This is something a little unusual, and worth noting: a monk ordained a deacon for a small hermitage in Texas. Details: Brother Martin Mary’s first visit to the Mount Carmel Hermitage in Christoval touched his soul. A bright college kid from the Dallas-Fort Worth area with aspirations of attending medical school, Martin Mary spent an extended weekend at the tiny hermitage a decade ago. “It was a retreat and I liked it while I was here,” Martin Mary recalled. “When... Read more
Maybe things didn’t turn out Saturday the way Tim Tebow might have hoped. But the gang at Focus on the Family used the big game to run the ad below — which, imho, is a winner. UPDATE: Melinda Henneberger in the Washington Post is less impressed: Though not exactly a Benetton commercial – I think I spied one black girl in the crowd at the end – was there anything wrong with a pitch that verbally, anyway, underscores the message... Read more
As the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers prepare for tomorrow’s big game, it’s worth remembering, whimsically, the colorful headgear worn by a certain archbishop (now Cardinal-Designate) several years back, when he was newly ensconced in Milwaukee. Not everyone was charmed. But the man who would later be dubbed “America’s Pope” proved something: he does know how to win over a crowd. (P.S.: Go Giants!) Read more
[Click here for readings.] “What are you looking for?” That question at the heart of the gospel is one that some of us need a lifetime to answer. And the answer can change. Some of us are looking for a good job, a spouse, a family, a fulfilling career. Some of us may be looking for the meaning of life. And some of us may not realize what we were looking for until we actually find it, and suddenly life... Read more
[Click here for readings.] “What are you looking for?” That question at the heart of the gospel is one that some of us need a lifetime to answer. And the answer can change. Some of us are looking for a good job, a spouse, a family, a fulfilling career. Some of us may be looking for the meaning of life. And some of us may not realize what we were looking for until we actually find it, and suddenly life... Read more
The director of the “Church and Sport” section at the Pontifical Council for the Laity — yes, there is such a section at the Vatican — has offered a few thoughts on the Tim Tebow phenomenon. From ZENIT: Legionary of Christ Father Kevin Lixey works in the Roman Curia helping the Church make a contribution to the world of sport, with the aim of promoting a sports culture suitable to the integral development of the individual. ZENIT spoke with Father... Read more
One of the most common questions I get asked from the people in the pews is: “What does the parish pay you?” The answer: Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. I receive no salary from the parish. I don’t get stipends for Masses, baptisms or weddings, either. Deacons are, in every sense, volunteers. Our “outside” jobs support us and our families, and enable us to exercise our ministry. But that’s not true for some other clergy members, who do get paid, and... Read more
How one man reads a newspaper and turns the pages… H/T New Advent. Read more
The New York Times takes a look at the school where Rick Santorum sent two of his sons: Are your jackets on, boys?” Joe Cardenas inspects his charges in a first-period freshman humanities class, sees that they are all appropriately blazered and standing tall, bows his head and begins the morning Hail Mary: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee …” Only when they have finished the prayer do they take their jackets off. They sit and... Read more
And a lot of people are stunned. Details: Gus and Marie Salenske, a plumber and a nurse, lived a quiet, modest life on the North Side of Syracuse. They enjoyed 46 years of marriage in Gus childhood home on Turtle Street, just a few blocks from where Marie grew up on Lilac Street. They liked to square dance, and Marie made their matching dance outfits, bright colors for both. They loved to travel, Marie enjoyed playing the organ and they... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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