Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany has been writing on the topic, and gotten some feedback from readers, which he shares in his monthly column . It’s unusual for a bishop to turn his attention to this topic — and more unusual, I think, for him to let the people in the pews sound off: Parishes are meant to be places where people feel a sense of belonging and spiritual kinship; where theology comes alive; where the mysteries of birth, death... Read more
Elsewhere, I’ve written about the new production of “Godspell” on Broadway, and even linked to a clever flash mob staged in Times Square. Here’s the cast on the David Letterman show earlier this week. (It’s always good to remember that we are the light of the world, isn’t it?) Fun fact: In the early 1970’s, Letterman’s longtime musical director Paul Shaffer was musical director for the Toronto production of the show, which featured a bunch of then-unknowns in the cast... Read more
Just in time for Christmas: two toys connected to the Disney movie “Cars 2.” It’s a little pope car and popemobile. Source. Read more
Just don’t do it in Wisconsin. Details: As Wisconsin’s concealed carry law goes into effect, the state’s Catholic bishops are urging parishioners to keep their weapons out of church. “The Catholic Church has a long tradition of sanctuary, allowing people feeling violence to take refuge in church buildings as a place of safety and protection. For the most part, this practice has worked well because most people respect the sacred, peaceful nature of such holy places,” Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki said... Read more
Like this. Behold: a music video for hearing-impaired children, courtesy The Deaf Professional Arts Network. Read more
“Your priesthood has a great assist in the accessibility of communications technology that men like Billy Graham or Fulton Sheen would have embraced and quickly mastered, to powerful effect. Take advantage of all of this; seize it for the sake of the Gospel. Jesus told us to preach to “all the nations,” and Vatican II specified that that the primum officium (first duty) of the priest is to proclaim the Word. Today the average parish priest has the capacity to... Read more
Details: The column, which appeared Friday in the Archdiocese of Boston’s official newspaper, The Pilot, was titled “Some fundamental questions on same-sex attraction.” It was written by Daniel Avila, an associate director for policy and research for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In the column, Avila says “the scientific evidence of how same-sex attraction most likely may be created provides a credible basis for a spiritual explanation that indicts the devil.” It also says “disruptive imbalances in nature that... Read more
I wonder what they do for gym class. Chimney climbing? Details: The Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Midland, Michigan takes the coveted position very seriously and just wrapped up its 75th (75th!) year of the country’s finest Santa Claus training. The Los Angeles Times reports on the school’s storied history and why it’s considered the “Harvard of Santa schools.” The school was started in 1937 by Charles W. Howard (who served as Santa for Macy’s) in order to instill the... Read more
What would Dorothy Day think? Details: Soon after legendary folk singer Loudon Wainwright III finished performing for cheering protesters in Zuccotti Park yesterday afternoon, telling them that the Occupy Wall Street encampment reminded him of the 1968 “Summer of Love,” a Catholic Worker band called the Filthy Rotten System showed up. Bud Courtney, who plays banjo in the group, said its decidedly unholy name came from the late Dorothy Day, who started the Christian-anarchist Catholic Worker Movement 78 years ago with Peter Maurin... Read more
It’s happening in New Jersey — but somehow, I don’t think that’s the only place stories like this will be unfolding. Details: Twelve nurses in New Jersey have filed a lawsuit against a local government hospital for being told they would lose their jobs if they refuse to perform abortions. The case shows evidence of “a systematic attack on the right of pro-life professionals to engage in their careers without being forced to violate their fundamental moral and religious beliefs,”... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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