The Deacon's Bench
“Honey, here’s something fun for the family…let’s go!” H/T to The Ironic Catholic. Read more
“Honey, here’s something fun for the family…let’s go!” H/T to The Ironic Catholic. Read more
I have to say: this looks really good. The website for the film describes its genesis, with star Martin Sheen undertaking the trek through Spain and later discussing the possibilities of a movie about the fabled pilgrimage trail with his son Emilio. This film is the result. It opens in October. Read more
It revolves around an interview with Piers Morgan that was broadcast Wednesday night: Presidential candidate Rick Santorum defended his position on gay marriage Tuesday while speaking to students at Pennsylvania State University, and slammed CNN’s Piers Morgan for questioning him as a “bigot” in a pre-taped interview that aired Wednesday night. “I had Piers Morgan call me a bigot, because I believe what the Catholic Church teaches with respect to homosexuality,” Santorum said, heatedly. “So now I’m a bigot because... Read more
Archbishop Charles Chaput has decided to forgo the customary knock on the cathedral door when he is installed in Philadelphia next month — and other details of the ceremony are also coming to light: There will be no knocking on the door when Archbishop Charles J. Chaput arrives to the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The custom of knocking on the cathedral door, which has... Read more
“Those who are adherents to Islam are entitled to pursue their worship in the United States just as are those who are adherents to more universally established faiths (in our community)…We have a duty equally to treat those whose religious beliefs are similar to the majority beliefs and to those whose beliefs are very different from the majority. If the zoning laws are too favorable to those seeking to build places of worship, then citizens should prevail upon their elected... Read more
The man who was the most visible spiritual leader to New York’s Roman Catholics on September 11, 2001 is sharing his memories of that day with the AP: Cardinal Edward Egan was eating breakfast when then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani called to say there was a tragedy and the churchman was needed. A police car would soon be outside the chancery to take the leader of New York’s Roman Catholics downtown. Egan didn’t know exactly what had happened in lower Manhattan that... Read more
The newspaper’s media empire — growing in collaboration with its new owner EWTN — continues to expand: The National Catholic Register, a long-standing national biweekly newspaper, announces the launch of its first-ever radio program, Register Radio. “Register Radio will possess the same vibrancy and incisiveness to media coverage surrounding the Catholic faith that the Register brings to its print and electronic editions,” says managing editor Tom Wehner. “It’s a natural outgrowth of what we do already.” Register Radio, which will... Read more
Details: A federal judge on Tuesday blocked key provisions of Texas’ new law requiring a doctor to perform a sonogram before an abortion, ruling the measure violates the free speech rights of both doctors and patients. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks upheld the requirement that sonograms be performed, but struck down the provisions requiring doctors to describe the images to their patients and requiring women to hear the descriptions. The law made exceptions for women who were willing to sign... Read more
As Ramadan ends, this video below is making the rounds, courtesy a group called My Fellow American: My Fellow American is an online film and social media project that calls upon concerned Americans to pledge and spread a message that Muslims are our fellow Americans. It asks people of other backgrounds to pledge, and share a real life story about a Muslim friend, neighbor, or colleague that they admire. Using the power of social media, My Fellow American seeks to... Read more
In the days ahead, a lot of us will be struggling to put into words something that is really beyond words. Religions News Service looks at the challenge of preaching on 9/11: Standing in the pulpit on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, what do you say? For clergy called upon to preach that day, which falls on a Sunday, the challenge can be connecting with a congregation that might have already moved beyond the tragedy. But in many congregations other... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In