Oldest priest in Scranton dies on Good Friday at 99

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: The Diocese of Scranton’s oldest and longest-ordained priest, Monsignor James T. Clarke, died on Good Friday at age 99. Monsignor Clarke was ministering to others even on his deathbed, said the Rev. Thomas Muldowney, the vicar general/director of clergy personnel of the diocese. With his health failing, Monsignor Clarke was admitted Wednesday to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, where Father Muldowney visited him in the intensive care unit and said the Commendation of the Dying prayer. “When I got done, he... Read more

After Ezra: a must-read story about how a Hindu and Baptist joined the Church at Easter

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Honestly, my headline doesn’t do justice to this piece. Just drop everything and take the time to read this. I can’t remember the last time a secular publication (in this case, the Des Moines Register) offered such a beautiful and inspiring story of Catholicism, told with a tone that is not only respectful, but actually reverent. Check it out: Anumeha Galloway was about to deliver her son Ezra in the earliest hour of Jan. 5. Ezra was dead, she knew.... Read more

Jimmy Kimmel, Catholic

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

And he’s planning a wedding for this summer: Jimmy Kimmel will marry his fiancée, Molly McNearney, in the first week of July, Page Six can reveal. The talk-show host, who proposed to his longtime girlfriend last August, has sent out save-the-date cards for the ceremony, which we are told will be on the weekend after July 4. Additional details: When Kimmel and his Jimmy Kimmel Live co-head writer fiancee do walk down the aisle, their fete will be an intimate one, according to the... Read more

Who will be Francis’ #2?

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

That’s the question on the lips of a lot of Vatican-watchers, including Francis X. Rocca at Catholic News Service: As he moves beyond words and gestures to the stage of substantive actions, no decision that Pope Francis makes will be of greater consequence for reform of the church’s bureaucracy than his choice of a secretary of state, the Vatican’s highest official, who oversees both the internal affairs of the Holy See and its relations with 180 other states. Having filled... Read more

Pope Francis: “Without grace, we can do nothing!”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Pope Francis joined pilgrims this morning to pray the Regina Coeli in St. Peter’s Square. The Vatican’s translation is below. +++ Dear Brothers and Sisters, Happy Easter to you all! Thank you for coming today, in such large numbers, to share the joy of Easter, the central mystery of our faith. Let us pray that the power of the resurrection of Christ might reach everyone – especially those who suffer – and every place that is in need of trust... Read more

A family that prays together

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Another great story of a return to the church—this time, with an entire Arkansas family coming along for the journey: For 11-year-old Carter Baldwin and his 9-year-old sister Mimi, one of the most exciting things about becoming Catholic isn’t what one might expect from children — going to confession. “I like how Catholicism makes you confess your sins,” Carter Baldwin said. “I like how it makes you feel closer to God.” Mimi added, “Basically, if you sin one day, you... Read more

An Easter story: one man’s return to the Catholic Church

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the Forum in Fargo, North Dakota: Timothy Murphy experienced a dramatic turnaround at the last minute. A friend from Yale who hadn’t been in touch since graduation looked him up after envisioning a suicide attempt; the phone in Murphy’s Fargo home rang just as the local retired farmer, hunting enthusiast and poet loaded his double-barreled shotgun. Instead of ending his life, a two-hour conversation led him to relinquish the gun. The life-changing incident nine years ago really only constitutes... Read more

Easter 2013

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

And how did you spend your weekend? Happy Easter! He is risen! Alleluia! Photos by Rosalind Chan-Ganzhi Read more

Dolan: “Sometimes, the Church has got to be out of touch…”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: During an interview for “This Week,” Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that the Catholic Church’s very nature means it will be — from time to time – out of touch with the concerns of its followers. “Sometimes by nature, the Church has got to be out of touch with concerns, because we’re always supposed to be thinking of the beyond, the eternal, the changeless,” Dolan said. “Our major challenge is to continue in a... Read more

Pope’s message to the world: “Peace to this our Earth!”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Below, the text of Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi message for Easter: Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons … Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants... Read more