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Official documents from the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Local Authorities which was obtained by the the "The Forum for the Struggle for Every Dunam" reveal a construction plan for dozens of lots on the area of the ancient Altar of Joshua on Mount Ebal. According to the plan, dozens of permanent homes will be built on most of the altar wall, and will practically connect the outskirts of the city of Nablus and the Askar refugee camp to Mount Ebal. According to the plan, the altar itself will remain a public park, which will be surrounded by Arab houses that...

A Catholic priest from Cincinnati pleaded guilty on Thursday to raping a 10-year-old altar decades ago, one day before the jury was to be selected for his trial. The Rev. Geoff Drew, 59, was reportedly emotionless at his court appearance when he was directly addressed by his victim, now in his 40s.

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – A Catholic Church in the English city of Leicester says it has experienced a “crime wave” after a series of incidents of vandalism. The Dominican-run church is located in the city’s downtown area and has historically been the center of Catholicism in Leicester. On Dec. 29, the windows of the church’s Lady chapel were smashed in the morning, and the suspect – who was later arrested by police – shouted verbal abuse at staff members. “Due to the verbal abuse which occurred when the male perpetrator was challenged, the police were called. To be fair to...

Priest recorded having group sex on altar of Pearl River church, police say; 3 arrested The lights inside Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in Pearl River were on later than usual on Sept. 30, so a passerby stopped to take a closer look.Peering inside, the onlooker saw the small parish's pastor half-naked having sex with two women on the altar, according to court documents. The women were dressed in corsets and high-heeled boots. There were sex toys and stage lighting. And a mobile phone was mounted on a tripod, recording it all.  The Rev. Travis Clark. (Photo from...

The Mass in Slow Motion The Altar is Reverenced As the Entrance procession draws to its close something rather unusual happens! Upon entering the sanctuary, (the part of the Church where the Altar and Tabernacle are located) the priest and deacon enter the sanctuary and kiss the altar as a sign of reverence and veneration. Many of us who go to Mass all the time may hardly notice this gesture. But to someone observing Mass for the first time this gesture may seem quite unusual and raise questions. Why kiss an altar? Where did this gesture come from and what...

The Heavenly Elements of the LiturgyBy: Msgr. Charles PopeIn November, Catholics are encouraged to meditate on the “Last Things.” As you know, I write quite often on Hell. But I have written on Heaven, too. In this post I propose simply to set forth how much of our liturgy is a kind of dress rehearsal for Heaven.Indeed, Catholics are often unaware just how biblical the Sacred Liturgy is. The design of our traditional churches; the use of candles, incense, and golden vessels; the postures of standing and kneeling; the altar; the singing of hymns; priests wearing albs and so forth are...

“And the altar of burnt-offering he set at the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt-offering and the meal-offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 40:29) The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has announced that it has finished building an altar suitable for the Temple service. The altar, which took several years to build, can be operational at little more than a moment’s notice, reported Matzav Haruach magazine. The Temple Institute is committed to preparing all the necessary clothing and tools for the rebuilt Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In addition, the institute operates...

UPDATED: see belowORIGINALLY POSTED on: Nov 21, 2014The late-great liturgist Klaus Gamber, who also influenced Joseph Ratzinger (also known by another name), said that turning around the altars was the single most damaging change that happened in the name of the Council, and it wasn’t even mandated by the Council.  There is no document that required tables be set up.But I digress.Great news from the Diocese of Lincoln!His Excellency Most Reverend James Conley has determined that Holy Mass in the Cathedral of Lincoln will be ad orientem. Bishop’s Column Looking to the east Friday, 21 November 2014 Jesus Christ will return in...

                Holy Smoke! What is all that incense about? The reaction is rather mixed when it comes to incense. So love it and some love to hate it. But the bottom line about incense is that it is a symbol of prayer. As the incense gently rises it images our prayers going up to God. As the incense slowly settles in is a fragrant symbol for God’s graces. And don’t fan that incense away! Take a breath! It is holy smoke. Like holy water that literally showers a blessing on us, so too does the fragrant incense, blessed by the...

