While it’s not unusual to find Michael Voris detractors on the interwebs, it is surprising to find one like this. A woman who blogs as “Catholic in Brooklyn” has been an admirer and supporter of Michael Voris and his online apostolate. But in a long blog post—one notable for its charity as well as its clarity—she says she’s having second thoughts: Lately, though, I have begun to feel differently about the way in which Voris defends the Church. He is... Read more
Bishop Kevin Farrell, of the Diocese of Dallas, looks forward to some upcoming ordinations: It will give me great pleasure to ordain 27 candidates to the Order of Deacon at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the first two Saturdays of February. Fourteen of the men will receive the Sacrament of Orders on Saturday, February 2 and thirteen will be ordained on Saturday, February 9. The ordination class of 27 men reflects the diversity of the diocese.... Read more
No matter where you stand on the issue of gun control, you can’t help but be moved at watching this powerful testimony. (Her handwritten text is pictured above). Ladies and gentlemen, Gabby Giffords, speaking before the Senate Judiciary Committee on gun control. UPDATE: An alert reader pointed me to this item in The Atlantic, regarding the note posted above: It turns out that Giffords’s speech therapist wrote the note, not Giffords herself — and that Americans for Responsible Solution’s reference to “Gabby... Read more
A colleague at work said, “Hey, you should put this on your blog,” and sent me the link. It’s a cleverly animated lecture by Dan Ariely, an expert in the field of “behavioral economics” (yeah, I don’t know what it is, either). Anyway: a few minutes into this secular head-scratcher about human behavior, he talks about how the Catholic sacrament of confession helps us to modify what we do and be better people. Turns out, science is finally starting to discover... Read more
With Catholic Schools Week now at its midway point, I thought I’d repost something from last year: a homily I preached at a special Mass honoring my parish’s school (shown above) and its alumni. DGK. ++ A lot of people don’t know this, but when I was in formation, studying to become a deacon, Msgr. Ned Ryan was my spiritual director. I used to meet with him every six or eight weeks to talk about the state of my soul. ... Read more
Brendan Marrocco lost all four limbs in the war, but as he explains in the video below, what was most devastating was losing his arms. The miracle of science may have helped change some of that. Watch the PBS video below. And you can read more about his journey at his website. What an amazing spirit. Watch Iraq War Vet Receives Rare Double Arm Transplant on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour. Read more
Details, from the Texas Catholic Herald News: Twenty-nine men received the sacrament of Holy Orders in a Mass celebrated Jan. 26 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. For each, it marked the end of six years of rigorous study and pastoral formation — and the beginning of consecrated life in the Permanent Diaconate of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. There are now about 380 permanent deacons serving in the Archdiocese — some working in parishes and schools, serving as liturgists,... Read more
Details, from the Texas Catholic Herald News: Twenty-nine men received the sacrament of Holy Orders in a Mass celebrated Jan. 26 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. For each, it marked the end of six years of rigorous study and pastoral formation — and the beginning of consecrated life in the Permanent Diaconate of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. There are now about 380 permanent deacons serving in the Archdiocese — some working in parishes and schools, serving as liturgists,... Read more
Details: Leaders of U.S. Roman Catholic and some Protestant churches will sign a historic agreement Tuesday in Austin by which the two traditions will formally recognize each other’s liturgical rites of baptism. The product of seven years of talks among five denominations, the agreement will be signed at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday at a prayer service and celebration at St. Mary Cathedral. The service will be open to the public and will be part of the opening day activities of the... Read more
Here are a couple glimpses at the work being done by the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (also known as The Place That Pays the Deacon’s Mortgage). Recently, my boss Msgr. John Kozar visited Rome for a series of conferences and meetings, and the good people at Rome Reports dropped by to chat with him about the work of CNEWA. Want more? Here’s an excellent profile,with another angle on the story, from Catholic News Service: Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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