Free Republic

They gathered for an early celebration of a centennial that may never arrive. Hundreds of parishioners of Our Lady of Peace strolled through Manhattan’s Upper East Side on Sunday clutching pictures of the ancestors who founded this Roman Catholic parish in 1918. They donned bright blue sashes with the names of those Irish and Italian founders: Scudellari, Iacovone, Tauriello, O’Keefe and many more. Young and old feasted on antipasti, pizza, tiramisu, Irish beer and Italian wine. This lovingly maintained Victorian Gothic church—with its colorful painting of Madonna and child, ornate Murano glass chandeliers, pews adorned with golden grape clusters and...

Nineteen men lie prostrate for their ordination as priests for the Diocese of Rome on April 26, 2015. Credit: Bohumil Petrik/CNA Vatican City, Apr 26, 2015 / 12:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis presided over the ordination of nearly twenty men to the priesthood on Sunday, where he warned them against being vain priests who live first for their own pleasure rather than for God’s. “A priest is ugly who lives for his own pleasure,” Pope Francis said, adding that such a priest “acts like a peacock.” Pope Francis presided over the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Apr. 26,...

Do you hate it when they whine? Do you hate it when they whine and say, "Don't you agree," "Do you see my point," "Ain't it awful," "Aren't they just terrible for doing that," etc.? Do you want to graciously stop them from wasting your time and using you to confirm their distorted views? Then memorize the following line: "Thanks for the honor of being a judge. But, to be a fair judge-- I will first have to hear the other side." If you stick to this line each time they whine--they will soon stop bothering you and move on...

Another day to go and hear from Dad ...

Compass Church meets in a movie theater, has no live worship, and keeps its Sunday service meeting to 45 minutes. But the somewhat nontraditional Assemblies of God congregation is making an eternal impact in Winona, Minnesota. Pastored by Aaron Lindholm, Compass "exists to reach the 9,000 people in Winona that are far from God by creating a loving, giving, growing community, where it is safe to belong until you believe," according to the church's website. Lindholm, 38, moved to Winona from Claremore, Oklahoma, in 2009 when around 40 people attended the church regularly. Last year, Compass Church had more salvation...

Archbishop Blase Cupich allows non-Catholic Governor to receive Holy CommunionCHICAGO, April 24, 2015 (ChurchMilitant.com)—Eyewitness reports as well as television footage clearly prove that Illinois governor Bruce Rauner received Holy Communion at Cardinal George's funeral Mass at Holy Name Cathedral on Thursday, April 23. Governor Rauner is not Catholic. Therefore, what appears to be a grave violation of Canon 844 has been committed. Present at the Mass was Chicago's new archbishop Blase Cupich. In addition to the violation of canon law, the question is being asked: Was a sacrilege committed on the new archbishop's watch? According to canon law, since the...

The German Catholic bishops’ conference has made public a report on a survey of the faithful in preparation for the October meeting of the Synod of Bishops, finding a “gap between the lived reality of families and our communities” and the teachings of the Church. The report complains of an “idealization of marriage and family” in Church teaching, and calls for the approval of new pastoral initiatives to help families that fall short. The bishops “expectations among the faithful are very high” that the Church will approve new policies. And the bishops recall the decision of their own episcopal conference...

The nuns at Marin Catholic High in Kentfield walked out their classes in protest over gay non-profit sponsoring anti-bullying Day of Silence. The divisions within the Bay Area’s Catholic community over gay rights hit Marin Catholic High School full force the other day, when a group of nuns walked out of their classes to protest the sponsors of a program intended to protect gay and lesbian teens from bullying. The five members of the Dominican Sisters of Mary order exited their classrooms Friday as students began handing out flyers at the Kentfield school promoting a nationwide Day of Silence. Their...

Last month Pope Francis appointed Bishop Thomas Daly, 54, an auxiliary bishop with the Diocese of San Jose, California, as the seventh bishop of Spokane, Washington. Daly will be installed in his new position at Spokane’s Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes on May 20. He succeeds Archbishop Blase Cupich, who was installed as archbishop of Chicago last November. Daly grew up in San Francisco, a parishioner at St. Brendan Church. The fourth of seven children, he attended Catholic schools from first grade through college with classes taught by religious, including the Daughters of Charity and the De La Salle...

A Roman Catholic priest in Scotland who alleged there was a culture of sexual bullying in seminaries stretching back decades has been found guilty by a Church tribunal of injuring the reputation of the Church and its clergy. Father Matthew Despard, who was suspended from his parish at St John Ogilvie in High Blantyre, Lanarkshire, made the claims in a self-published book entitled 'Priesthood in Crisis'.The e-book has been removed from sale on Amazon's Kindle service following legal threats by priests who said they had been defamed, but its description says that it is "a story of one priest's experience...

