Details: Being a bishop means being no stranger to debates and challenges, but also knowing the joy of sharing the faith, said Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami. “We know a little bit about controversy and dissension, but like (St.) Paul we know also the joy not only of having encountered the Lord, we also know the joy of sharing him with others,” he said. The archbishop was the homilist May 9 at a Mass at Rome’s Basilica of St.... Read more
From the rite just published by the USCCB. Read it all here. [For the unborn child]: God, author of all life,bless, we pray, this unborn child; give constant protection and grant a healthy birth that is the sign of our rebirth one day into the eternal rejoicing of heaven. [For the mother]: Lord, who have brought to this woman the wondrous joy of motherhood, grant her comfort in all anxiety and make her determined to lead her child along the... Read more
Details: In a move already denounced by Catholic bishops & other leading religious conservatives, St. Sincerus University, the nation’s 84th largest Catholic university, has invited Satan to deliver its commencement speech later this month. Also known as the Prince of Darkness, Lucifer, &, more popularly, the Devil, Satan is a divisive figure among Catholics & other Christians. Several Catholic universities have upset religious conservatives in recent years by inviting controversial figures to deliver commencement speeches, as when the University of Notre... Read more
“Good afternoon, Deacon. We want to have our grandson baptized. He’s 10-years-old. What are the rules? Does he have to have received First Communion first?” — A question posed to Your Humble Blogger in a phone call this afternoon Read more
The announcement: The new U.S. ordinariate for Anglican groups entering the Catholic Church achieved a milestone on May 8, 2012 when Reverend Eric Bergman became its first priest. The Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter was established by Pope Benedict XVI on January 1 in response to repeated requests by Anglican groups and clergy who were seeking to become Catholic. It is similar to a diocese, though national in scope. Fr. Bergman, 41, is a former Episcopal priest who was... Read more
Details: A gay student at Prince of Peace Catholic School in Clinton has been chosen to receive a scholarship from an Iowa organization that promotes tolerance, but controversy has erupted over presentation of the award. Keaton Fuller, a senior at Prince of Peace, is one of eight recipients of a Matthew Shepard Scholarship from the Eychaner Foundation based in Des Moines. The scholarship honors the memory of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old tortured and murdered in Wyoming in 1998 because he... Read more
If this doesn’t put your life in perspective, nothing will. Behold: kids on the hemoncology floor of Seattle Children’s Hospital perform “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson. Watch and be awed. (Warning: Kleenex may be needed.) Read more
“The Catholic bishops of the United States recognize the serious deficits our country faces, and we acknowledge that Congress must make difficult decisions about how to allocate burdens and sacrifices and balance resources and needs. However, deficit reduction and fiscal responsibility efforts must protect and not undermine the needs of poor and vulnerable people. The proposed cuts to programs in the budget reconciliation fail this basic moral test. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states it is the proper role of government to ‘make accessible... Read more
Having a case of the Tuesday blahs? Looking for a little inspiration? How about this: a 14-year-old Little Leaguer with one fully-formed arm pitches a no-hitter. Read more here. And watch him in action below. Read more
Here’s an interesting take, from T.M. Luhrmann: If you want to understand how evangelicals conceive of their political life, you need to understand how they think about God. I am an anthropologist, and for the last 10 years I have been doing research on charismatic evangelical spirituality — the kind of Christianity in which people expect to have a personal relationship with God. They talk to God, and in some way or another, they expect that God will talk back.... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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