[Click here for readings.] This episode in the gospels could go down as one of the great “unsolved mysteries” of the New Testament. We never hear what happened to the rich young man, never find out what he did, never hear the rest of the story. We tend to assume that he was simply too attached to his belongings to give them up, and was never heard from again. But I think that dismisses him too easily. If the gospels... Read more
Now I’ve seen everything. For all you dads out there with little princess-fixated daughters, take heart: you have plenty of company. Enjoy. Read more
No big surprise here: A study measuring religious bodies in the United States called the, “2010 U.S. Religious Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study (RCMS)” was recently released by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB). The most comprehensive study of its kind, it provides detailed county by county information on congregations, members, adherents and attendance for 236 different faiths groups. (The survey differentiates between specific denominations within the same tradition.) Of metropolitan areas with population greater than... Read more
Some weeks back, I posted on a California church being used by Muslims. Now, a church in France may also undergo a conversion: A church in the central French town of Vierzon may be converted to a mosque, as Muslims across Europe are converting empty churches to fit their faith – but some locals are worried about the threat of radicalism Vierzon has six churches, and in order to balance the books, the diocese is selling one of them off.... Read more
Details from the web site New American: The Education Minister of Ontario, Canada — a professing Catholic who sends her children to Catholic schools — declared October 10 that the province’s publicly funded Catholic schools may not teach students that abortion is wrong because such teaching amounts to “misogyny,” which is prohibited in schools under a controversial anti-bullying law. “Taking away a woman’s right to choose could arguably be considered one of the most misogynistic actions that one could take,”... Read more
A topic of which there is no shortage of opinions — preaching — will be getting more attention next month at the bishops’ meeting in Baltimore. From the USCCB: The U.S. bishops will vote on a formal document on preaching at their annual fall meeting, November 12-15, in Baltimore. The document, “Preaching the Mystery of Faith: The Sunday Homily,” will be presented by the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), chaired... Read more
That’s an old, irreverent adage in journalism. Seems to work in politics, too. From my blog neighbor Frank Weathers, who dug this up from the USCCB, regarding Joe Biden: Last night, the following statement was made during the Vice Presidential debate regarding the decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to force virtually all employers to include sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion, in the health insurance coverage they provide their employees: “With... Read more
Something altogether different from the U.S. Postal Service this year. From CNS: The U.S. Postal Service Oct. 10 released a Christmas stamp featuring an image of the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt. A ceremony to celebrate the first day of issue of the stamp took place at the Washington National Cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The portrayal of the Holy Family is a change from the traditional image of Madonna and child used almost every year since the first Christmas... Read more
For those who missed it last night, here’s the exchange many are talking about this morning.It came near the end of the debate, as the men were asked to talk about how their Catholic faith has informed their views on abortion. Read more
From the Observer newspaper: Fourteen men were ordained as deacons on Saturday, Oct. 6, at the Cathedral of St. Peter. During the rite, Bishop David J. Malloy called it a “great privilege” to ordain the class of 14 men to the permanent diaconate. He encouraged them to take the readings — Num 3:5-9; Acts 8:26-40; Mt 20:25b-28 — to heart and to reread them on each anniversary of their ordination to “remind yourselves of why you have come” to be... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In