Writer Tom Loewy from the Galesburg Register-Mail in Illinois spent some time recently chatting with a deacon, and shared part of the conversation: If you can take the time to listen, you learn something knew every day. And you are fortunate to be given the opportunity to hear. That fact was hammered home as I listened to Jim Haneghan while sitting inside Spudos just before Thursday’s lunch rush. Haneghan is 67 years old and has been an ordained deacon in... Read more
Kathryn Jean Lopez had a chance to chat with Cardinal Dolan in Tampa, and he shared his thoughts about the conventions and the Al Smith Dinner: “I am just hoping that a more conciliatory posture might especially be a light to the world and salt to the earth in a time when divisiveness and almost a hyperbolic partisanship seem to have overtaken the American political process,” he told me. And, he added, “if anyone should try to give a sense... Read more
Details of the late Cardinal’s final interview are emerging, and they have a few surprises: The former archbishop of Milan and papal candidate Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini said the Catholic Church was “200 years out of date” in his final interview before his death, published on Saturday. Martini, once favored by Vatican progressives to succeed Pope John Paul II and a prominent voice in the church until his death at the age of 85 on Friday, gave a scathing portrayal... Read more
From the great Joanne McPortland: The thing is, we sin when we put priests on pedestals and idolize them. I think that’s what Jesus cautioned against when he told us to call no man father. Yes, priests are due the respect of their office—as is every person made in God’s image. But holiness is not applied with chrism and the laying on of hands. Holiness is something each one of us is called to through the priesthood of Baptism, and... Read more
A Catholic blogger in Brooklyn has a followup to this story from a couple weekends ago: Statement from the Archdiocese of Hartford regarding Fr. Michael DeVito August 24, 2012: Archbishop Henry J. Mansell has met with Father Michael DeVito regarding the priest’s participation in a same-sex marriage ceremony involving a cousin in New York City on August 19th. According to Father DeVito, his participation in the ceremony was limited to doing a reading. He wore no vestments, but had worn... Read more
It’s not the sign that’s causing trouble, but the Bible verse accompanying it. Details: The Secret Service is looking into a sign posted in Victoria, Texas. The sign says “Pray for Obama”, but it’s the scripture quoted below those words that is raising eyebrows: Psalms 109:8. Psalms 109:8 reads, “Let his days be few, and let another take his office.” Milton Neitsch Jr., who has lived in Victoria since 1961, says he didn’t intend for people to pick up on the... Read more
[Click here for readings] “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts…” In the gospel we just heard, Jesus speaks of the roots of sin – and even goes on to list some examples. He accuses the Pharisees of hypocrisy for worrying more about how they cleanse their hands, but not how they cleanse their hearts. It’s what’s inside that truly matters. What goes unmentioned is that a sinful heart can also be moved to change, sometimes in the... Read more
Details: The day after delivering his first major address to the nation, Paul Ryan attended daily mass at Our Lady of Grace parish in St. Petersburg. The church, built in 1929, is a beautiful structure that is “Byzantine in style with Romanesque features.” A sign in front of the church read: “ALL ARE WELCOME.” The Republican vice presidential candidate was accompanied in his pew by his wife Janna and his mother Betty. A number of Catholic elected officials, such as... Read more
[Click here for readings] “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts…” In the gospel we just heard, Jesus speaks of the roots of sin – and even goes on to list some examples. He accuses the Pharisees of hypocrisy for worrying more about how they cleanse their hands, but not how they cleanse their hearts. It’s what’s inside that truly matters. What goes unmentioned is that a sinful heart can also be moved to change, sometimes in the... Read more
As we enjoy some relative quiet between the two conventions (and a long holiday weekend!) now might be a good time to reacquaint ourselves with the Church’s teaching on clergy and their involvement in politics. First, there are these remarks from Blessed John Paul II, titled “Priests Do Not Have a Political Mission”: The Church still has her own task: proclaiming the Gospel, limiting herself to cooperating in her own way in the common good, without aiming at or accepting... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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