“The Church cannot separate the praise of God from service to others…”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

“Dear Brother Bishops, amid the challenges now facing us in our pastoral care and our preaching of the Gospel, it is essential to show great concern for your seminarians, encouraging them humbly “to know nothing … except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). No less fundamental is the need to remain close to your priests; they must never lack the understanding and encouragement of their Bishop, nor, if necessary, his paternal admonition in response to improper attitudes. Priests... Read more

Quote of the day

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

“It was good. I dozed off, though. Don’t take so many pauses.” — My wife, answering the weekly question after Mass, “What did you think of my homily?” Read more

Great moments in education: NJ school bans hugging

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: The latest policy at Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School has become a cause of concern for some parents, CBS New York reports. A ban on hugging in the school was issued by the school’s principal last week via loudspeaker following what was seen as an excessive amount of hugging and physical contact by sixth and eighth graders, CBS reported. The district says Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School Principal Tyler Blackmore made an announcement that students were in a “no hugging school” following some... Read more

A unique interpretation of The Annunciation in West Virginia

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Lest we forget: March 25 is the Feast of the Annunciation. Above is an unusual depiction from the great artist John Collier. He created it for a co-cathedral in West Virginia, and offers this explanation: “In my Annunciation the angel Gabriel stands on a rotting stump which has a living branch growing out of it showing hope and prosperity. Mary is gathering figs when he comes. The stump is the dead stump of Jesse, David’s father, whose lineage of kings,... Read more

Tebow in Babylon

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From Ross Douthat in this morning’s New York Times: Why is Tim Tebow such a fascinating and polarizing figure? Not just because he claims to be religious; that claim is commonplace among football stars and ordinary Americans alike. Rather, it’s because his conduct — kind, charitable, chaste, guileless — seems to actually vindicate his claim to be in possession of a life-altering truth. Nothing discredits religion quite like the gap that often yawns between what believers profess and how they... Read more

Episcopal church ordains transgendered woman as deacon

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: Carolyn Woodall, an attorney with the Tuolumne County Public Defender’s Office, was conferred the title in a ceremony at the Episcopal Church of St. Anne in Stockton, [California] joined by dozens of church leaders, family members and friends She will serve at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown, comprised mainly of local Episcopalians who stayed with the faith following a 2007 rift in the San Joaquin Diocese, which saw more-conservative members leave and join the Anglican Church of the... Read more

Santorum’s surprising appeal to evangelicals: “He represents a game-changer”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Not so long ago, evangelical Christians wouldn’t seriously consider voting for an observant Catholic. But not this year: After more than a century of widespread antipathy between Catholics and evangelical Christians, a Catholic with Italian immigrant roots from the industrial Northeast has emerged as the favored presidential candidate among evangelicals, even in states he lost over all, like Ohio and Illinois. On the eve of Louisiana’s primary on Saturday, Mr. Santorum had won a plurality of the evangelical vote in... Read more

Homily for March 25, 2012: 5th Sunday of Lent

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 5:04 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

[Click here for the readings.] Click the green arrow below to hear this homily as it was delivered at the Saturday 5 p.m. vigil Mass. [audio:http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/deaconsbench/files/2012/03/0325HOMILY.mp3|titles=0325HOMILY] The gospel today places us at a turning point in the scriptures – as Jesus confronts the looming reality of his own death. If you have ever been close to someone facing that reality, it can be harrowing — and heartbreaking. I experienced that with both my parents. Different people face death in different ways,... Read more

How the GOP got “Catholicized”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

An interesting perspective, from a writer from across the pond: There was a time when the Republican Party was strictly for White Anglo Saxon Protestants. It was an alliance between Country Club Episcopalians and twice born followers of the Old Time Gospel, all firmly opposed to mass Catholic immigration from Europe. The nativism of the GOP drove Catholics into the welcoming arms of Al Smith, Jack Kennedy, Tip O’Neill and the Democratic Party. But this year’s GOP front-runners are a... Read more

Awesome. Just awesome.

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Take a look at what a little ingenuity — and a lot of patience — can do. H/T New Advent. Read more