If a legendary priest falls, and a lot of people don’t hear it, does he still make a noise? I look at that in this week’s column, “All Things New,” beginning with an encounter the other day: Mid-day Monday, I found myself by a bank of elevators, waiting to go to lunch. Two priests soon joined me, also heading out to lunch. One of them, a monsignor, smiled and said hello. We waited for several long moments in silence, and... Read more
That news will probably raise a few eyebrows. Details: Catholics are more supportive of gay and lesbian rights than the general public and other Christians, according to a new report released today. The new report, which is the most comprehensive portrait of Catholic attitudes on gay and lesbian issues assembled to date, also finds that seven-in-ten Catholics say that messages from America’s places of worship contribute a lot (33 percent) or a little (37 percent) to higher rates of suicide... Read more
If not, this might help. Read more
Some people count the days until baseball’s opening day. The rest of us measure our lives by the number of months until “Mad Men’s” return. But now, there’s this depressing news: Fans accustomed to spending their summer Sundays with Don Draper may have to wait a while longer. It looks increasingly likely that the fifth season of “Mad Men,” the three-time Emmy Award-winning AMC series, will not have its debut until later in 2011 or possibly 2012. Production would normally... Read more
Here’s a surprising problem that Catholic pastors don’t confront, from a piece in the New York Times: Like all too many Americans, Mark Almlie was laid off in the spring of 2009 when his workplace downsized. He has been searching for an appropriate position ever since, replying to more than 500 job postings without success. But Mr. Almlie, despite a sterling education and years of experience, has faced an obstacle that does not exist in most professions: He is a... Read more
“An accusation leveled at a priest is a horrible thing, because it is nearly impossible today for a priest to have a fair hearing. There is no perfect justice or charity in this world, but these days falsely-accused priests don’t get anything like even the world’s “justice”. But even when priests are guilty of that by which they are accused, it doesn’t surprise me that priests are sinners or in the worst cases commit bad crimes. Yes, priests and bishops... Read more
I know the feeling. A classic bit from “Seinfeld”: Read more
More details are trickling out about the Corapi story. The statement below, from the accused priest’s superior, just popped up over at Pat Archbold’s blog at the National Catholic Register. It is dated the same day as Fr. Corapi’s statement on his blog: Statement from Rev. Gerald Sheehan, Regional Priest Servant Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity 18 March 2011 Today, as Regional Priest Servant for the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, I... Read more
Take a look at this nifty word cloud of titles (you can click to enlarge): Check out the story behind it for more. Read more
This has to be one of the more surprising life journeys — and surely an example of God’s unfailingly creative penmanship at work: In the morning cold of a farmhouse in the foothills of the Cascades, his hand is stiff as he grasps the broad-edged pen. His eyes have aged. But the 78-year-old priest and calligraphy master plans to write until he dies. Father Robert Palladino, a priest of the Archdiocese of Portland, is as much evangelist as artist. He... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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