On the Op-Ed page of the New York Times, an assistant professor of medieval European history, Sara Ritchey, has some words of advice: By the time of the First Lateran Council, the priest’s wife had become a symbol of wantonness and defilement. The reason was that during this period the nature of the host consecrated at Mass received greater theological scrutiny. Medieval theologians were in the process of determining that bread and wine, at the moment of consecration in the... Read more
I’m not sure why I’m suddenly seeing all these stories about priests and pooches, but here’s another. From USA TODAY (and Creative Minority Report): Father Roy Snipes has more assistance than most priests in Masses, counseling sessions and confessions: his dogs. The big mixed-breeds — sometimes as many as five of them — provide the extra dollop of warmth and joviality that can open hearts wider to receive the good father’s message. “Church can have a tendency to feel rigid... Read more
The answer below: RELATED: The man with the “golden voice” gives credit to God Yes, his story keeps getting better and better Read more
See below… and read the story behind it here. Love it or hate it, you have to admit: it’s a dramatic difference. I’m reminded of something Fr. George Rutler said a couple years ago, when I had the privilege of meeting him and serving as a deacon at his gorgeous Church of Our Saviour, in Manhattan. I complimented him on the church and he said, “You know how you can tell if a church is beautiful? Brides. If brides want... Read more
There are concerns now being raised about the proposed locations for a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings: Two proposed new stadium sites for the Minnesota Vikings professional football team, especially one only 300 feet from the Catholic Basilica of St. Mary, have the church’s rector “very concerned.” “I can’t imagine how our thousands of Sunday worshippers would be able to compete with the more than 60,000 people who attend a Vikings game – there simply isn’t that much room... Read more
A Thursday palate-cleanser for you, to help spread a little harmony! The YouTube notation says: “It took all of us by surprise while waiting on a maintenence check to be performed on the aircraft. Best surprise ever!! …Thanks to Indiana Wesleyan University Chorale…” H/T Aggie Catholics Read more
Wherein Msgr. Charles Pope, from the Archdiocese of Washington, vents: I am well aware of the (often legitimate) frustrations by some Catholics that the Bishops, either individually or collectively have not always shepherded in a clearer way; a way that both disciplined dissenters and corrected liturgical abuses and also encouraged those who tried to remain faithful. I get that. These have been difficult decades for the Church and for our culture. But frustrations should not be permitted to draw us,... Read more
Take an aspirin and click here. H/T Brandon, who posted this on his FB page. Ouch. Read more
It’s an interesting development that may be having a profound impact on how lay people think of the Church. From the AP: In recent years, clergy and lay people in the United States have increasingly turned to the church’s internal legal system to challenge a bishop’s or pastor’s decision about even the most workaday issues in Catholic life, according to canon lawyers in academia, dioceses and in private practice. Sometimes, the challengers even win. In one example cited by veteran... Read more
Gotta love this. After spotlighting a story about a priest and his dog, I found the charming video below, starring the St. Louis Review and Maggie, the pooch belonging to Archbishop Robert Carlson. H/T to Jim Lackey at CNS. Woof! Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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