The Deacon's Bench
VJ day, August 14, 1945, in Waikiki. According to Google, that’s less than 10 miles from Pearl Harbor. Read more
VJ day, August 14, 1945, in Waikiki. According to Google, that’s less than 10 miles from Pearl Harbor. Read more
He’s Polish Cardinal Andrzej Deskur, a longtime promoter of media and communications and close friend of Blessed John Paul II (as shown above, when he was just Cardinal Wojtyla). Details: Pope Benedict XVI mourned the death of Polish Cardinal Andrzej Deskur…The cardinal died at home in Vatican City Sept. 3 at the age of 87. “I recall with gratitude his precious decades-long collaboration with the Holy See, serving six pontiffs” and his special dedication to promoting Christianity in the fields... Read more
And he’s trying to downplay the controversy surrounding the situation, according to CNS: Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna is not playing “a game of chicken” with priests calling for reforms in church practice, but is interested in getting the priests to work with him to bring new life to Viennese parishes, his spokesman said. “The situation is not as dramatic as the Austrian media make it seem,” said Michael Pruller, archdiocesan spokesman. “There has been no discussion of sanctions, no... Read more
Dear God, A new school year is about to begin and my classroom door will soon open to the students you’ve assigned to my care… Open my mind and heart to each of them and especially to the ones who will challenge me the most… Help me challenge my students, all of them, to study, to learn, to grow in knowledge and even a little wisdom… Help me remember, Lord, how young my students are: give me patience to help... Read more
And now people are wondering if that was such a good idea after all. Details: Cynthia Daily and her partner used a sperm donor to conceive a baby seven years ago, and they hoped that one day their son would get to know some of his half siblings — an extended family of sorts for modern times. So Ms. Daily searched a Web-based registry for other children fathered by the same donor and helped to create an online group to... Read more
Details: After years of relative scarcity, the Archdiocese of New Orleans opens the academic year with a bumper crop of young men entering seminary studies for the priesthood — the largest group in 26 years. Thirty-six men have enrolled at either St. Joseph Seminary in Covington for undergraduate training, or Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans for graduate work, leading to ordination during the next eight years. Last year the number was 27. Before that, 20. No one in the... Read more
In the combox for another post, media maven and blogger Deacon Keith Fournier left the comment below. I posted on this issue back at my old place, Beliefnet, two years ago, but it’s worth a reminder: Dear Deacon Greg: I pray for healing with the SSPX and welcome the efforts of Pope Benedict XVI, the Pope of christian unity. However, my brother deacon, as you know, they do not have room in their ecclesiology for you and me. Here is... Read more
SMU — Southern Methodist University, home to Perkins Chapel, shown above — now has its own campus group devoted to atheism, and the student paper dropped by the first meeting: Homosexuality, creationism and religious acceptance were all hot topics at the Secular Humanist club’s first meeting Wednesday night in Hughes-Trigg. Though the club functions mainly as a support group for anyone at SMU who identifies as nonreligious, the conversation turned into a heated debate over religious reasoning when a devout... Read more
From Mike Nichols’ “Working Girl.” Ah, a flashback to the ’80s, complete with big hair, big shoulder pads, big Nikes to walk to work. A great song (thank you, Ms. Carly Simon) from a great romantic comedy (and when was the last time someone in Hollywood made one of those, anyway?). And, as an added bonus: a poignant cameo appearance from the World Trade Center. “Come, the New Jerusalem…” It was only 1988, but it seems like ancient history. Read more
The New York Times looks at the web’s newest sensation, the Son of God: A North Carolina diet doctor has come up with a formula to create the most highly engaged audience on Facebook in the world, far surpassing marketing efforts by celebrities and sports teams. He draws on the words of Jesus and posts them four or five times a day. The doctor, Aaron Tabor, 41, grew up watching his father preach at churches in Alabama and North Carolina,... Read more
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