Boy Tells Pope His Story, Receives Abundant Blessing

While the papal entourage made its way through the picturesque Quinta de Boa Vista park, a nine year old boy wearing a Seleçao soccer jersey, jumped the hurdles and made his way through to the white jeep, where he was received affectionately by Pope Francis, and whispered in the Pontiff’s ear: “I have a very important message for you...I want to become a priest.”

At this point the Pope, visibly moved, clutched him to his chest and told the boy. “Your dream begins to fulfill today. I will pray for you, but you must pray for me.

With trembling legs and his hands over his face, full of emotion and excitement, the young boy returned to his father, happy and even more proud of his son for this unique moment.

Video: 'Hands On' Pope Reaches Out With Love, Joy

Pope Francis is leading a worldwide revival of the faith with exuberance, the joy of Christ, the boundless love of the Blessed Mother and the evangelical spirit of the Apostles.
Again today he attracted three million to Copacabana Beach in Rio.
We are witnessing history!

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Pope: Merciful Church Must Embrace 'Grammar Of Simplicity'

Some words from Pope Francis' final remarks in Rio:

"At times we lose people because they don't understand what we are saying, because we have forgotten the language of simplicity and import an intellectualism foreign to our people . . . Without the grammar of simplicity, the church loses the very conditions which make it possible to fish for God in the deep waters of his mystery."

"Perhaps the church appeared too weak, perhaps too distant from their needs, perhaps too poor to respond to their concerns, perhaps too cold, perhaps too caught up with itself, perhaps a prisoner of its own rigid formulas . . . Perhaps the world seems to have made the church a relic of the past, unfit for new questions. Perhaps the church could speak to people in their infancy but not to those come of age."

"We need a church capable of rediscovering the maternal womb of mercy . . . Without mercy, we have little chance nowadays of becoming part of a world of 'wounded' persons in need of understanding, forgiveness and love."

'Rock Star' Pope Draws Three Million To Beach Mass

Eat your heart out Springsteen, Obama, Lady Gaga, Bieber, Taylor Swift, Chesney, Beyonce and all the rest: News reports say Pope Francis drew a reported 3 million flag-waving, rosary-toting faithful to Rio's Copacabana beach on Saturday for the final evening of World Youth Day. OhhhhhYEAH!

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At Slice It's All For The Love Of Pizza!

We've said it all along.
But it's still worth repeating: A great pizza is all about simplicity.
And the test of a great pizza lies in the basic pie. If the basic pie isn't good (crust, tomato sauce cheese) it doesn't matter what you add to it.
So, we walked into Slice on Sansom between 17th and 18th near Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square and we ordered the basic pie.
We were hungry. Very hungry.
And what we got was a truly great pizza -- fragrant, well-cooked (just the way we asked for it) fresh and scrumptious.
The crust was crispy and crackly. The tomato covering was tasty without being overwhelming. And the cheese was consistent with the whole. It didn't pull or separate from the pie. It was perfect.
And here's the thing: The sauce wasn't immeshed in oil and neither the plate nor the pan sported a residue of grease after we finished our pie.
And you bet we did finish it. All of it!
When you have a pie this good, you don't need toppings - though Slice offers plenty of them if that's what you want.
It's a relatively small place. It's not fancy. But it's clean and bright and cozy.
And it has the pizza that you've been looking for -- at this location and also near the Italian Market in South Philly and in Washington Township in South Jersey.
You're gonna love it!

The actual pizza [almost] as served. We would have shown you the whole pie but we
couldn't wait to start eating it.

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Phily's Beguiling Magic Gardens: A Visual Feast!

We just took a tour of the Magic Gardens on South Street and we are still feeling light and happy and dazzled. We're high on the life-force and creative spirit of Isiah Zagar. In a word: Enthralling!

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens (PMG) is a mosaicked visionary art environment, gallery, and community arts center that preserves, interprets, and provides access to Isaiah Zagar's unique mosaic art environment and his public murals. The Magic Gardens site, Zagar's largest artwork, includes a fully tiled indoor space and a massive outdoor mosaic sculpture garden that spans half a block on Philadelphia's famous South Street. Inside, visitors can view folk art statues, bicycle wheels, colorful glass bottles, Zagar's hand-made tiles, and thousands of glittering mirrors. The installation pays tribute to Zagar's artistic influences, along with community and personal experiences.

Open to visitors daily, PMG has become a unique Philadelphia destination, hosting year-round, low-cost public programs within its own distinctive venue and the surrounding community. PMG, a nonprofit organization, inspires creativity and community engagement by educating the public about folk, mosaic, and visionary art.

Here are some photos but we urge you to experience this unique, vibrant environment for yourself. You won't forget it!

Please click here for more information.

All photos copyright 2013 by Dan Cirucci.