With so much of the world right now dealing with scandal, outrage, polarization and just plain bad weather, we need a little reminder of goodness and, indeed, love. Here it is. From CBS News: A 99-year-old man from Rochester, New York, may restore your faith that true, lasting love does exist. His name is Luther Younger, and after 55 years of marriage, he is still deeply devoted to his wife, Waverlee, whom he calls the sweetest cup of tea he ever... Read more
This story is rapidly making the rounds on social media. Rod Dreher had the story yesterday: On Sunday, August 26, the day after the Vigano testimony was published, a young Catholic priest named Juan Carlos Gavancho preached a bold homily in the Santa Barbara, California, parish where he was assistant pastor. He preached about scandal, and standing up for the faith. You can hear the entire homily here, on his Facebook page. It’s 20 minutes long, but the most intense part starts shortly after... Read more
A Catholic blogger by the name of Steven O’Keefe put this account together, and it’s illuminating. He’s charted some of the trends and details of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report, to see how it aligns with the John Jay Report of some years back. You can read his full report here. But some highlights: Back in 2002, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops commissioned an independent study of the sexual abuse history of the Church in America. The result... Read more
An interesting development—and historic: The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has decided to allow a second marriage for Greek Orthodox priests in the event that they are widowed or abandoned by their wife, religious news website Romfea.gr says. The decision, that is considered historic in the Orthodox Church, specifies that a second marriage will not be allowed if the priest wishes to leave his wife and marry another woman. It is underlined that each case will be examined separately and... Read more
Writer Michael Cook offers some welcome sanity in the middle of the never-ending McCarrick-Viganò-Francis-media merry-go-round, and turns attention to one part of the papal news conference on the plane that got very little attention: Even though he spoke about it at length in the in-flight press conference, journalists ignored an incident which goes a long way towards explaining the Pope’s apparent intransigence. “No one is evil until it is proven,” he said. And he illustrated it with a heart-wrenching example. In... Read more
After a summer break, the pope today resumed celebrating daily Mass—and had a few choice words on the subject of silence: Pope Francis focused his homily on Monday at Casa Santa Marta on the Gospel of the day from Luke (4:16-30) when Jesus returns to Nazareth and meets opposition in the synagogue after commenting on a passage from the prophet Isaiah. The Pope highlights Jesus’ silent composure not only in this scene but also during the passion. The Pope said... Read more
A powerful gesture, from Albany’s Bishop Edward Scharfenberger: In a letter issued on Aug. 31, 2018, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger called on all priests of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany to join him in making a public restatement of the promises of their priesthood during the diocesan Hearts Aflame Eucharistic Congress to be held Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville. “As a public witness, to God’s people and the world, of our... Read more
From the Daily Mail: Heart melting footage shows the moment a father is reunited with his son who has Down Syndrome after a week apart. Matt Cobrink, 53, was flown to New York from the home he shares with his father Malcolm, 88, in Los Angeles to meet his favorite baseball player, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. But the trip meant that Matt would be away from his father for almost a week, for the first time in... Read more
Last week, I found myself in a small Vietnamese restaurant in midtown Manhattan, sharing a table for lunch with two other people—one of them a bishop from India. He comes from the northern part of the country, a place where most people are farmers or fishermen. It is a place, too, where many people have never heard the name “Jesus.” This is the very definition of what you might call mission country. Most of the people are poor. There are... Read more
My friend Father Michael Duffy from the Diocese of Rockville Centre posted this letter in his parish bulletin this weekend. This is a good shepherd. + My Dear Friends, I hope you have had a restful and blessed summer. I’ve certainly enjoyed the many visits I’ve had with families from our parish. Thank you for your kindness and generosity in inviting me to spend time with you. These last days of summer I had the opportunity to spend in study... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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