Does anyone remember Altar Knights? Likely not. These were parish-based altar boy clubs/societies  that strove to emulate the saints in virtues, taking on the regimen of holy knights and their chivalry so they could best serve at the Divine Liturgy -- the court of their King, Jesus Christ. The vast majority of them dissappeared in North America in the 1960's. But some persevere and continue to grow especially in the US Mid-west, the Philipines, Africa, Indonesia.

The Knights of the Holy Eucharist, Franciscan brothers who serve at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama have anounced this week on their web site and in social media that they will be soon revealing an effort to bring together Altar Knights and to foster new cells (http://knights.org).

We are currently working on creating an umbrella group, a sodality really, called Altar Knights, that we hope will help a renewal of parish altar servers and add to the beauty of the heavenly liturgy made manifest in each Holy Mass. Stay tuned!

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What a welcome addition this would be indeed to liturgical renewal.

Monsignor Barreiro also made the interesting point that the main reason to have children is “to populate heaven with more souls who will enjoy the eternal contemplation of God . . .but if the liturgy does not give us that beautiful contemplation of God, we are going to be less motivated to have children who will enjoy it.”  As those of us very sensitive to the beautiful have sometimes felt – at an exceptionally bad liturgical celebration (I must add!) – “if this is supposed to be a foretaste of heaven, then I am not so sure why I would want to go there . . . . ”

Editor's note: This story originally carried by Zenit, has been proven false. http://www.aleteia.org/en/religion/news/benedict-xvis-personal-secretary-debunks-mystical-experience-3636001

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has reportedly said that he retired from the papacy after a “mystical experience” and because “God told me to.”

The news comes from an anonymous source who visited the former pope a week ago, according to the Zenit news agency.

Asked why he resigned, the pope emeritus said, “God told me to,” but added that he had not received any kind of apparition or similar phenomenon. Rather, it was a “mystical experience” in which the Lord planted a seed of “absolute desire” in his heart “to remain alone with him, secluded in prayer.”

Doctor Alessandro de Franciscis, head of the medical bureau, explained that at its final meeting in 2010, more than 100 doctors and nurses --with one abstention-- approved the cure as miraculous after a “lengthy” and “very passionate” discussion.

The famous Marian shrine in Lourdes, France has received an official declaration from the Bishop of Pavia, Italy stating that the 69th miracle has taken place there.

"I have the joy of reporting to everyone my healing, which just a few days ago was approved as a miracle by my bishop, which is a beautiful thing,” said Mrs. Danila Castelli, who experienced the miracle on May 4, 1989 after visiting the baths in Lourdes.