Which Christmas carol has the distinction of being written in its entirety on Christmas Eve? That would be Silent Night, which sprang from a musical 911 call at St. Nicholas’ Church in Oberndorf, Austria, in 1818. On December 22 assistant priest Josef Mohr learned that the organ made no noise at all. It was indeed going to be a silent night. … Read more »
As 2020 draws to a close, people everywhere are hungry for good news. Here are some happy news stories that have managed to stay under the radar this year: Giant pandas and manatees were taken off the endangered species list in 2020, and tigers are rebounding in the wild for the first time in more than a century.Some 800,000 volunteers in India… Read more »
Father Gregory Boyle directs Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, arguably the world’s most successful ministry to the members of inner city gangs. He is inundated by opportunities to speak around the country. It’s no surprise that he sometimes falls back on the same compelling stories. A few summers ago, Boyle was asked to present the keynote for a gathering of… Read more »