“The interest of society in the enforcement of employment discrimination statutes is undoubtedly important. But so too is the interest of religious groups in choosing who will preach their beliefs, teach their faith and carry out their mission.” — Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts He was writing about a unanimous court ruling today on religious freedom. Read more. Read more
Are you an unemployed over-achiever? Looking to get a good job with a humanitarian organization? No problem! Just cut and paste the cover letter below, and you’ll be on your way: Dear Hiring Manager for [insert International Humanitarian Organization], I would like to apply for the position of [insert vague sounding job title that has no meaning outside of the given organization]. I believe that my educational background and skills make me uniquely suited to this position. So far in... Read more
That would be Bishop Nicolas Steno. Google’s description of him: Google revealed its latest homescreen Google Doodle today, this time commemorating the birth of Nicolas Steno, a 17th century researcher and bishop who straddled the worlds of science and religion. Born on this day, all the way back in 1683, Steno studied medicine at the University of Copenhagen, and then set as his challenge to research as much of life as possible, rather than simply accepting what had been written in a... Read more
Remember Msgr. Steve Rossetti, who spent Christmas snowed in at the bottom of the world? He posted an update a few days ago, after he was finally able to leave: I am grateful for the enthusiasm which many communicated to me about my Antarctic journey. One couple told their young child that I was at the South Pole for Christmas. The child’s question was, “Does Santa go to the South Pole?” I can respond that, although I personally did not... Read more
It happened, incredibly, when he followed his superior’s order to get off the Titanic. The story of Jesuit Fr. Frank Browne: When Derry priest Fr. Eddie O’Donnell stumbled across over 40,000 negatives belonging to the late Fr. Frank Browne he would not have been able to envisage the significance of what he had just discovered. Fr. Browne, a Jesuit priest, was widely recognised as a skilled photographer. He boarded the Titanic in Southampton and several days later he was ordered... Read more
A reader in Vermont sent this my way: the story of a priest’s best friend, who happens to have four legs: The Rev. Charles Ranges and Jake, a small, 8 -year-old black and white papillon, have been a staple around Essex Junction for nearly four years. The two live together in Holy Family parish’s sprawling rectory on Prospect Street, providing each other companionship and humor. The Burlington Free Press caught up with Ranges, asking him about Jake “the... Read more
Some are doing it at airports, and St. Louis Today recently looked at a thriving ministry at the local international airport: The young soldier was sitting by herself in the airport terminal sobbing. George Miller, a deacon at the chapel at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, said he walked over, introduced himself and stayed with her for about half an hour. “She was thinking she made a drastic mistake joining the Army,” he said recalling the incident. “I just sat with... Read more
He’s Fabian Gaete Maureira, from Santiago, Chile. He’s actually got his own blog, with links to other videos. But you have to see this to believe it. Read more
A deacon from Canada sent this story my way, with the following note: In our parish (St. Martin de Porres, Toronto) we have been and continue blessed to have a number of priests from overseas help us out with Masses. One of the most loved of these men is Fr. Emmanuel Mbam, who hails from Nigeria and was here doing a PhD at Regis College. He’s one of those people through whom God flows non-stop. We have been worried about... Read more
After last month’s statement from the Archdiocese of Detroit — saying that Michael Voris isn’t authorized by the archdiocese to use the word “Catholic” — there seems to be some disagreement about who actually has jurisdiction over Voris’s work. Details: [Detroit] Archdiocesan Director of Communications Ned McGrath noted that concerns about Voris had been public since 2008; however, the release did not say anything about the nature of those concerns. To date the diocese has not made any specific allegations... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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