Hot on the heels of this posting on a dramatic church renovation comes news about a new church in Pennsylvania which is reusing old elements from other churches: An $8 million Catholic church being built in Lower Paxton Township has taken recycling to new heights. The new Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church — Romanesque in design, traditional in decor and sitting on the parish’s nearly 30-acre site along Interstate 81 in Lower Paxton Township — has made “adaptive reuse”... Read more
Details, from the Washington Post: The proportion of adults who are married has plunged to record lows as more people decide to live together now and wed later, reflecting decades of evolving attitudes about the role of marriage in society. Just 51 percent of all adults who are 18 and older are married, placing them on the brink of becoming a minority, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of census statistics to be released Wednesday. That represents a steep drop... Read more
From Jordan comes this colorful description of a Melkite diaconate ordination, via Msgr. John Kozar of CNEWA, who is on a pastoral visit to the Middle East: We were invited by the archbishop and Abuna Boulos to concelebrate at the ordination liturgy for a subdeacon and deacon. What an honor for Father Guido and myself. Not only did the archbishop make us feel welcome, he even vested us in the Melkite vestments used for their liturgy. It was a very... Read more
The intentionally provocative image above — without any words — has been posted on a billboard by a church in New Zealand: Vicar Glynn Cardy said: ‘It’s real. Christmas is real. It’s about a real pregnancy, a real mother and a real child. It’s about real anxiety, courage and hope. This billboard portrays Mary, Jesus’ mother, looking at a home pregnancy test kit revealing that she is pregnant. ‘Regardless of any premonition, that discovery would have been shocking. Mary was... Read more
You can now pray the office on your computer, on your cell phone, on your iPad — or, the old fashioned way, from a book with colorful silk ribbons. Catholic San Francisco takes a look at this great prayer of the Church, and why more people are embracing it: Each morning at St. Anthony Church in San Francisco, a handful of Catholics gather to pray one of the oldest prayers of the Catholic Church – the Liturgy of the Hours,... Read more
A commenter at this post about the Crystal Cathedral suggested they hire the architect who did the renovations below to transform the space. In a word: wow. You can see more here. The architect is Duncan G. Stroik. RELATED: Everything old is new again: church “recycles” windows, altar Read more
An anonymous German man is tweeting the story of the Nativity as “Joseph von Nazareth” (you can follow his journey here). Details: It seems that the micro-blogger’s intention is to provide a light-hearted commentary on the Christmas story from St Joseph’s perspective. Although Joseph von Nazareth (to give him his German name) only began using Twitter on 1 December, he has already gained around 9,500 followers and has published over 90 tweets. In fact, his tweets have become so popular... Read more
Writer David Gibson takes a closer look at the deal to buy the Crystal Cathedral and suggests that it was more than a deal — it was a steal: Not only did Catholics get a national landmark designed by the renowned architect Philip Johnson, but Bishop Tod D. Brown wasn’t even the highest bidder: Schuller and the board of the proudly Protestant megachurch, opted to take Brown’s $57.5 million offer over a $59 million pitch from Chapman University because the... Read more
Tired of the umpteenth showing of “White Christmas” on AMC? Well, then, let’s revisit a classic Christmas special that was truly “special”: the “Star Wars Holiday Special” from 1978, which featured Carrie Fisher warbling that memorable holiday carol, “Happy Life Day.” This show aired only once; while George Lucas wasn’t involved in the production, he reportedly told a “Star Wars” convention in Australia — quote — “”If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy... Read more
The message came in a pastoral letter released yesterday, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe: “We recognize that every human being, authorized or not, is an image of God and therefore possesses infinite value and dignity,” begins the strongly worded letter released on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 12. “We open our arms and hearts to you, and we receive you as members of our Catholic family. As pastors, we direct these words to you from... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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