A sad story out of northern Italy: The corpus of Christ has fallen from a crucifix in the Alpine town of Cevo, crushing a 21-year-old man to death. The 100-foot-high crucifix had been erected to commemorate the visit of Pope John Paul II to the region in 1998. On Wednesday, April 23, during a ceremony preceding this weekend’s canonization ceremony for Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII, the 1,320-pound sculpture of Christ broke off the curved cross, fell... Read more
A promise is a promise: So when First Presbyterian Church in Eustis, Florida, hit record attendance on Easter Sunday, the pastor kept his commitment. He got a tattoo. Reverend Leon Bloder had promised his congregation that if they’d all come to church, he’d cut his hair and have the church’s logo tattooed onto his body. So with a little help from their friends at the small church next door, who walked on over to help fill the seats, First Presbyterian reached... Read more
She’s always been there for you. She’s been the encourager-in-chief, coaxing you to try, to master new things, to explore your world in new ways. She’s been your biggest cheerleader. Her confidence in you and her gentle nudge have helped you to step out into the world. She’s been your teacher and your strongest example. Through her love, you’ve understood something of the love of God. Through her patient instruction, you’ve mastered difficult subjects and advanced to the... Read more
The Vatican Press Office has issued a clarification regarding the Pope’s statement regarding communion for divorced and remarried Catholics. Well, sort of. What the Vatican Press Office did say, in effect, is “No comment.” Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, responded this morning to widespread news reports that Pope Francis telephoned an Argentinian woman, Jacqui Lisbona. According to a story originating with the Telegraph, the Holy Father called to tell Lisbona–who is divorced and remarried–that she could... Read more
There she was, the happy bride, her ivory gown accented by the deep purple of her bridal bouquet. Sarah Gore, daughter of former Vice President Al Gore, married real estate agent Patrick Maiani in front of the Lucky Llama Coffee Shop in Carpinteria, California. Father of the bride Al Gore was on hand to give the bride away in a quick ceremony beneath the Wardholme Torrey Pine. The world’s tallest Torrey Pine tree, Wardholme Torrey Pine was planted in 1888 and stands... Read more
Have you noticed that there aren’t many little girls around these days named Mary? I was reading an interesting analysis of “favorite girls’ names” and couldn’t help but notice just how subject to fad and fashion children’s names really are. But don’t take my word for it! Here, an analysis of the most popular girls’ names since 1960, courtesy of Twenty-two Words: So in 1960, and probably for many years before that, “Mary” was the most popular name given by... Read more
A five-count indictment was issued today by U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade’s office in the theft investigation of Rev. Edward Belczak, former pastor of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Troy, Michigan. Father Belczak and his parish administrator, Janice Verschuren, have been accused of stealing nearly $700,000 from parish funds, then using the money to purchase a luxury condominium in Palm Beach, Florida, and other items. If found guilty of the charges, which include mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy, the two could be... Read more
“A unified witness” on ecclesiology and moral discernment was the topic of a new joint statement issued this week by the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in the United States. The two churches–the Episcopal Church and the Roman Catholic Church–have been in dialogue since 1965, and six years ago they began the current study of ethics and the Christian life in the context of ecclesiology. That round of talks was concluded February 24-25, 2014, at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. The... Read more
Hot off the press: The first narrative of the papacy of Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy. Loyola Press released this first collection of Pope Francis’s writings on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014. Arranged thematically, the book includes homilies, speeches and essays by the Holy Father which together define the recurrent themes of his first year as pope. You’ll recognize the ten topic areas which are covered in one handy softcover text: The Good News of Christ A Poor Church... Read more
Richard Cole was not much of a believer: By his own admission, he didn’t pray, he didn’t worship. He was in recovery following years of alcohol abuse. Raised Methodist, he had fled the church of his youth to dabble in Zen, t’ai chi, New Age, witchcraft. But then for his 49th birthday, his wife gave him the gift of silence: a three-day stay at a Benedictine monastery, where he could read, study, write and simply “de-stress.” Why Richard’s wife thought... Read more
Seasons of Grace
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In