That would be the one in Florida, not the one in Italy. Details: John Robert Gaitens, James Hanks and Leonardo Pastore reached the altar of Epiphany Cathedral by very different paths. Through their passionate belief in their faith and with the support of their wives, children, family and friends, they arrived to be ordained as permanent deacons in the Diocese of Venice on June 4. The men processed into Epiphany Cathedral dressed in white albs of a candidate. It wasn’t... Read more
Rep. Anthony Weiner represents my district in Queens — the 9th Congressional District — and, in fact, he lives within the boundaries of my parish, with a modest two-bedroom co-op just two blocks from our church. Recently, the home was put up for sale (but reportedly taken off the market last week). A local real estate website still carries the listing, with photographs inside the apartment, including the one below of the master bedroom. (Interested? Asking price: $449,000). I couldn’t... Read more
That would be the one in Florida, not the one in Italy. Details: John Robert Gaitens, James Hanks and Leonardo Pastore reached the altar of Epiphany Cathedral by very different paths. Through their passionate belief in their faith and with the support of their wives, children, family and friends, they arrived to be ordained as permanent deacons in the Diocese of Venice on June 4. The men processed into Epiphany Cathedral dressed in white albs of a candidate. It wasn’t... Read more
This Sunday, we celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit, and the great birthday of the Church, Pentecost. It may be one of the most neglected of the church’s feast days. We don’t hang lights, as we do at Christmas, and we don’t wear fancy hats or eat lots of candy, as we do at Easter. There are no big Pentecost sales at Macy’s. But maybe there should be. I don’t think we give this feast the credit or attention... Read more
The result might look like this amusing video below, created to promote a new opera in London about online relationships. Read more
It made headlines and sparked a firestorm of controversy when the news broke last week. Now, the event has been scrapped: A plan to allow for the reading of the Quran from the pulpit during a Mass at St. Peter Church in Charlotte June 26 has been canceled, with an interfaith dialogue planned for October instead. St. Peter Parish had agreed to take part in an event called Faith Shared, in which priests, rabbis and Muslim scholars are scheduled to... Read more
That was part of the potent and challenging message of a Catholic priest and theologian who spoke at a recent conference for chaplains in Milwaukee. Details: To achieve a genuine sense of unity within the Catholic Church, parishioners throughout the country need to embrace diversity and put aside prejudices, according to Fr. Bryan Massingale. An associate professor of theology at Marquette University and a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Fr. Massingale was one of four plenary speakers at the... Read more
That holds true for both Catholics and evangelicals, it seems. Details: Significant majorities of Americans say it is possible to disagree with their religion’s teachings on abortion and homosexuality and still remain in good standing with their faith. The findings, released Thursday (June 9) in a detailed survey by Public Religion Research Institute, held true for major religious groups, including Catholics and white evangelical Protestants. The findings reflect the complicated tasks faced by Catholic bishops to discipline politicians who stray... Read more
Given recent developments in Kansas City, I couldn’t help but notice that Bishop Thomas Tobin in Rhode Island is offering some timely thoughts on the promises men make when they are ordained to the priesthood — including, of course, obedience: Obedience to “the bishop and his successors” is another commitment a priest makes to strengthen his union with Christ and provide freedom for service. I think it’s interesting that on the road to the priesthood a man pledges his commitment... Read more
Below, the full version of the sweetly ridiculous, utterly delightful “flash mob” that was staged for Meredith Vieira’s last morning on TODAY. The song: the omnipresent “Don’t Stop Believin'” Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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