A key player, according to the report in the New York Times, is Fr. Ray Bourgeois, pictured below at the attempted ordination of a woman a couple years ago. Details: More than 150 Roman Catholic priests in the United States have signed a statement in support of a fellow cleric who faces dismissal for participating in a ceremony that purported to ordain a woman as a priest, in defiance of church teaching. The American priests’ action follows closely on the... Read more
Below, photos of the man now in custody in connection with yesterday’s horrific attacks in Norway. Details: The Norwegian charged with going on a killing spree in which at least 91 people died is a former member of a populist anti-immigration party who wrote blogs attacking multiculturalism and Islam. The suspect, detained after 84 people were gunned down at a youth camp and another 7 killed in a bomb attack on Friday, has been identified by Norwegian media as Anders... Read more
A couple weeks back, we learned the Diocese of Orange was considering investing in the property. Yesterday, it made a cash offer. From the Los Angeles Times: A Roman Catholic diocese made a $50 million cash offer to buy Southern California’s financially struggling Crystal Cathedral, officials said Friday. The Diocese of Orange said its proposal could pull the megachurch, which was founded more than 50 years ago by pioneering televangelist Rev. Robert H. Schuller, out of bankruptcy by the end... Read more
The gospel we just heard has some surprising comparisons to the Kingdom of God – a kingdom that isn’t measured in acres, or miles, or limited by any kind of geography we might imagine. It is a kingdom, in fact, whose size could be small enough to hold in your hand, or bury in a field. What matters isn’t its size. What matters is its worth. The gospel assures us: it is a rare treasure, as precious as a pearl.... Read more
Well, this explains everything. From a friend’s Facebook page. Read more
Visitors to the theme parks are probably aware of Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary Queen of the Universe near Disney World. But there’s even more in that popular vacation region. A look at this unique ministry in Florida Catholic: The Apostleship of the Sea ministers to crew members and passengers of the cruise ships at Port Canaveral. Missionaries of La Salette Father Robert Susann ministers to travelers and staff at Orlando International Airport. The Apostleship of the Sea... Read more
“All around, people looking half dead Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head…” Oh yeah. It’s supposed to hit a hundred in New York City today. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. So, here’s the Lovin’ Spoonful, from the summer of ’66. You can read about the song here. Read more
What an amazing shot: the largest clerical ordination in the nine-year history of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. Photo by Mike Nelson of The Tidings. That’s from the recent ordination of 48 men as deacons for the Santa Barbara region of Los Angeles. Details: “This is a day of grace and joy for you, my brothers, and for all of your families,” the archbishop said with a smile as he looked upon the assembly... Read more
The aftershocks of the Coyne report continue to reverberate. From the AP: From the pews and pulpits, Ireland’s Catholics are demanding that the Vatican finally come clean on its oversight role in child abuse cover-ups. It’s a revolution of sorts in Ireland, a nation founded on a pillar of devotion to Roman Catholicism, where many now question the church’s role in a rapidly changing society. For decades Irish leaders let archbishops vet proposed laws, declared they were Catholics first and... Read more
A meeting between President Obama and Christian clergy — including Catholics — didn’t get much attention earlier this week. But while Washington wrestles with ways to raise the debt ceiling, and cut funding, this meeting helped give a voice to those who are not being heard from in the debate, the poor. From Huffington Post: As President Barack Obama and members of Congress continue heated negotiations over the debt ceiling and deficit reduction, a coalition of Christian clergy that has... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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