Last Saturday morning, my brother-in-law, Gary Wenzel, died suddenly after suffering a heart attack. He was 67. Gary was not Catholic, but he and my sister were married in a small country Catholic church—St. Michael’s, in Poplar Springs, Maryland — 29 years ago. My sister has been a parishioner there for many years, and so she asked the pastor, Father Mike Ruane—the same priest who had married them—to offer the funeral, a simple Catholic prayer service outside of a Mass.... Read more
Details: Amidst the chaos of the confirmation fight, Kavanaugh took a moment to do something incredibly human. A passerby spotted the new Supreme Court nominee on her way home from work Wednesday night, and sent these pictures to The Daily Caller News Foundation. Kavanaugh was serving meals to the homeless outside Catholic Charities in downtown Washington, less than 48 hours after he was tapped to succeed Justice Anthony Kennedy. According to his D.C. Circuit biography, the judge is a volunteer with... Read more
Here’s some deacon news from our siblings in the East. My friend Father Deacon Daniel Dozier alerted me to this a few days back — and I was delighted to receive an email announcement about this event this afternoon. Details: This three-day Congress on the Diaconate in the Eastern Catholic Churches will be an opportunity for those serving in, preparing for and supporting diaconal ministry in our churches to come together for a time of fellowship and formation across the... Read more
From Kathleen Parker in The Washington Post: There’s no question the bench is heavily weighted with lawyers who are also Catholic. Others include Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr., Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, who replaced Justice Antonin Scalia, also Catholic, attends an Episcopal Church but was raised Catholic. If confirmed, Kavanaugh would be the sixth Catholic justice on the current court, leaving only Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg... Read more
After last week’s news, some clarification from local church leadership. From CNS: Montana’s two Catholic dioceses have reiterated their respective policies on political involvement, saying that support for or opposition to a particular candidate by any representative of the diocese is not permitted. The dioceses posted statements on their Facebook pages after four Montana Catholic priests were strongly criticized locally and nationally for wearing clerical attire to President Donald Trump’s Montana rally July 5. They garnered national attention because they... Read more
Want a nice little palate cleanser? This is something to see, as described on the NPD Facebook page: YOUR WAIT IS OVER!!!! The Norfolk Police Department was challenged by the Corinth Police Department, Texas to a #lipsync battle and we gladly accepted. As you can see we all had a great time filming the video, which we have to point out was done in #onetake! #NorfolkPD is challenging Seattle Police Department, Norfolk Constabulary, Virginia Beach Police Department, and Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Thanks for watching!!!! Here’s your earworm... Read more
It became official tonight, when President Trump introduced him and his family during his announcement in the East Room. Who is he? From Kavanaugh’s Wikipedia entry: Kavanaugh was born on February 12, 1965 in Washington, D.C., and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, the son of Martha Gamble (Murphy) and Everett Edward Kavanaugh, Jr. His mother served as a Maryland state Circuit Court Judge from 1995 to 2001. He is a Roman Catholic and graduated from the Georgetown Preparatory School. After graduating from Georgetown Prep, Kavanaugh attended Yale University and graduated... Read more
A very good piece on the diaconate, from Denver Catholic: Men who are inclined to serve the community and develop their faith might have a deeper calling — one to the permanent diaconate. “We’re looking for men who are truly being called to a life of service,” said Deacon Robert Hoffman, director of the St. Francis School of Theology. Those who are interested in considering the diaconate are invited to attend one of several upcoming retreats where they can discern... Read more
From Crux: A Catholic priest and several parishioners were “subjected to vile abuse” on Saturday, as a march by a Protestant group went by a Catholic Church in Glasgow, Scotland. Father Tom White was greeting people after the Saturday vigil Mass at St. Alphonsus Church in the city when the Orange parade approached. The Orange Order is a Protestant fraternal order based primarily in Northern Ireland, but with a strong presence in Scotland. It organizes marches in July to commemorate... Read more
I’m not preaching this weekend, but found myself re-reading my homily for three years ago for this Sunday, which was delivered just days after the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage. It’s still a message worth remembering: Checking my iPad, it was not hard to find reaction in the Catholic media—from to outrage, to sadness, to calls for civil disobedience. The U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops called the decision a “tragic error” and “immoral.” Make no mistake: this decision... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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