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September 2011

September 22, 2011

"The miraculous healing power of lips to scars…"

If anyone wonders what it means to be married and in love after decades together,...

September 16, 2011

Worth a thousand words

Vice President Joseph Biden blesses himself after receiving communion at the memorial Mass for Archbishop...

August 2011

August 26, 2011

Census shows divorce rate higher in the south

Why is that? Some details: While the Bible Belt is known for its devotion to...

August 21, 2011

Sacred transformation: another wedding story

You might consider this the flip side of the story I posted yesterday, courtesy Fr....

August 16, 2011

More parents living together instead of getting married

And that's becoming even more common than divorce, according to this new report: The number...

August 16, 2011

World Youth Day priests may lift excommunications for abortion

The confessionals pictured above are where the sacrament of reconciliation will be celebrated -- and...

August 16, 2011

Irish bishop: children of divorce are "born losers"

He made that statement during an interview with a local newspaper yesterday: Many children from...

August 10, 2011

"Operation I Do" to marry up to 20 couples in one ceremony

How's this for a wedding-a-palooza, from Catholic San Francisco: St. Thomas More Parish in San...

August 05, 2011

First look: snazzy confessionals for World Youth Day

No question: you'll definitely be able to spot them in a crowd. Take a look:...

July 2011

July 11, 2011

10 great benefits of confession

We hear a lot about this during Lent. But here's a helpful reminder that this...

July 02, 2011

Should we be like Monaco?

Below, a brief report on the Catholic wedding of Prince Albert (not, it seems, in...

June 2011

June 29, 2011

From bulletproof vest to vestments

From Alaska comes this unusual story of a divorced father recently ordained a priest (shown...

June 26, 2011

"Come and kneel before him now"

For your Corpus Christi meditation: a remarkable Eucharistic flash mob in Great Britain. Read all...

June 08, 2011

Slap-happy

Were you slapped at your confirmation? We don't do that anymore and, in this week's...

April 2011

April 25, 2011

Family claims discrimination because child was denied first communion

It happened in Texas, and the child has cerebral palsy. Details: A disabled boy was...

April 20, 2011

"Do you mind if I kneel for communion?" — UPDATED

A young woman approached me before mass on Palm Sunday to ask that question. I...

April 18, 2011

Got a backpack of sins? Unpack 'em in confession!

Here's a very cool entry in the iConfess video contest. It's Reconciliation Monday here in...

April 18, 2011

From 1897: How to hear a woman's confession

Since this is Reconciliation Monday in the greater New York City area -- three dioceses...

April 13, 2011

It's written all over her face

Here's one stunning entry in the iConfess video contest -- it says it all, brilliantly....

April 06, 2011

On cohabitation: laying down the law in Santa Fe

The Archbishop there, Michael Sheehan, has issued a pastoral letter that was read at all...

April 03, 2011

Sunday's baptisms: 15 babies, 30 parents, 200 people

That was the tally, roughly, for this Sunday's baptism, which looked a little like this:...

March 2011

March 22, 2011

A Lenten reminder: have you been to confession lately?

If not, this might help.

March 20, 2011

Taking a plunge: Catholic weddings drop dramatically

Is the Church doing something wrong? Why are more people opting for weddings that have...

March 16, 2011

The reluctant penitent: my journey back to confession

Been to confession lately? Lent is a good time to do that -- and I...

March 13, 2011

In search of "the lost sacrament"

That would be confession, or the Sacrament of Reconciliation. With Lent now upon us, many...

March 12, 2011

Catholics and communion, Jesus and Judas

While people continue to debate the Cuomo Communion Controversy, Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles...

February 2011

February 23, 2011

"You come to supper with the Lord, but you don't eat"

That's the memorable remark of one priest to a member of his flock who consistently...

February 22, 2011

What's the big deal about shared communion?

Elizabeth Scalia, with an eye on what just happened in California, offers a perfect answer:...

February 20, 2011

The Adoration effect: "We are a church on fire"

With so much grim Church news crackling over the wires, here's something to lift the...

February 20, 2011

Report: priest "concelebrated" mass with Protestant minister

It reportedly happened last weekend, in California. Details: Some parishioners at St. Norbert’s Church in...