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Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

November 2019

November 05, 2019

Can a memorial Mass be offered for someone who is not Catholic?

A timely question for this month when we remember our beloved dead. And here's the...

September 2019

September 30, 2019

Pope issues motu proprio establishing ‘Sunday of the Word of God’ during Ordinary Time

Fittingly, he issued this document on the Feast of St. Jerome. Details: [The letter] establishes...

August 2019

August 23, 2019

‘God is a tourist attraction’?

Now for something completely different, from our Anglican siblings: A controversial amusement park ride erected...

August 08, 2019

‘Here comes everybody’: Check out Long Island’s Mass on the beach

Heading to the beach this summer? Don't forget God. A priest on Long Island is...

July 2019

July 22, 2019

Are there times when women can preach?

This essay by Jean Molesky-Paz was published today — the feast of St. Mary Magdalene...

April 2019

April 26, 2019

WATCH: Easter in Vietnam

He is risen! And if you had any doubts, check out this brief video that...

April 11, 2019

When the Pastor Tells You He’ll be Singing ‘The Exsultet’

A deacon friend writes: Well, this is a first for me. The new pastor at...

January 2019

January 31, 2019

Answering Father White: why children belong in church

An excellent rejoinder from Timothy O'Malley in Church Life Journal: In a recent blog post, Fr....

January 15, 2019

More than one deacon at Mass?

The question popped up this week at Zenit: Q: When two deacons are serving a...

January 01, 2019

Chants encounter: deacons, remember this tradition on Epiphany!

Every year, it is the deacon's privilege to announce the dates of the Church's moveable...

June 2018

June 25, 2018

In Ireland, did a lay woman ‘say Mass’ after a priest failed to show up?

What?! Details: A minister who was to the forefront of the campaign to legalize abortion...

June 06, 2018

Archbishop reaffirms: intentionally missing Mass is ‘a grave sin’

You would think most Catholics knew this already — but considering the paltry Mass attendance...

April 2018

April 08, 2018

Philadelphia establishes ‘quasi-parish’ for Latin Mass

An interesting development. From the Archdiocese of Philadelphia website: In July 2014, Saint Mary Parish...

April 03, 2018

Los Angeles issues sweeping pastoral guidelines for Native Americans

From Catholic News Agency: Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles has signed 17 new protocols...

March 2018

March 28, 2018

Deacons: check out these ancient depictions of The Exsultet. Is this the first PowerPoint presentation?

A grateful h/t and diaconal bow to James Agnew, who sent this my way, from...

March 19, 2018

Boom: how one priest transformed a parish with sacred music and traditional worship

Some may remember the controversy that swirled around San Francisco's Father Joseph Illo, whose traditionalist...

March 12, 2018

Chants meeting: Rediscovering this beautiful form of sacred music

Last week, I posted a little item on The Exsultet — and by happy coincidence, the...

March 10, 2018

Rejoice! Laetare Sunday is here. But what’s the deal with pink??

It's time, once again, for puttin' on the pink (or rose): The day’s theme comes...

September 2014

September 23, 2014

A dal-what? The story behind the deacon’s vestment

Wearing the dalmatic for Midnight Mass a few years ago, with my late pastor,...

December 2013

December 13, 2013

This Sunday, we rejoice. But why do we wear rose? Why not another color?

A lot of people have wondered. Last weekend, when someone asked about it, my pastor...

November 2013

November 22, 2013

Altar servers: “Apostles who help make Jesus present”

From The Catholic Standard in Washington: Altar servers play an important role in the Church's...

November 12, 2013

Cardinal says Francis has no intention of restricting access to Latin Mass

Details: The former prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy has told a traditionalist group...

November 09, 2013

A “Tango Mass”?

Yes, there is such a thing. An Argentine composer introduced it a number of years...

October 2013

October 15, 2013

Lost in translation: French make adjustment to Lord’s Prayer

And you thought translating the Roman Missal into English was problematic. Details: France's Catholic Church...

September 2013

September 26, 2013

A former atheist gets it

It's our own Leah Libresco, writing about priests and vestments: When an actor puts on...

August 2013

August 12, 2013

Are we walking to heaven backward?

That's the provocative headline to this post by Msgr. Charles Pope, who raises some compelling...

August 06, 2013

The Cat in the Hat Eucharist

N.B.: This is not a Catholic Mass. It comes from our Anglican siblings in Canada....

August 05, 2013

On the Extraordinary Form: “Pope Francis has not contradicted Pope Benedict”

This moved last week. It's a followup to the story about the Vatican's action regarding...

August 02, 2013

The problem of instant canonizations at Catholic funerals

This is a common problem in the preaching at Catholic funerals, and something every priest...

July 2013

July 30, 2013

Sanity and Clarity

After some of the heated emotions stirred up by yesterday's news regarding the Extraordinary Form,...