The pope elected after a dove landed on his head
Plus: March for Life gets some fair coverage
Good morning and happy Saturday. Today is the optional memorial of St. Fabian, pope and martyr. The stories of these early Church saints intrigue me because of their fantastical simplicity.
Eusebius, an early Church historian, wrote that Fabian had come into Rome from his farm on the day the Church was electing a new pope. He says that a dove had landed on Fabian’s head and the Church leaders took that as a sign that he ought to be the leader and elected him unanimously as pope.
Could you imagine if that was the news report for how a pope was elected today? Idealouges within the Church would be screaming about the incompetence of the College of Cardinals for trusting such a sign from God. Now, I’m sure more took place than just this but who am I to doubt Eusebius?
St. Fabian died in 250AD during the persecution of Decius and in the catacombs of Saint Callistus, you can still see his headstone which says, in Greek, “Fabian, bishop, martyr.”
Here is a calendar for the upcoming week:
Tomorrow is the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings at Mass are Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Pslam 25:4-9; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; and Mark 1:14-20. For those praying the Liturgy of the Hours, we are beginning Psalter Week III.
Monday, January 22nd - Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children*
Wednesday, January 24th - Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor
Thursday, January 25th - Feast of the Conversion of Paul, Apostle
Friday, January 26th - Memorial of Timothy and Tinus, Bishops
Saturday, January 27th - Optional Memorial of Angela Merici, Virgin
*Only in the United States. Use Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time for the Liturgy of the Hours. At Mass, other readings may be used if the priest is praying a Mass for Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life or a Mass for Public Needs: For Peace and Justice.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent and believe in the Gospel.
Mark 1:15
In the news:
The United States
For those who need some red: Bishop Robert Deely (Portland, Maine) calls new ME bill to codify abortion in the state constitution “immoral and unnecessary” - Crux
Opinion: Dubious about Dialogue - Msgr. Charles Pope
The Vatican
Pope tells faithful to beware the vice of lust - Vatican News
Meet the Franciscan friar advising Pope Frances on AI ethics - America Magainze
The World
For those who need some blue: Britain’s Catholic refugee agency calls UK government plan to send refugees to Rwanda “profoundly troubling” - Crux
Second Argentine bishop in a row resigns before his installation - The Pillar
Opinion: There is a right and wrong way to criticize Israel - America Magazine
Bishop Álvarez freed in Nicaragua, exiled to Vatican - The Pillar
Requiescat in pace
I am very excited to announce that I will be hosting a new morning program on Ave Maria Radio beginning this Monday. This program is called Michigan Mornings™ and will cover local news, weather, and events relevant to the faithful in southeast Michigan.
I am excited to return to Ave Maria Radio in this capacity. For those of you who know me well, you know that I previously worked there as an associate producer on the nationally syndicated show Kresta in the Afternoon.
Ave Maria Radio is one of the original Catholic radio outlets in the United States. They just celebrated their twenty-fifth anniversary and they provide a significant portion of EWTN Radio’s daytime content. They own and operate several stations in southeast and mid-Michigan including AM990 WDEO covering metro Detroit and AM1440 covering the Saginaw Valley. They also broadcast on 107.9FM in Ann Arbor and 105.9FM in Midland.
While I recognize that many people may not be interested in news from southeast Michigan, but I encourage you to check out their livestream and listen to their other great programs to stay informed about your faith and be inspired.
Michigan Mornings™ will be on the air at 7:21AM on Monday. If you’re in Michigan, I hope you’ll tune in.
Who was the most excited person in sports last weekend? Probably Dan Miller on the Detroit Lions Radio Network. Here are the final calls of the Lions/Rams game.
Lions take on the Buccaneers Sunday at 3pm on NBC and Peacock.
Have a good weekend and GO LIONS.
Matthew