From Religion News Service: As Drew Burkemper got up to preach, the weight of his task was evident. His classmate at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, Adam Maus, had just pretty much killed it. Like Burkemper, Maus and other Catholic seminarians were told to prepare and deliver to his class a homily for an imaginary event. Maus’ scenario had been a wedding between a 42-year-old bride with four children and her groom, who had recently returned to the Catholic Church. The nine other... Read more
We don’t have to wait until Christmas for the Messiah after all: Actor, comedian and singer Jamie Foxx caused a stir when he proclaimed President Obama a messiah as he spoke at the annual Soul Train Awards. “It’s like church over here. It’s like church in here. First of all, give an honor to God and our Lord and Savior Barack Obama. Barack Obama,” to a cheering audience. The show, which aired Sunday night, was taped in Las Vegas a few days after the president’s... Read more
Curious about what that entails? The Archdiocese of Washington has just posted this short video that offers an answer. Read more
Details, from the Western Catholic Reporter in Canada: Matthew Hysell became deaf after contracting spinal meningitis when he was 18 months old. He lives in a mostly silent world, but those who know Hysell (shown in the picture on the left) describe him as a good listener, someone who pays attention to their concerns. Since he arrived in Edmonton from San Jose, Calif., almost five years ago, Hysell has been busy studying theology, preaching the Word of God from the... Read more
From the jolly Brandon Vogt. A sure sign that this phenomenon’s 15 minutes are up: it’s now being done by nuns. Read more
Details: Evangelical Protestants have become more devoted to their religious beliefs over the last three decades, even as Catholics have become less attached to their faith, new research finds. The denominational differences come even as religious affiliations have decreased overall in America, with the number of people who claim no religious affiliation at all doubling from 7 percent in 1990 to 14 percent in 2000, said study researcher Philip Schwadel, a sociologist at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Nevertheless, Schwadel... Read more
Really? That statement, scrawled by a teacher on a classroom whiteboard, is the center of a small firestorm in Kentucky. Details: South Laurel County High School teacher Kendra Baker is drawing complaints from parents and students after she wrote, “You can’t be a democrat and go to heaven.” Superintendent Doug Bennett told the Sentinel-Echo that the class had been discussing politics around election day, and Baker wrote the statement — which is reportedly a student comment — on the board.... Read more
For the really curious, or really bored, here’s something nifty: a short video report from NET on my parish centennial from last Sunday, featuring a couple highlights of the Mass, along with interviews with Bishop DiMarzio and my new pastor, Bishop Sanchez. (Look closely and you may catch a fleeting glimpse of Your Humble Blogger.) Click the screen below. Read more
I first posted on this historically large class a couple weeks back. Now, Arkansas Catholic’s Facebook page has posted the first post-ordination picture, below. Congratulations and welcome! Ad multos annos! Read more
[Click here for readings.] This Sunday, on the Solemnity of Christ the King, I was preparing to preach about how royalty is really alien to us Americans, how the concept of a King is something foreign to our sensibilities. But an experience Friday proved me wrong. I made the mistake of going to the mall with my wife on Friday. We were in Maryland, visiting family, and decided to stop by a nearby Sears. My wife had one thing she... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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