For all the dads out there: something sweetly infectious from a rapper you might call Snoop Daddy Dad (a.k.a Sam Dorman), who boasts on YouTube that he shot this entirely on his iPhone. Whatever he did, this is a new anthem for a generation of dads. Enjoy. Read more
From South Korea: Cheju diocese has demanded an official apology after about 20 riot police disrupted a Mass yesterday on Jeju island. The police were clearing a path for a cement truck to enter the construction site of a controversial new naval base. Father Bartholomew Mun Jung-hyun, who was presiding over the Mass at the gates of the site, was knocked to the ground while administering communion. It is claimed that a policeman also trod on the Eucharist. Father John Ko Buyeong-soo,... Read more
“I rejoice greatly, dear brother, at the outstanding zeal that drives you to promote the glory of God. It is sad to see how in our times the disease called “indifferentism” is spreading in all its forms, not just among those in the world but also among the members of religious orders. But indeed, since God is worthy of infinite glory, it is our first and most pressing duty to give him such glory as we, in our weakness, can... Read more
Details: A longtime North Shore clergyman is in line to become one of the first Episcopal priests in the country to be ordained as a Roman Catholic priest. The Rev. Jurgen Liias, who led Christ Church in Hamilton for 14 years before forming a breakaway Episcopal church in Danvers, has applied to the Vatican to be ordained into a new U.S. ordinariate created by Pope Benedict XVI on Jan. 1. Liias said he will resign as an Episcopal priest and... Read more
[Click here for readings] Last weekend, I was talking with someone in the sacristy and said that that, in my opinion, this is the best time of year to be in New York. The last two weeks of August may be hot, humid, mobbed with tourists. But: during rush hour, you can always get a seat on the subway. Most New Yorkers have fled the city, traveling or staying out of town. And coincidentally, the gospel today begins with a... Read more
It happened last week in Florida. Details: The Rev. Krzysztof Bugno hovered over the lifeless body of his friend — also a priest — seconds after pulling the struggling man from the waves at Canvaeral National Seashore and prayed. A few harrowing moments later, Bugno got his miracle. “I didn’t know CPR, but I felt I was guided . . . it’s a miracle because God gave me the strength supernaturally,” said the Catholic priest, now credited with saving the life of... Read more
That’s the eye-catching headline of the latest blog post by one of Patheos’ newest writers, Rebecca Hamilton. She’ll be hanging her hat over at a new blog called “Public Catholic,” devoting her time and attention to politics. She knows whereof she speaks: Rebecca is in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and is (brace yourselves) a Democrat who happens to be Catholic. Or vice versa. At any rate, I can’t help but have warm fuzzy feelings for a politician whose official... Read more
It’s a question being examined in this morning’s Wall Street Journal: Near the Syrian city of Aleppo, the Church of St. Simeon the Stylite commemorates the 5th-century ascetic who became an ancient sensation by living atop a tall pedestal for decades to demonstrate his faith. Krak des Chevaliers, an awe-inspiring castle near Homs, was a fortress for the order of the Knights Hospitaller in their quest to defend a crusader kingdom. Seydnaya, a towering monastery in a town of the... Read more
Barely 48 hours after Paul Ryan joined the ticket, the ideological debate is already heating up: A couple of things were different at 9:45 a.m. Mass at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Janesville on Sunday. Rep.Paul D. Ryan, a fixture in the center pews when he’s not in Washington or on a national news show, was missing. And reporters were crawling around outside wanting to talk about why. Ryan was in Charlotte, N.C., waking up as the new Republican... Read more
Details: Bahrain will take over from Kuwait as the headquarters of the Vicariate of Northern Arabia for the Roman Catholic Church. Bishop Camillo Ballin will continue to lead the Vicariate, a statement said. “After thoughtful consideration and the completion of a new Roman Catholic Church in the Kingdom, Bahrain will host Vicariate as a testament to the Kingdom’s religious and cultural openness,” the statement added. The Vicariate of Northern Arabia holds responsibility for hundreds of regional churches and the spiritual... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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