N.B. A shorter version of this post appeared in July. I thought the entire message, though, was worth its own posting. — DGK Words of Counsel for New Deacons by Bishop George Leo Thomas, Diocese of Helena On June 29, a Friday, 17 men were ordained to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Helena.For nearly five years, they engaged in an intensive program of preparation through spiritual, intellectual, pastoral and human formation. Along with their wives and families, our... Read more
N.B. A shorter version of this post appeared in July. I thought the entire message, though, was worth its own posting. — DGK Words of Counsel for New Deacons by Bishop George Leo Thomas, Diocese of Helena On June 29, a Friday, 17 men were ordained to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Helena.For nearly five years, they engaged in an intensive program of preparation through spiritual, intellectual, pastoral and human formation. Along with their wives and families, our... Read more
Originally posted in August 2010 From Denver comes this lovely tribute to one newly ordained man in particular — and to the Catholic priesthood in general. The author concludes: David left a medical career and a beautiful girlfriend behind to pursue a life of a different kind of commitment. If you met my brother in a bar, you could cover such subjects as gunshot wounds, mountain biking, church history, and how to get a running start, leap off one leg and kick... Read more
My wife’s parents, Gerry and Brenda Meyer, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August of 2008. They renewed their vows at a special Mass. This is my homily for that occasion. Last week, Maureen Dowd, the columnist for the New York Times, wrote about all the celebrity divorces going on. People like Christie Brinkley and A-Rod, she concluded, had married the wrong people – and Dowd wanted to find out what people should look for in a spouse. So she... Read more
My wife’s parents, Gerry and Brenda Meyer, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August of 2008. They renewed their vows at a special Mass. This is my homily for that occasion. Last week, Maureen Dowd, the columnist for the New York Times, wrote about all the celebrity divorces going on. People like Christie Brinkley and A-Rod, she concluded, had married the wrong people – and Dowd wanted to find out what people should look for in a spouse. So she... Read more
Well, I’ve been at sea — in every sense — for the last several days and am finally at a place with an Internet connection that is somewhat better than crappy. So allow me to the 15th or 20th or 2,000th person to welcome to the Patheos family the freshly minted padre, Fr. Michael Duffy! (A sitting ovation erupts from computer stations around the globe). Far as I know, he’s no relation to Elizabeth Duffy, but I could be wrong. But he’s... Read more
Originally posted August 2010 Periodically, people ask me about the image above, which is the image I use for my Facebook posts. The brief blog item below from 2010 explains. “These Hands Bring Me Jesus.” That’s the name of an ambitious, surprisingly powerful project undertaken by photographer Steven Golder. He’s been taking photographs of hands — some of them breathtaking in their simplicity and beauty — but not just any hands. They are the hands of priests. Some of the poses are... Read more
Originally posted July 2007. July 29 is the feast of St. Martha. Trolling the web, I stumbled on this great little prayer, via Amy Cunningham over at Beliefnet: “Warm all the kitchen with Thy love, and light it with Thy peace. Forgive me all my worrying and make my grumbling cease. Thou who didst love to give men food, in room or by the sea Accept this service that I do, I do it unto Thee.” –found on a plaque... Read more
St. Finbar’s Church, in Brooklyn. I’m just sayin’. Read more
[Note: The Deacon’s Wife and I are headed out on vacation Saturday morning, to someplace warm and sunny with lots of water. I’m not bringing my laptop, and hope to spend as little time as possible in front of a keyboard and computer screen. But I’m leaving behind a few postings for those who may drop by from time to time. Most are items from the last few years that people seemed to like. Below is the first entry. It’s... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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