Those are the words of the Girl Scouts’ Catholic CEO, spoken last week in Washington. Details: Girl Scouts of the USA is working with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops “to answer some questions they have,” the organization’s chief executive officer said May 30. Anna Maria Chavez, a Catholic who has been the Girl Scouts CEO since last November, made the comments during a luncheon address at the National Press Club. She said the Girl Scouts does not take a... Read more
Details: Bishop Richard Lennon has sent a conciliatory letter to the priests in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, acknowledging that his relationship with many of them has deteriorated. In a letter obtained by The Plain Dealer, Lennon wrote to the diocese’s priests on May 21, saying “I have become aware of a growing disconnect between many of the priests who serve faithfully in this diocese and myself.” “It saddens me to hear reports,” the bishop continued, “that a number of our... Read more
Lest we forget: while a lot of people consider these days to be the unofficial start of summer, they also serve to help us as a nation remember sacrifice, and loyalty, and pride. Almost back-to-back, there’s Memorial Day, the anniversary of D-Day (today, 6 June) and then Flag Day (14 June) and, of course, the 4th of July. Surfing around the Internet, I stumbled on the moving image above, from Afghanistan in 2010. The caption reads: U.S. Army chaplain... Read more
Behold: the world’s most beautiful water tower, a wondrous cathedral among the pigeon coops. Read all about it. Read more
From the Catholic Courier: Based on numbers alone, the deacon ordination held June 2 at Sacred Heart Cathedral would qualify as one of the more strikingly positive events in diocesan history. Eleven men were ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Matthew H. Clark. With eight becoming permanent deacons, this was one of the largest such classes ever in the Diocese of Rochester. As for the three who became transitional deacons, it’s the first time in many years that so many... Read more
That — or words to that effect — seems to be what this beagle is trying to say. The dog was a puppy when her owner left for Afghanistan, and is now seeing her for the first time in six months. All together now: “Awwwwwww…” Read more
This will come as news to a lot of us who are pro-life. But here’s what the Times is reporting: Labels inside every box of morning-after pills, drugs widely used to prevent pregnancy after sex, say they may work by blocking fertilized eggs from implanting in a woman’s uterus. Respected medical authorities, including the National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic, have said the same thing on their Web sites. Based on the belief that a fertilized egg is... Read more
From the Catholic Courier: Based on numbers alone, the deacon ordination held June 2 at Sacred Heart Cathedral would qualify as one of the more strikingly positive events in diocesan history. Eleven men were ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Matthew H. Clark. With eight becoming permanent deacons, this was one of the largest such classes ever in the Diocese of Rochester. As for the three who became transitional deacons, it’s the first time in many years that so many... Read more
Details: A letter from Pope Benedict XVI to Queen Elizabeth II was read out at a Service of Thanksgiving here in Rome on Tuesday, the final day of celebrations for her diamond jubilee. The Service at All Saints Anglican Church in Rome was attended by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia, religious leaders from many different Christian denominations, as well as ambassadors from countries around the world. Read the full text... Read more
That picture pretty much sums up my feelings right now. The terrific Joanne McPortland (longtime Friend of the Bench and frequent commenter, back when I had such things) is here at Patheos, at long last, with her blog Egregious Twaddle. I’ve been a fan of her twaddling for a while now, and after I read one of her posts she inevitably leaves me thinking, “God, that’s good. That says it perfectly. I hate her.” However, I’m sure you will love... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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