The Deacon's Bench
A reader alerted me to the fact that two deacons served at Vaclav Havel’s funeral Mass this morning. Two things are striking: they seem older, and are probably permanent deacons, not seminarians. And: no dalmatics? For a state funeral? Read more
A reader alerted me to the fact that two deacons served at Vaclav Havel’s funeral Mass this morning. Two things are striking: they seem older, and are probably permanent deacons, not seminarians. And: no dalmatics? For a state funeral? Read more
A reader sent this my way, and it’s just terrific: some of the best moments from Bob Hope’s many Christmas shows that he performed for troops overseas. Read more
A statement on the Archdiocese of Detroit website (h/t New Advent): The Church encourages the Christian faithful to promote or sustain a variety of apostolic undertakings but, nevertheless, prohibits any such undertaking from claiming the name Catholic without the consent of the competent ecclesiastical authority (see canon 216 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law). For some time, the Archdiocese of Detroit has been in communication with Mr. Michael Voris and his media partner at Real Catholic TV regarding their... Read more
It would be unthinkable to Catholics, but some Protestant parishes are doing just that: Because Christmas falls on Sunday this year, some churches are opting to close that day so that families can spend the morning toegther at home. Life Research, based on Nashville, says its national survey of Protestant churches found that 91% would be hold at least one service Christmas morning, while some 9% will not worship on Sunday at all. Some plan Christmas Eve services instead. “Having... Read more
There may be others, but I haven’t heard of them — and if there’s a permanent parish or even a diocese, I imagine the weekly collection is small and the most loyal members of the flock are penguins. I’m speaking, of course, of Antarctica. While most of us are turning our attention this weekend to the North Pole, Msgr. Steve Rossetti is looking in the other direction. A priest for the Diocese of Syracuse and a teacher at Catholic University,... Read more
The war may be over, but the violence and fear are continuing — and that’s prompted Church officials to call off midnight celebrations of Mass. From CNS: Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk in northern Iraq told the agency Aid to the Church in Need that Christians will spend Christmas in “great fear” because of the risk of new attacks. All services and Masses have been scheduled for daylight hours, he said in an interview with Rome-based AsiaNews. “Midnight Christmas... Read more
Msgr. Pope discovered it a few days ago: Have breakfast with Jesus every morning! In the past you’ve had see him with eyes of faith. Now you can seem him right on the toast! It’s the Jesus Toaster! Just $31.95 plus shipping and handling. No Christmas is complete without this fine new toaster. Was not Jesus born in Bethlehem which means “House of Bread!?” So celebrate Christmas all year long! Did Jesus not leave his face on Veronica’s veil? Now... Read more
That’s the quote of the day from a mother whose son was about to be taken off life support — but then made an astonishing recovery. Details: Sam Schmid, an Arizona college student believed to be brain dead and poised to be an organ donor, miraculously recovered just hours before doctors were considering taking him off life support. Schmid, a junior and business major at the University of Arizona, was critically wounded in an Oct. 19 five-car accident in Tucson. The 21-year-old’s brain... Read more
Though some people scoff, one researcher thinks it’s possible. He contends that some California Catholic missions may have been designed as tools to help convert Native Americans: On the darkest day of the year, a hushed crowd in a dim church awaited a few minutes of sheer brilliance. It was just after dawn Wednesday, the day of the winter solstice. Outside the 200-year-old mission at the heart of tiny San Juan Bautista, Native American drummers sang, urging the sun to rise.... Read more
…so make Advent count. There’s still time. Below, the “Advent Conspiracy” video for this year. Read more
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