “What exactly is the point of a biretta.” At last count there were 41 responses, ranging from indignation to clergy humor. I actually liked the question – what is the point of a biretta. From a practical standpoint, I can’t think of one. It doesn’t do anything, doesn’t protect my head from anything, doesn’t even have any real theological symbolism, at least not to my knowledge. But I wear... Read more

UPDATE: Massachusetts bishop pleads not guilty to DUI

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:51 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: The leader of a Roman Catholic diocese in Massachusetts charged with driving drunk in Rhode Island has been released on $1,000 bail. Worcester Bishop Robert McManus pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident. The 61-year-old McManus was represented by former Rhode Island House Speaker William Murphy, who’s now in private practice. He was arrested Saturday night in Narragansett near his vacation home. In a statement Monday, McManus said... Read more