At long last, I saw the movie version of “Les Miserables” tonight, tears dribbling off my cheeks and into my popcorn. I have long been smitten by the score, the story, the unabashed emotion of the piece, and the movie does justice to all of that. In fact, one of the things that struck me repeatedly is how the director Tom Hooper has treated the material with unfailing respect and deference; you might say that he has honored a theater... Read more
Details, from the Baltimore Sun: An Annapolis company whose old-fashioned trolleys are iconic in the city’s wedding scene has abandoned the nuptial industry rather than serve same-sex couples. The owner of Discover Annapolis Tours said he decided to walk away from $50,000 in annual revenue instead of compromising his Christian convictions when same-sex marriages become legal in Maryland in less than a week. And he has urged prospective clients to lobby state lawmakers for a religious exemption for wedding vendors. While most... Read more
A reminder of how we are called to serve all who hunger — and that hunger can take many forms: When Deacon Tom Lambert’s wife was hospitalized for open heart surgery, friends brought unsolicited meals to the family’s door. “For three or four weeks, every day at 6 o’clock, the bell would ring and a different family would bring us dinner,” he said. Those neighbors and fellow parishioners were responding to a need. But a different illness in his family some... Read more
History buffs, take note: Restoration work on a monastery dating back to 1196 is expected to be completed six months ahead of schedule. The £4.7m Torre Abbey project in Torquay, Devon, started in January with an original completion date of 2014. But Torbay Council said it was predicted the restoration would now be completed in the summer and within budget. The Grade I and Grade II listed buildings are described as being involved in “epic moments of history”. As part... Read more
Msgr. Robert Weiss published the following in his parish bulletin this week: Dear Parishioners, Had I written my Christmas message a couple of weeks ago as I had planned, it would have had a far different tone than this message. We have not only witnessed one of the greatest tragedies in the world, but we as a community are called to do what we can to move forward. I have been asked so often how do we celebrate Christmas this... Read more
Details: A pro-life Catholic group has won a legal battle in court to get an exemption from having to comply with a federal Health and Human Services contraception mandate. The mandate compels some religious employers to pay for and refer employees for birth control, abortion-causing drugs and contraception in violation of employers’ religious beliefs. Last week, attorneys Robert Muise and David Yerushalmi presented oral argument in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in support... Read more
Maureen Dowd asked a priest friend to reflect on the tragedy in Newtown, and the result is a beautiful meditation on the mystery of faith: I remember visiting a dear friend hours before her death and reminding her that death is not the end, that we believe in the Resurrection. I asked her, “Are you there yet?” She replied, “I go back and forth.” There was nothing I wanted more than to bring out a bag of proof and say,... Read more
Deacon Keith Fournier takes special note of the first feast we celebrate after Christmas — St. Stephen, on December 26th — and quotes a sermon by St. Fulgentius of Ruspe: Yesterday we celebrated the birth in time of our eternal King. Today we celebrate the triumphant suffering of his soldier.Yesterday our king, clothed in his robe of flesh, left his place in the virgin\’s womb and graciously visited the world. Today his soldier leaves the tabernacle of his body and goes... Read more
Over at the Evangelical Channel of Patheos, sociologist Margarita Mooney recounts her experience of attending Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s: The most moving part of the Mass for me was after everyone had received communion and returned to their seats, a peaceful quiet came over the basilica. Suddenly, trumpets blared announcing the birth of the Christ. After one minute of stunning trumpets, the Schola burst out singing: ”Adeste, fideles, laeti triumphantes, venite, venite in Bethlehem, natum videte, regem angelorum. Venite... Read more
The gifted photographer Niranjan Fernando captured these beautiful images from last night at my parish, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, in Forest Hills. Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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