America’s crumbling Christian consensus

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:01 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Historian Molly Worthen takes a look at religion’s role throughout American history in today’s New York Times: Religion has been a feature of human society since Neanderthal times, but so has religious indifference. Our illusions of the past as a golden age of faith tend to cloud our assessment of today’s religious landscape. We think of atheism and religious apathy as uniquely modern spiritual options, ideas that Voltaire and Hume devised in a coffee house one rainy afternoon sometime in... Read more

Montreal deacon charged with producing child porn

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:01 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details, from the Toronto Sun: A well-known Montreal-area Deacon who once spoke on behalf of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, has been charged with production and distribution of child pornography. William Kokesch, 65, appeared in a Montreal courtroom Saturday afternoon via videoconference. The day prior, based on a tip from the public, Montreal police searched two locations in the city’s west end, including Kokesch’s home, and allegedly found more than 2,000 child porn images. Montreal police spokesperson Dany Richer... Read more

Merry Christmas from The Bench!

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:01 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

If you somehow slipped off my mailing list this year…do me a favor and just pretend you got this in the mail. Merry Christmas! 😀 Read more

Homily for December 23, 2012: 4th Sunday of Advent

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:51 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

[Click here for readings] A few weeks ago, I saw an ad on the subway for Cole Haan shoes that was a little out of the ordinary: there were no shoes, no pictures of people wearing shoes. There was just a phrase, printed on a dark background. It said: “No great story starts with: ‘It was cold, so I stayed in…’” I’m not sure what that has to do with shoes. But it obviously made an impression. It reminded me... Read more

Is Sunday shopping a sin? —UPDATED

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:01 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Some in Italy are saying so, and there is a move afoot in parts of Europe to keep Sundays sacred: The Roman Catholic Church, trade unions and small business associations have joined forces in a bid to save Sundays. In a bid to spur economic growth, outgoing Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti backed a new law that allows shops to stay open on the Sabbath. But Sunday traditions are strong in the European nation, and the change provoked strong resistance... Read more

Homily for December 23, 2012: 4th Sunday of Advent

Last updated on: December 22, 2012 at 3:37 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Is Santa missing from your mall?

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:01 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Turns out, he isn’t quite as ubiquitous as he used to be. Details, from TIME: Throughout North America, most shopping centers are proceeding with the traditions of the season, including regular appearances of Santa, complete with the chance for kids to sit on his lap, tell him what they want, and get a picture taken—so long as they can endure the traditionally long line to get their turn. The San Diego Union-Tribune recently reported, however, that Santa is showing up... Read more

“The Motherhood”: a rap for moms

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:01 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

After this, I guess a rap for mommies was inevitable. But it’s pretty funny — and the British accent just adds a little, I dunno, class. This is an ad for a new car by Fiat. Read more

Has fiction lost its faith?

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:01 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

That’s the provocative and sobering question that headlines this essay by Paul Elie in the New York Times Book Review this weekend: If any patch of our culture can be said to be post-Christian, it is literature. Half a century after Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy, Reynolds Price and John Updike presented themselves as novelists with what O’Connor called “Christian convictions,” their would-be successors are thin on the ground. So are works of fiction about the quan daries of Christian belief.... Read more

Bishops favor “reasonable restrictions” on guns—UPDATED

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:01 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From Catholic News Service: As momentum builds to implement new limits on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, the Catholic bishops of the United States remain focused on seeking “reasonable restrictions” on gun ownership without infringing upon Second Amendment rights. “The bishops continue to support measures that control the sale and use of firearms and continue to call for sensible regulations on handguns,” Kathy Saile, the bishops’ director of domestic social development, told Catholic News Service. “In addition to that, we... Read more