Still and forever my favorite Christmas hymn. This serves as the processional for Midnight Mass at my parish. The lights dim, a hush falls, and a small armada of 40 or so red-cassocked altar servers begin gliding into the church, working down the side aisle, rounding a corner, then up the center. The line grows, the sea of red swells, with torchbearers, incense, a deacon and at the very end, a priest bearing the Christ child, which he carries to... Read more
The unstoppable actor died today at the ripe age of 90: Emmy-winning actorJack Klugman, a versatile, raspy-voiced mainstay of U.S. television during the 1970s and early ’80s through his starring roles in “The Odd Couple” and “Quincy, M.E.,” died on Monday at the age of 90. Klugman, whose pairing with Tony Randall on “The Odd Couple” created one of television’s most memorable duos, died at his home in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles following a period of declining health, according to... Read more
Another side of the story, for those who caught the movie, again, last night, or those who can sing it all in their sleep: Dear friends, family, and Austrian nobility, Captain Von Trapp and I are very sorry to inform you that we no longer plan to wed. We offer our deepest apologies to those of you who have already made plans to travel to Salzburg this summer. Those of you on the Captain’s side of the guest list are... Read more
From Midnight Mass, 2007, here’s my first Christmas homily. While the references are dated, I hope the message still resonates. For so many this year, the central theme —Do not be afraid—is more urgent now than ever. — Dcn. G. + Like a lot of people of a certain age, I remember well the first time I heard this gospel proclaimed – and it wasn’t in church. It was in my parent’s den, in Rockville, Maryland, watching an 18-inch Philco... Read more
From Midnight Mass, 2007, here’s my first Christmas homily. While the references are dated, I hope the message still resonates. For so many this year, the central theme —Do not be afraid—is more urgent now than ever. – Dcn. G. + Like a lot of people of a certain age, I remember well the first time I heard this gospel proclaimed – and it wasn’t in church. It was in my parent’s den, in Rockville, Maryland, watching an 18-inch Philco... Read more
Sobering news for Christmas: Christianity faces being wiped out of the “biblical heartlands” in the Middle East because of mounting persecution of worshippers, according to a new report. The study warns that Christians suffer greater hostility across the world than any other religious group. And it claims politicians have been “blind” to the extent of violence faced by Christians in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The most common threat to Christians abroad is militant Islam, it says, claiming that... Read more
It comes to us from the great St. John Chrysostom, from 386. (Source). Stuck for something to say on Christmas? Try this on for size: BEHOLD a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead... Read more
After surveying some of the mistakes in the Times’s early coverage of the tragedy, the paper’s new public editor gives the coverage a long-overdue thrashing: On the first day, The Times reported on its Web site that the gunman was Ryan Lanza, attributing that information to other news organizations. It was actually his brother, Adam Lanza. Mistakes don’t get much worse. The next day, in its lead front-page article, The Times got several major facts wrong, stating without attribution that... Read more
…It was actually something I overheard. As I’ve noted before, we have a remarkable cadre of altar servers in my parish—100 of ’em, boys and girls, from ages 8 to 18, every one of them a gem. They are selfless, generous, enthusiastic and (for the most part, except for a few yawners, scratchers and gigglers) tack-sharp. (You can see them at work here and here.) Several years ago, as they were lining up for Midnight Mass—an event that, in and... Read more
The cast of the London stage production gets in the spirit. Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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