The Deacon's Bench
“The Obama administration has just told the Catholics of the United States, ‘To Hell with you!’ There is no other way to put it.” — Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik, on the HHS ruling. Read it all here. Read more
“The Obama administration has just told the Catholics of the United States, ‘To Hell with you!’ There is no other way to put it.” — Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik, on the HHS ruling. Read it all here. Read more
The head of the new Ordinariate, bringing Anglicans into the Catholic Church, spoke recently with CNS, and had a lot of interesting things to say about his new role, and his life. The married father of three — and former Episcopal bishop — Father Jeffrey N. Steenson will be installed in his new post next month. Also next month, a class of about 40 former Episcopal priests will begin an intensive, Internet-based course of studies to become Catholic priests. Part... Read more
The other day, Elizabeth Scalia asked “Is great oratory over and done?” She made a compelling case that, yes, the era of truly eloquent speechifying is a thing of the past: I think what is missing from our current crop of gushers and gasbags is the ability to find poetry in their texts, or even to purposely include it. Whether this is because there is something lacking within them or because they believe their audiences too stupid to appreciate a... Read more
From the huge Mass celebrated Monday at the Verizon Center as part of the March for Life, here’s Msgr. Charles Pope, from the Archdiocese of Washington (and blogger extraordinaire), delivering a terrific homily before a crowd of 18,000 young people. Read more
Somehow, I don’t think we’ve heard the last on this subject: The House on Tuesday approved a measure that seeks to permit religious symbols on federal war memorials, a response to a court ruling that declared a cross atop a San Diego memorial violated the Constitution. The War Memorial Protection Act passed on a voice vote in the Republican-controlled House but faces uncertainty in the Senate. The measure, which would allow religious symbols to be included in military monuments, was introduced... Read more
That ad of dogs barking the “Star Wars” Imperial March has caused a sensation on YouTube, and now the creator is talking about how he put the ad together: Just how they got the mighty dog choir to sing in tune is a bit of Hollywood magic. We did a quick e-mail interview with Jeff Elmassian, the creative director and owner of Los Angeles sound design company Endless Noise who composed and arranged the barking track, about process. Q: What was... Read more
He made the remarks last night: On the even of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Archbishop Timothy Dolan ripped President Obama for birth control policies he contends run counter to Catholic teachings. Soon-to-be elevated to cardinal by Pope Benedict, Dolan said Wednesday night that the White House was wrong to require the Catholic Church to provide employees with health insurance that includes contraception coverage. Dolan said Obama called Friday morning to say he has no plans to change the... Read more
I got the following press release last week, and it piqued my curiosity: In response to the over 100,000 visitors expected to pour into Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, located in downtown Indianapolis, will be taking literally Blessed John Paul II’s invitation to “open wide the doors to Christ” by opening its own doors. Among other things, the church is planning a special devotion the Friday before the Super Bowl, according to the ministry’s... Read more
Watch as artist Hong Yi, a.k.a. “Red,” paints a portrait of Yao Ming, using something besides a brush. Read more
That’s one of the compelling questions posed by Sister Mary Ann Walsh at the USCCB’s media blog: On January 20, HHS announced its decision to keep in place the frightening mandate in the health care law, with barely the slightest nod to religious concerns. HHS holds to the absurd rule it announced last August, that church ministries get a religious exemption only if they employ and serve primarily co-religionists. Must Catholic hospitals, to be true to their identity, now turn... Read more
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