VATICAN CITY — A pontifical university in Rome has launched a master’s program in Gregorian chant and the use of the organ at Mass so as to build unity among Catholics worldwide.

“The most important thing is that music, when it is truly liturgical, creates community,” Father Jordi Piqué, dean of the Pontifical University of Saint Anselmo’s liturgical institute, said May 20.

“When one hears a Mass that is sung or the organ interpreting a beautiful melody, it’s never individualistic; it’s always as a group,” he added, speaking at the Benedictine abbey where the university is located.

Father Piqué, who plays the organ, is from the Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat, Spain, and was named...READ MORE

NEW YORK — The Global Rosary Relay for Priests’ fourth annual event will take place June 7, providing an opportunity for worldwide prayer to support priests in their ministry.

“It’s unifying the whole world. It really is a very beautiful way for the laity to offer this spiritual bouquet of thanksgiving for our priests,” Marion Mulhall, founder and CEO of the event organizer WorldPriest, told EWTN News May 20.

“Our Lady has hugely blessed us. It was her inspiration. It is her Rosary,” Mulhall said. “It is her priests that we’re praying for on this Rosary.”

Participants in the relay will say a Rosary at a scheduled time for one half hour to thank God for priests and to ask the Virgin...READ MORE

For graduation ceremonies, the outlook was a bit brighter than in recent years, as many Catholic colleges and universities chose as commencement speakers high-profile Catholics who are exemplars of the faith.

Among them are Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.; Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston at Regis College in Weston, Mass.; Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif.; Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md.; Colleen Carroll Campbell at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio; and George Weigel at the College of Saint Mary Magdalen in...READ MORE

CLEVELAND — The horrific case of Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man accused of kidnapping three women and keeping them hostage in his basement for more than a decade, is inadvertently casting a new spotlight on federal and state laws that extend legal protections to unborn children.

Prosecutors said Castro, 52, may face the death penalty, in part because he allegedly induced miscarriages in one of the women he allegedly raped. Prosecutors say Castro impregnated one victim, Michelle Knight, five times and ended her pregnancies by starving her and punching her repeatedly in the stomach.

Ohio state law recognizes forced miscarriage as a punishable crime. The state’s aggravated murder...READ MORE

VATICAN CITY — St. Peter’s Square was transformed into an open-air Upper Room, Pope Francis said after he celebrated Pentecost with Church movements.

“This celebration of faith is about to end, which began yesterday with the vigil and culminated this morning in the Eucharist.”

“A renewed Pentecost that has transformed St. Peter's Square into an open-air Cenacle,” Pope Francis said May 19 before reciting the Regina Coeli Marian prayer with around 200,000 pilgrims.

His brief reflection prior to the prayer recapped his main message for the Mass, which was that the Holy Spirit brings “newness, harmony and mission” to the lives of Christians.

He saw newness in the pilgrims reliving...READ MORE

VATICAN CITY — Around 200,000 pilgrims packed St. Peter’s Square to celebrate Pentecost with Pope Francis, who called on them to be open to “God’s surprises” because they bring true happiness.

“This is not a question of novelty for novelty’s sake, the search for something new to relieve our boredom, as is so often the case in our own day,” the Pope said May 19.

“The newness which God brings into our life is something that actually brings fulfillment, that gives true joy, true serenity, because God loves us and desires only our good,” he stated.

Pope Francis gave his homily during a 10:30am Mass with Church movements and associations from Europe, Asia and Africa in St. Peter’s...READ MORE

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ early-morning homilies in the Casa Santa Marta residence chapel  — often underreported — continue to challenge the faithful, and this past week was no exception.

On Monday, the Holy Father set the tone for the week leading up to Pentecost Sunday. He focused on the Holy Spirit who, he said, helps Christians remember the history of the faith and the gifts God has given. Without this grace, he said, the faithful risk slipping into idolatry.

Many Christians don’t know who the Holy Spirit is or what he is, he said, and the Holy Spirit “is always somewhat ‘the unknown’ of the faith.” And yet, he continued, the Holy Spirit is “God active in us” and “awakens our...READ MORE

When Doctors Think You’re a Liar by Trent Horn of Catholic Answers website - BigPulpit.com

Pope Francis on Judas and Poverty - Andrea Tornielli, La Stampa/Vatican Insider

Catholics, Marriage & the Supreme Court – Brianna Heldt, Ignitum Today

The Pope’s Financial Gospel and the Vatican Bank - John Thavis, Decoding the Vatican

Drive-By Advice – Paul McCusker, Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction

Ramifications of the New Normal - Fr. Z’s Blog

The News – Brianna Heldt, Catholic Stand

A Month-Long Immersion in Chant for Young Adults - Jennifer Donelson, The Chant Café

Best Photo of Pope Francis Yet – Tay. Marshall PhD, Canterbury Tales

Ye Olde Vegetable Patch: Mid-May 2013 -...READ MORE