The Deacon's Bench
You won’t believe some of the things people have given him over the years. Read more
You won’t believe some of the things people have given him over the years. Read more
Details: The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith warned June 4 that Mercy Sister Margaret Farley’s 2006 book, “Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics,” contains “erroneous propositions” on homosexual acts, same-sex marriage, masturbation and remarriage after divorce that could cause confusion and “grave harm to the faithful.” In a notification signed by U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada and approved March 16 by Pope Benedict XVI, the congregation said the book “is not in conformity with the... Read more
What’s it like to live with a vow of silence? Writer Jeremy Mesiano-Crookston wanted to find out, and so began an e-mail exchange with several monks at Oka Abbey in Quebec, the oldest Trappist monastery in America. It’s a fascinating dialogue, and sheds light on a world many of us don’t know: Are all your actions done in total silence? How do monks coordinate work? There must be a small amount of words that are absolutely necessary to get through... Read more
My nominee for Mother of the Year: A Phoenix, Ariz., woman put her 5-week-old baby on top of her car in his car seat and drove away, apparently forgetting he was there, not even noticing when the seat fell off the car and landed in an intersection, police said. Neighbors discovered the baby on the roadway, still strapped to his safety seat, which was lying on its side. Luckily, the baby was unhurt. Read more. Read more
With some news reports suggesting even progressive Christians are losing faith in President Obama, and at least one prominent Democrat leaving the party because of her Catholic faith, Catholic blogger Ed Morrissey looks at how complicated and contradictory it can be to be a Catholic and adhere to any political party: Some of our readers express surprise that faithful Catholics can ever be Democrats in the first place. Conservatives — especially pro-life conservatives — focus on Democratic Party support for abortion... Read more
Details, from the Associated Press: In 2008, Barack Obama took aim at the “pew gap,” the overwhelming Republican edge among voters who regularly attend church. The Democratic presidential nominee came nowhere near closing it, but he didn’t have to. He just needed an extra percentage point or two among traditional GOP constituents, and he got it. The Democratic National Committee is promising a repeat performance in 2012. But some religious leaders and scholars who backed Obama in 2008 are skeptical.... Read more
Big news out of Milan today: Pope Benedict XVI announced this morning at the closing Mass of the seventh World Meeting of Families that the next gathering will be held in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The Pope delivered a short speech after Communion and announced that the 2015 World Meeting of Families will be hosted by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which is led by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput. The international gathering takes place every three years and brings together hundreds... Read more
Details: Vice President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley married a Pennsylvania doctor at a ceremony in Delaware, the vice president’s office announced late Saturday. A news release from Biden’s office says 30-year-old Ashley Blazer Biden was married Saturday to Dr. Howard David Krein in Wilmington. She is a social worker for the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. He is a New Jersey native and a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in... Read more
Could this be the start of a trend? Let us pray. Details: Greater Cleveland’s 13,000 Catholic high school students are about to get a dose of old-time religion, heavily infused with New Testament gospels. Beginning next school year, theCleveland Catholic Diocese is introducing into the 21 high schools a new religion curriculum that will feature more traditional Catholic teachings on subjects such as sin, heresy, mystery and divine revelation. It is the most comprehensive change in Catholic religion instruction in... Read more
For Trinity Sunday: a traditional Trinitarian hymn, beautifully sung by the King’s College Choir. Footnote: an interesting variation is this one, sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which reworks the lyric to remove any mention of the Trinity. Read more
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