One for the Brick by Brick file.I had a note from a friend in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, where the great Bishop Robert Finn presides.At St. Andrew the Apostle on the north side of KC, Fr. Vince Rogers has installed a new brand new Communion rail!My friend wrote: He has installed altar rails in most of not all of the parishes in which he has served over the past 15-20 years.He noted in his homily this morning, “So, why do I do this everywhere I go? It started when I was a seminarian at the NAC. Mother Teresa...

After reading this howler from the Conference for Women’s Ordination or COW … no… that’s not it… the Women’s Ordination Conference or WOC…. whatever… take note (below) of our WDTPRS ACTION ALERT!I’ll bet this comes from WOC’s Ministry of Irritation. I am not making that up. Really. Ministry of Irritation. Women’s Ordination Conference [WOC!] Decries Ban on Altar Girls in Phoenix DioceseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 22, 2011Contact: Erin Saiz Hanna, 202 675-1006, woc@womensordination.orgWomen’s Ordination Conference Decries [A high dudgeon word if ever there was one.] Ban on Altar Girls in Pheonix Diocese [No... really. Pheonix, who was, I believe both...

“Twenty Questions, One Answer: Go to the Sacrament Frequently”Tonight we conclude our five-part series on the Sacrament of the Altar. So far we have followed the outline Luther uses for the Sacrament of the Altar in the Small Catechism: the Nature of the Sacrament, what it is; the Benefit of the Sacrament, what it gives; the Power of the Sacrament, how it can do such great things; and the Reception of the Sacrament, how to receive it worthily. But remember what I said right at the outset of this series, about the purpose of this teaching: Our purpose here in...

“How Do We Receive It Worthily? The Reception of the Sacrament of the Altar”During this series on the Sacrament of the Altar, we’ve been following the outline Luther uses in his treatment of this part of the Small Catechism. And so we began by asking, “What is the Sacrament of the Altar?” And we said that the nature of the Sacrament is that it is “the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.” Then in week two we asked, “What is...

“How Can It Do Such Great Things? The Power of the Sacrament of the Altar”Two weeks ago we began this series by establishing “The Nature of the Sacrament of the Altar,” asking the question “What Is It?” and hearing Christ’s answer, “This is my body, this is my blood.” Last week we followed that up by asking “What Does It Give?” and Jesus told us, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” We said that this is “The Benefit of the Sacrament” and that “where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.” But...

“What Does It Give? The Benefit of the Sacrament of the Altar”In this midweek Lenten series, we’re looking at the Sacrament of the Altar--Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, are other names by which we know this sacrament instituted by Christ. Last week we began by focusing on “The Nature of the Sacrament.” We asked the foundational question, “What Is It?” And the answer came, “It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.” Our answer was based on what Jesus...

“What Is It? The Nature of the Sacrament of the Altar”When the Lord God brought the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and led them up to the Promised Land, he provided for them along the way. He gave them food and drink for their journey, to sustain them as they traveled. He gave them bread from heaven. It came in the form of a fine, flake-like thing that fell on the ground in the morning, for them to gather up. The first time the Israelites saw it--they had never seen such a thing before--they were amazed, and...

The Temple Institute in Jerusalem announced Friday the completion of a model of the biblical altar which G-d, through Moses, commanded the nation of Israel to build at the Mount of Eval (Ebal) overlooking Shechem: “And there you shall build an altar unto Hashem your God, an altar of stones: you shall lift up no iron tool upon them. You shall build the altar of Hashem your G-d of unhewn stones.” (Dvarim / Deuteronomy 27:5,6)...

A Quebec man has posted messages on the Internet encouraging Al-Qa'ida to attack Canada, the latest in a series of similar sentiments that are worrying counterterrorism officials. The author of the messages, who uses the pseudonym Altar, praised terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and asked why Al-Qa'ida was focusing its efforts only on Europe instead of Canada. "Allah is great and may Allah bless Sheikh bin Laden. May the sword held by the hand of Al-Qa'ida hit not only Europe, but hit all our enemies. Wherever they are," he wrote in a Sept. 25 posting. "Me, I live in Canada...

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