If you need a reminder, there’s this item from the front page of the New York Times from June 25, 1967: It would not be an exaggeration to say that all of us who today serve as permanent deacons in the Latin rite do so because of Pope Paul VI. He made this vocation possible in the modern era. As the saint wrote when he restored the diaconate as a permanent order in the Latin rite: The Second Ecumenical Vatican... Read more
A few years ago, for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, I preached a homily about Grant Desme — a “rich man” of our own age who gave up everything to join the Norbertines in California: In 2009, Grant Desme was one of the hottest rising stars in American baseball — a center-fielder playing for a farm team for the Oakland A’s. During the minor league season in 2009, he hit 31 home runs. In November of 2009, he was... Read more
As the blessed martyr is raised to the altars this weekend and declared, at last, a saint, it’s worth noting that some of the most beautiful and prophetic words connected to him were words he never spoke. This reflection has been attributed to him for decades and, like the Prayer of St. Francis, has come to embody the spirit of a saint, and even carry his name, even though he had nothing to do with it. The prayer, often titled... Read more
I can’t say enough good things about this idea: requiring seminarians to work for the summer in the fields alongside migrants. This is invaluable life experience for anyone going into ministry. Check out the CNS video below by Chaz Muth: From the CNS report: Seminarian John Washington was looking for a summer cultural experience as he prepared to end his academic year at Chicago’s Mundelein Seminary and he found it in an agricultural field in central Washington. The seminarian from... Read more
He posted this today on the archdiocesan website: Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Archdiocese of Washington, Pope Francis has accepted my resignation as Archbishop of Washington. I had the privilege of meeting with him to let him know of your pain, sadness and confusion from what has been revealed these past months. With a heavy heart I said that I could no longer serve you in the way that you deserve. What is needed now is new leadership so that all... Read more
From The Washington Post: Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignation of Washington’s archbishop, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, a trusted papal ally who became a symbol among many Catholics for what they regard as the church’s defensive and weak response to clerical sex abuse. But even as Wuerl becomes one of the highest-profile prelates to step down in a year of prominent abuse scandals, Pope Francis offered the cardinal a gentle landing, praising him in a letter and allowing him to... Read more
As he does every week, he did this: served up food to the homeless with Catholic Charities and his pastor, Msgr. John Enzler. Check out the video below from NET in Brooklyn. Pray for this man. Pray for our country. Pray for healing, compassion, mercy and justice. Read more
Other places around the country have introduced programs similar to this one — the video report above shows what they are doing in Dallas — and it appears to be spreading. From The Baltimore Sun: The Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore will issue identity cards to undocumented immigrants and other vulnerable people that the Baltimore Police Department has agreed to recognize — a program activists hope will make people more willing to cooperate with law enforcement. Mayor Catherine Pugh and Archbishop William E. Lori joined church and... Read more
Some, of course, are already answering the call. The story, from CNS: Speaking to the Synod of Bishops on behalf of Belgium’s bishops’ conference, a bishop said he was sure some young married men would become priests if they were asked. The vocations of Christian marriage and “celibacy for the kingdom” of God “deserve to be equally promoted by the church,” Auxiliary Bishop Jean Kockerols of Mechelen-Brussels said in his presentation Oct. 10. Just as Christians are expected to pursue... Read more
Maybe. Here’s a remarkable example of investigative journalism having an impact: Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley wants Vatican officials to read a series of investigative reports chronicling alleged mismanagement in the Diocese of Buffalo, where Bishop Richard Malone, a former auxiliary bishop in Boston, is facing calls to step down over his handling cases of clergy sexual abuse. An investigative reporter for WKBW, Charlie Specht, sent his three-part series about Bishop Malone to Cardinal O’Malley, who heads the Pontifical Commission for... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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