2015-06-19T07:53:55-05:00

Back in February–on Valentine’s Day, to be exact–theatergoers were given a choice: Watch a sultry porn flick on the big screen, replete with violence and sadomasochism and lust; or Take in a sweet romantic saga of love and respect and noble sacrifice. The media hype around the first option, 50 Shades of Grey, overshadowed a truly wholesome, enjoyable, and family-friendly film, Old-Fashioned. I was happy to have the clean movie showing in my area theater, though, and I told the story here.... Read more

2015-06-18T09:21:08-05:00

There is a calm this morning over the Catholic Interwebs. I’ve noticed fewer Facebook posts, fewer messages…. Everyone is reading! Laudato Si’, the Pope’s much-touted encyclical on the environment, was released at noon Rome time (6:00 a.m. Eastern). It’s 197 pages long, and it’ll take a little time to absorb all the nuanced passages, the poetic expressions, and give you a full analysis. For now, though, I do have a couple of quick thoughts: 1. This is not, as some... Read more

2015-06-18T05:57:28-05:00

“5 reasons to attend church.”  The headline in The Examiner caught my eye: After all, the recent PEW study demonstrated that Catholics and Christians are dropping out of the church-attending group, as society grows increasingly secular. “People can pray anywhere,” they reason; and of course that’s true, but aren’t there real reasons for showing up in the pew on Sunday morning, for staying connected with a church community? Jessica McFarlane, reporter for the Philadelphia Catholic Examiner, offered five very good reasons,... Read more

2015-06-17T23:04:42-05:00

A number of people have died this evening, victims of a shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Early reports from CNN indicate that there are “multiple fatalities” inside the church, and that several bodies have not yet been identified. Police are on the scene, and coroners’ vans are staging nearby, preparing to transport the victims. The shooting took place at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historic African-American church which calls itself the “oldest AME church in the... Read more

2015-06-17T18:05:03-05:00

The barley, the malt sugars, the yeast and…what? The chocolate, the peanut butter?  Those are the familiar flavors which, when mixed in an unfamiliar way, turn heads and win customers to Sweet Baby Jesus beer. “Sweet Baby Jesus” is the creation of Baltimore-based DuClaw Brewing Company.  According to its founder, Dave Benfield, the brew was so delicious that it made the brewers think, “Sweet baby Jesus!” after partaking. Benfield told Cleveland.com that the company has received occasional complaints from people... Read more

2015-06-16T07:43:34-05:00

There’s trouble at the Vatican, where Pope Francis’s much anticipated encyclical Laudato Sii was leaked four days early to the Italian magazine L’Espresso. It’s not immediately clear where the leak originated. The bootleg release was in Italian, not in English—leaving American reporters scrambling to cut and paste the nearly 200 pages of text into Google Translate. Then, the Vatican Press Office stepped up to insist that it was only a draft, hence not worthy of media attention and analysis. A Vatican official later told Bloomberg that the release of... Read more

2015-06-15T22:08:24-05:00

Workmen upgrading the waterproofing in the roof of a French basilica may have been responsible for a fire which destroyed much of the historic building’s roof and the back section of the building. The Basilica of Saint-Donatien in Nantes erupted in flames just as the morning Mass ended. Worshippers were evacuated from the building, and two workmen were rescued from the roof unharmed. Around 40 firefighters fought the blaze, but the flames spread quickly. Some of the roof’s wooden beams have... Read more

2015-06-15T16:12:21-05:00

“Leave the whip behind in the sanctuary,” Pope Francis told clergy gathered this week for retreat at the Roman Basilica of St. John Lateran. He challenged bishops, priests and deacons to mirror the tenderness of God in their ministries. They are called, the pope explained, to a ministry of tenderness which is “a divine grace.” Speaking about the tenderness of God, the pope recalled Deuteronomy 24—explaining that God, while acknowledging that men’s hearts are hardened, nonetheless regards them with tenderness.... Read more

2015-06-15T08:15:38-05:00

Archbishop John C. Nienstedt, the beleaguered archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, has resigned, it was announced this morning.  According to a report published in the Washington Post, Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piché also resigned, ten days after prosecutors charged the archdiocese of mishandling complaints related to claims of clergy sexual abuse. Neither Archbishop Nienstedt nor Bishop Piché is accused of wrongdoing, and the departure of these good and holy men represents a great loss for the Catholic community in the Twin... Read more

2015-06-14T16:18:33-05:00

220 miracles? Let’s get right to the point:  The nonprofit organization called Mary’s Way Worldwide Apostolate has been denounced by the Catholic Diocese of Trenton. The Superior General of the Capuchin Franciscan Order in Rome has said that its founder “Father David,” a “miracle working priest with stigmata wounds,” does not even exist. This organization has no official connection with the Roman Catholic Church, nor has it ever received any official approval or recognition by the Holy See. Legal charges against the... Read more




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