Recently in Evocative Category

--Will you come with me?

--I'll go with you.

Our parish is mourning two deaths in one family today. A 17-year-old altar server in our parish died shortly after midnight Tuesday after a lengthy fight with cancer. Dominic Davulis had been serving at Holy Trinity Church in Boston for most of his life and hoped to serve at the altar of God for years to come.

We all pray for the grace of a holy death. The circumstances around Dominic's passing and the unexpected death of his brother William make me wonder at what mysterious events can happen, perhaps in response to that prayer.

Tragedy strikes Southie family: Brother killed hours before tumor takes his sibling's life
By Laura Crimaldi (Boston Herald)
Thursday, August 10, 2006 - Updated: 03:14 AM EST

The devoted older brother of a dying Dorchester teen fulfilled a promise to join his little brother on his journey into eternal life when he died Tuesday in a motorcycle accident just hours before a brain tumor claimed his kin.

William Davulis, 26, the eldest of 10 children, was on his way to say goodbye to his younger brother, Dominic, 17, when he lost control of his motorcycle at the intersection of East First and O streets in South Boston at about 4:35 p.m.

"William wasn't expecting to see God. He was expecting to see his dying brother," said the brothers' mother Terina, who hasn't slept since she bid adieu to her older son at the city morgue only to return to Dominic's bedside and hold his hand until he died at 12:50 yesterday morning.

What's this: a window display at a clerical tailor?

But these four priests are no dummies: they're watching the Pope's Mass in Warsaw as they shelter from the rain in Pilsudski Square. AP's pictures from the event are on-line at Yahoo.

Captions, anyone?

Anniversary audio:

The announcement of Pope Benedict's election (6.5 MB)

His first address (in Italian) and a papal blessing (8.2 MB)

My friend Fr. Tom Carleton sent this:

There is an interesting story to which I would like to give testimony while it is fresh in my mind.

On Saturday I anointed a devout man named Anthony, who was dying and was not expected to live much longer.

Sister Cordata, a very holy nun and good friend of Anthony, was herself ill and was in fact today taken to the hospital with pneumonia (say a prayer for her, if you will). When her blood sister came for her this afternoon at about 2:15 p.m., Sister Cordata said, "Anthony has died." Those present of course assured her that although he was dying he had not yet died, and now she had to take care of her own health.

Well, as it turned out, at 12:15 p.m. this afternoon Anthony indeed had died, so it appears to me at least that God (maybe through a communication between Anthony's guardian angel and Sister's guardian angel) somehow revealed to Sister Cordata of his passing into eternity.

Really, this sort of thing happens all the time, doesn't it?

The Grateful Catholic links to a story of what Catholic astronauts do by way of religious observance when they're up there.

"Be not afraid!"

"Open wide the doors to Christ!"

"All human life is created in the image and likeness of God."

"Follow Christ!"

Add your own recollections of the Pope's exhortations in the comments.

Will St. Faustina get to take the Pope home?

Steve the Llama Butcher reminisces about "My Strongest Christmas Memory".