“With full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005” Those words have sent a shock wave around the world and were stunning surprise to me as I began my week here in Washington, DC. Here are my first… Read More First Reactions: Benedict the Meek (Updated)
In news that has sent shock waves around the world, Pope Benedict has announced his resignation from the See of Peter effective February 28. In a statement to his cardinal brothers, Pope Benedict said: Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonisations, but also to communicate to you a decision… Read More BREAKING NEWS: Pope Benedict Abdicating Papacy Effective February 28
Last week, Pope Benedict (@Pontifex) released a statement previewing his message for the upcoming World Communications Day on May 12, 2013. In the statement, he urged people of faith, especially Church leaders, to use social media to promote the Gospel. He writes: Social media… need[s] the commitment of all who are conscious of the value… Read More #Pontifex: Use Social Media to Promote the Gospel
Now more than ever, it seems appropriate to pray that the dream of Isaiah be brought forth more fully in the hearts of all people during this Advent season. Lions and oxen will sleep in the hay, leopards will join with the lambs as they play, wolves will be pastured with cows in the glade,… Read More In the Wake of Unimaginable Violence
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, I thought it might be apt to share a Thanksgiving prayer from Mary Cronk Farrell: O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us. Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat and especially for this feast today. Thank you for our home and… Read More A Thanksgiving Prayer
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops already have a busy agenda scheduled at their annual General Assembly in Baltimore. So it came as a surprise that Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced late last week that he had requested the bishops advance the canonization process of Dorothy Day at this week’s conference. Vatican norms require that… Read More Saint Dorothy Day?
Last Sunday’s canonizations of Americans Kateri Tekakwitha and Marianne Cope in Rome received considerable media attention in the United States, including a front page story on the Sunday edition of the New York Times. With the United States Presidential Election only days away, it is intriguing that the world’s most famous newspaper would devote precious… Read More The Eyes of Today’s Saints
Millennial 