Statue of Jesus beheaded in Florida church (AP) Someone beheaded a statue of Jesus Christ in the courtyard of a South Florida church, an act of vandalism now being investigated by the Miami-Dade police and the Department of Homeland Security. The statue was destroyed between Tuesday night and Wednesday in the courtyard of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in West Kendall…

Vatican releases new instruction on reforming parishes (Vatican News) The Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy has released a new document to help guide the reform of parish communities. It is entitled “The pastoral conversion of the Parish community in the service of the evangelizing mission of the Church.” What emerges most forcefully from the Instruction is the urgency of missionary renewal, a pastoral conversion of the parish, so that the faithful may rediscover the dynamism and creativity which allows the parish to be always “going forth”, aided by the contribution of all the baptized faithful…

Priest celebrates Mass for grandmother — with a difference (Irish Post) Like many people her age, Fr Ferguson’s grandmother has been cooped up in one of the many care homes across the US which have been forced to go into lockdown to stop the virus from reaching its residents.  But if she couldn’t come to the church, Fr Ferguson decided it was high time the church came to her for a very special Sunday Mass.  The Catholic Priest set himself up just outside her window to say a Mass that meant so much to the recipient… 

Statue in Benin sparks charges of racism (Crux) A statue of St Michael in the West African nation of Benin has sparked controversy as the Black Lives Movement continues to spark debate across the globe. The statue at the Saint Jean-Baptiste parish church in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city and economic hub, shows a white archangel choking a Black devil…

Becoming a deacon, man hopes to return the blessings he received (Grandin Media) Francis Lau recalls his path towards life as a deacon started with a heartbeat. It was 1988 and the Lau’s son Marcus was born with a heart defect. Francis and his wife Ivy relied on public health care in Hong Kong, because they couldn’t afford private care. And they relied on their faith…