It happened earlier this week in Colorado. Details, from the Colorado Springs Gazette: Add Wiccans and Druids to the list of faiths that have their own chapel at the Air Force Academy. A circle of stones around an altar was dedicated on a hilltop above the campus Tuesday with earth-centered prayer and speeches about religious liberty at the academy, a school that has long faced criticism as a bastion for evangelical Christianity. “This outdoor worship space is something we have... Read more
He would be the second Catholic priest to hold the job. Details, from USA TODAY: The Rev. Patrick Conroy, a Jesuit priest and former chaplain at Georgetown University, is Speaker John Boehner’s choice to be the next chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives. If formally elected, Conroy would become the second Roman Catholic priest to tend to the House flock. He would succeed the Rev. Daniel Coughlin, whose own appointment in 2000 was marked by an unusual level of... Read more
The picture below of a recent first communion in Brooke County, West Virginia caught my eye — and it illustrates a growing problem among many American communities, where fewer children are being born. Is this a glimpse at America’s future? From the New York Times: Life in this industrial area has slowed to a shuffle along with the steel mills that used to power it. Young people have moved away, leaving an aging population that no longer has the energy... Read more
The writer Amy Welborn lives in Alabama, near Birmingham, and she spent part of this past week volunteering at a call center, helping people whose lives had been turned upside down, literally, by the tornadoes that tore through the region. She wrote about her experience on her blog, and described what people were doing for one another. She said about half the calls were from people seeking help – and the other half, from people seeking ways to help. A... Read more
And once again, popular culture — not saints or family tradition — is playing a big role. From the New York Daily News: What’s in a name? A nationwide obsession with “Twilight,” Teen Mom and celebrities, it seems. The most popular baby names of 2010 are Jacob and Isabella – both lead characters in the hit romantic vampire novels-turned-movie. The names topped the charts for the second year in a row, the Social Security Administration revealed yesterday. Jayden, one of Britney... Read more
A large class of deacons is about to be ordained in California — and the Los Angeles paper, The Tidings, takes a closer look at the men, their calling, and their formation: Ordination to the diaconate is less than three months away for the 48 candidates and their wives who have journeyed for nearly five years in the Santa Barbara Region diaconate formation class. “It has been a very intense and wonderful learning experience for everyone,” says Deacon Ed Mills,... Read more
The woman who was the grandmother of Jesus — and who was a collaborator in the Immaculate Conception — now has a place of honor in the Motor City. Details: To loud applause, the head of the Catholic Church in Detroit announced Thursday that St. Anne — the grandmother of Jesus — is the patroness saint of Detroit. For centuries, Catholics have considered St. Anne the unofficial saint of the city because the first Catholic parish in Detroit, created in... Read more
One of the man about to be ordained in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a huge fan of “Star Wars” — who also happens to have been born deaf. Details, from the Catholic Herald: People may be surprised to learn that Darth Vadar, chief antagonist in the original trilogy, is the favorite “Star Wars” character of one of the archdiocese’s soon-to-be ordained priests. “People are like, ‘That doesn’t seem like something you would like,’” laughed Christopher Klusman, 34, describing the... Read more
Every priest has a mother — and now there’s news about a group of mothers who have banded together to support their sons’ vocations. Details, from CNS: When Father John Helmueller was ordained to the priesthood 10 years ago for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D., he was not the only member of his family to assume a new role. His mother Mary, who lives in Maplewood and is a parishioner at St. Jerome, felt so blessed to become the... Read more
Here’s a Sister Act of an entirely different kind: Larry David, the man who enraged Catholic groups in 2009 when he urinated on a portrait of Jesus Christ in his HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is reportedly poised to play – wait for it – a Catholic nun in the Farrelly Brothers upcoming take on the classic film “The Three Stooges.” According to Deadline.com, David is sealing the deal to play Mother Mengele – the head nun who runs the orphanage where the... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In