My blog neighbor Marc Barnes posted the video below at his joint, “Bad Catholic” and noted: This might be the greatest video ever to happen to the Catholic Church. If I had tried to stick my tongue out at the kids who think a female priest isn’t a contradiction in terms, I wouldn’t have been able to muster up the genius required to make a thing quite so demeaning to the cause. Check it out. After you’ve recovered (if you... Read more
Here’s a new one on me. I got this e-mail today, from a campus minister at a large university: We have a big Nursing program here and I was recently asked by one of the professors to do a blessing over the cadaver they will be using this semester. I was wondering: is there any formal ‘Cadaver Blessing’ prayer used by priests, deacons, or ministers, perhaps from their book of prayers or somewhere else? Just trying to see what’s out... Read more
How many kids do you know who have this kind of devotion? Details: She doesn’t spin on Shabbos. Ping-pong prodigy Estee Ackerman, an 11-year-old from Long Island, was disqualified from her final event at the 2012 US National Table Tennis Championships in Las Vegas last Dec. 21 when her match fell on the Jewish holy day of rest and she chose not to play. “I advanced in my round robin and then we looked at my schedule and saw the... Read more
Details: Six men, including Richard G. Adams, Thomas F. Maedke and Stephen F. Miletic of Steubenville, along with Mark A. Erste Sr. of Bloomingdale, recently were ordained permanent deacons for the Catholic Diocese of Steubenville. Daniel P. Murray of Athens and Lee V. Weisend of Marietta also were ordained permanent deacons. Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton ordained the men during a Mass at Holy Name Cathedral. “It will be their duty, at the bishop’s direction, to exhort believers and unbelievers alike... Read more
Blogger and mother Janell Burley Hoffman gave her teenage son an iPhone for Christmas —and an 18-point contract. To wit: Merry Christmas! You are now the proud owner of an iPhone. Hot Damn! You are a good & responsible 13 year old boy and you deserve this gift. But with the acceptance of this present comes rules and regulations. Please read through the following contract. I hope that you understand it is my job to raise you into a well... Read more
Details from the Catholic Transcript: Tears of joy flowed among family members and others as the Archdiocese of Hartford welcomed three men to the priesthood and five men to the transitional diaconate during a two-and-a-half-hour ceremony Dec. 1 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph. It was the first dual ordination of priests and deacons performed in the Archdiocese of Hartford. It is believed to have been the first ceremony of its type in the United States since a new ritual... Read more
Details from the Catholic Transcript: Tears of joy flowed among family members and others as the Archdiocese of Hartford welcomed three men to the priesthood and five men to the transitional diaconate during a two-and-a-half-hour ceremony Dec. 1 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph. It was the first dual ordination of priests and deacons performed in the Archdiocese of Hartford. It is believed to have been the first ceremony of its type in the United States since a new ritual... Read more
Details: Six men, including Richard G. Adams, Thomas F. Maedke and Stephen F. Miletic of Steubenville, along with Mark A. Erste Sr. of Bloomingdale, recently were ordained permanent deacons for the Catholic Diocese of Steubenville. Daniel P. Murray of Athens and Lee V. Weisend of Marietta also were ordained permanent deacons. Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton ordained the men during a Mass at Holy Name Cathedral. “It will be their duty, at the bishop’s direction, to exhort believers and unbelievers alike... Read more
Photo: by Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record/Sunday News Read his story by Teresa McMinn for the Daily Record/Sunday News, and whisper a prayer: A few weeks ago, Dustin Rhodes was a healthy, happily married husband and father of a 9-month-old son. Rhodes, a Dallastown native and salutatorian of his York Catholic High School 2002 graduating class, worked as an attorney for Florida’s First District Court of Appeal. In his spare time, he trained to run a 50-mile race and volunteered to... Read more
ABC News has details of her return: Just three weeks after suffering serious burns in an accident at home, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm returned to television to host the 124th Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. on New Years’ Day. Storm, who has been an anchor of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” since 2008, shared hosting duties for the parade with “Good Morning America” anchor Josh Elliott. He opened the broadcast by welcoming her back on the air. “The best medicine is being here with you, my friend, for... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In