Admonish the Sinner – A Reflection on the First Spiritual Work of Mercy By: Msgr. Charles PopeI wrote last week asking, Whatever happened to the spiritual works of mercy? I also indicated an intent to write on each of them. Here is the first installment: Admonishing the Sinner.The word “admonish” comes from the Latin verb monere meaning to warn, advise, or alert someone to a threat or danger. As such, its purpose is the good of another; it is an act of love and concern. To admonish the sinner is not to belittle or humiliate him, but rather to alert him to the danger...

The new pope's choices stir high hopes among liberal Catholics and intense uncertainty among conservatives. Deep divisions may lie ahead. In 1979, almost a year into the papacy of John Paul II, a novel called The Vicar of Christ spent 13 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. The work of a Princeton legal scholar, Walter F. Murphy, it featured an unlikely papal candidate named Declan Walsh—first a war hero, then a United States Supreme Court justice, and then (after an affair and his wife’s untimely death) a monk—who is summoned to the throne of Saint Peter by a...

US bishop was convicted in September 2012 of failing to report an accusation of child abuseThe Vatican has announced the resignation of Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St Joseph. In a statement released earlier today, the Vatican said that “the Holy Father has accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert W Finn from the pastoral governance” of his diocese. The statement did not name a successor. Bishop Finn was convicted in September 2012 of failing to report an accusation of child abuse. He waited five months before reporting that explicit images of young girls were found on the computer of one...

8 new “Catholic identity schools” since 2000 as dozens more renew themselvesA Spanish Marxist once famously said, “Give me 10 universities, and I'll change the face of Europe.” It happened exactly as he said. So it is significant to note that there is a major Catholic higher education revolution underway in the United States and Canada. Eight new Catholic identity colleges have been founded since 2000 and more than 20 American colleges are promoting their Catholic identity — and that number could as much as double in the next 10 years. I work at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where...

A group of San Francisco Catholics threw a Hail Mary Thursday, asking Pope Francis to fire their archbishop. Among those calling for a replacement of Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is the father of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Tom Brady Sr. joined about 100 other Bay Area Catholics in signing a full-page advertisement in the San Francisco Chronicle Thursday, in which they ask Pope Francis to remove Cordileone as archbishop because of what they say is “an atmosphere of division and intolerance” in the archdiocese. “Holy Father,” the ad reads, “please provide us with a leader true to our values...

The Shroud of Turin will be displayed for the first time in five years on Sunday. More than a million people have signed up to view one of Christianity's most celebrated relics. Pilgrims believe the Shroud of Turin, measuring 4.3 meters (14 feet) in length, was the cloth used to bury Jesus Christ. The most-talked about piece of linen in history, the shroud imprinted with an image of a man who appears to have been crucified, will go on display from April 19 until June 24 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in the north of Italy. Public...

It's that time againWinter's done, the garden's been started, the week is over ...Let's go listen to a love letter read from Dad Time For Church

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston / Flickr Francis Cardinal George, former Archbishop of Chicago, passed away today. Born in 1937, he was 78 years old. He had been fighting cancer for almost a decade.Widely admired for his insight and courage, he will be greatly missed.[See also: 6 Fascinating Videos from the Papacy and Death of St. John Paul II]A person’s death can be a good time to reflect on the person’s life. So here are 7 things you probably didn’t know about Cardinal George:1) He had polio as a kid – and it almost prevented him from becoming a priest He contracted the disease in...

How do you respond to challenges that seem beyond your capabilities? Some people feel overwhelmed with a sense of inadequacy, and therefore give up and walk away from the situation. Others approach the undertaking with confidence in themselves and their own abilities. For believers, neither one is the appropriate response—one exhibits a lack of trust in God, and the other displays pride. The apostle Paul described the right approach in 2 Corinthians 3:4-5. Our confidence is not in ourselves, but in Christ. There’s nothing within us that makes us competent for the opportunities God gives us. He alone is the...

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago. Chicago, Ill., Apr 17, 2015 / 12:20 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Francis George, the Emeritus Archbishop of Chicago, passed away Friday morning after a long batter with cancer. Archbishop Blase Cupich, who currently heads the archdiocese, remembered Cardinal George as “a man of peace, tenacity and courage.” At an April 17 press conference, Archbishop Cupich lauded the cardinal for his bravery in overcoming challenges, which included a battle with polio as a teenager that left his legs permanently weak. “Cardinal George was a respected leader among the bishops of the United States,” Archbishop Cupich noted,...