The Deacon's Bench
In remembrance of Mike Wallace, this inspired 1981 New Yorker cartoon by Charles Barsotti says it all. Read more
In remembrance of Mike Wallace, this inspired 1981 New Yorker cartoon by Charles Barsotti says it all. Read more
This doesn’t happen a lot at my parish, but it’s prompted a couple of priests (including Fr. Z) to weigh in against the practice. Here’s Father Cory Sticha on the topic: I’ve been thinking more and more about my concerns around giving special blessings to children at Mass. There are a number of people here who are continuing to express concern because of my stance on not blessing children in the communion line. To be clear, this is a position... Read more
It’s happening more and more, and not just among Catholics. From USA TODAY: Bruce Boling will celebrate Easter Sunday this weekend among Southern Baptists, just as he did when he prayed at a tiny Kentucky church where his family filled half the pews. After decades away from faith, “I slowly began to see what I was missing was the relationship with God that I could find in my church,” said Boling, 45, who has settled in with a little Baptist... Read more
My parish, Saturday night. Easter Vigil. Photos by Niranjan Fernando. Read more
An extraordinary story of life, death, and hope for this Easter, from the Des Moines Register: Everett Hemann is a Catholic priest. He has prayed over death beds, consoled grieving families, given hundreds of funeral eulogies. He has preached about everlasting life. After the doctor told him tumors filled his abdomen, Hemann took the pathology report to his car and read it. He knew advanced pancreatic cancer was a likely death sentence. He wept. He didn’t ask God to cure... Read more
Most deacons know all too well that the Easter candle is “fed by melting wax, drawn out by mother bees…” The “melting wax” part can be a problem. Over on Facebook, someone asked what you can do after Easter, when your alb is slathered in wax. Here’s a handy tip I learned when I was an altar boy 40 years ago: Put cassock (or alb) on ironing board. Place brown paper (a lunch bag will do) over waxy part. Place... Read more
Top picture, from the Easter Vigil: blessing the water with the Paschal Candle. Bottom picture, from Easter morning: putting that water to use, assisting the priest with the sprinkling after renewal of baptismal promises. Photos: by Rosalind Chan Read more
“All of us at CBS News and particularly at ’60 Minutes’ owe so much to Mike. Without him and his iconic style, there probably wouldn’t be a ’60 Minutes.’ There simply hasn’t been another broadcast journalist with that much talent. It almost didn’t matter what stories he was covering, you just wanted to hear what he would ask next. Around CBS he was the same infectious, funny and ferocious person as he was on TV. We loved him and we... Read more
I should set up shop and sell these online. (I’m thinking some people in the pews would also want one…) Read more
[Click here for readings.] Last year, I had the good fortune to interview a spirited nun from Armenia named Sister Arousiag. She is a Sister of the Immaculate Conception, and the mother superior of a convent in one of Armenia’s largest cities. There is almost nothing she doesn’t do. She’s a fierce, determined little woman who operates an orphanage, as well as a day care center for the elderly, and a summer camp program that serves over 800 orphaned children... Read more
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