You bet! In 1989 Mickey Rourke played St. Francis of Assisi in the Italian production Francesco. It’s sounds hard to imagine, but he doesn’t do a bad job. You can check the whole movie out at Youtube: Read more

The golden age only comes to men when they have, if only for a moment, forgotten gold. G.K. Chesterton Read more

Thomas W. Foley found the journal of the Catholic priest Father Francis M. Craft, a missionary to the Sioux and other American Indians, in a shoebox in his aunt’s home in Chicago. His aunt had been a friend of Fr. Craft’s, and Foley became interested in Craft’s life and his ministry. He began researching Fr. Craft’s life and work by examining this journal and material in monasteries and archives in the Dakotas and in Rome. His research has led to... Read more

Fr. Edwin O’Hara—Roman Catholic priest, educator, social reformer, and historian—was instrumental in shaping innovative Catholic educational practices and social action in Oregon and the nation. Edwin Vincent O’Hara was born on September 6, 1881, to Irish Catholic immigrant parents and was raised on a Minnesota farm. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Oregon City by St. Paul Archbishop John Ireland on June 10, 1905. Appointed assistant pastor at the Pro-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and editor of... Read more

Founded in 1899 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, the College of Saint Elizabeth is the oldest four-year liberal arts college for women in the State of New Jersey and one of the first Catholic colleges in the United States to award degrees to women. In 1917 the Association of American Universities placed the College of Saint Elizabeth on its approved list of Colleges and Universities. Included among the accredited colleges listed by the Middle States Association of... Read more

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In a word, Christianity is historical, the unfolding in time of an eternal plan, with God made man the central figure, our savior. Ralph McInerny Read more

Today marks the death of actress Jane Wyman (1917-2007) who converted to Catholicism later in life. The Deacon’s Bench had a nice article on her conversion back in December 2007, for more see here. She is seen here in 1942 with her second husband Ronald Reagan. Read more

Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (17 August 1840 – 10 September 1922) was an English poet and writer. He was born at Petworth House in Sussex, and served in the Diplomatic Service from 1858 to 1869. His mother was a Catholic convert and he was educated at Stonyhurst and at St Mary’s College, Oscott. He is best known for his poetry, which was published in a collected edition in 1914, but also wrote a number of political essays and polemics. Blunt generally... Read more

Put his face on a statue! When the Paulists erected the current building for St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan, they placed the local Archbishop’s face on one of the statues flanking the front doors of the church. The statue of St. Bonaventure has the face of John Cardinal McCloskey, who was Archbishop of New York from 1864 to 1885. I haven’t been able to determine if any other people are placed on saint statues, although Philip Neri does look... Read more