This is another perennial that pops up around Corpus Christi Sunday—and it’s an unusual amalgam of English and Spanish: Lyrics (Some of this is sung in Spanish and the English translation follows in brackets) : Refrain: Amén. El Cuerpo de Cristo. [Amen. The body of Christ.] Amén. La Sangre del Señor. [Amen. The blood of the Lord.] Eating your body, drinking your blood, we become what we receive. Amén. Amén. 1. Amén. We remember your dying and your rising. Amén. Y contigo,... Read more
Last week, the New York Times had an essay by a man who is not a household name, but he should be: N.R. Kleinfield, also known in the newsroom as “Sonny.” Kleinfield was retiring after 40 years of writing for the Times, and his farewell essay reminded me of why I loved his work so much. In a nutshell, Sonny Kleinfeild didn’t write about celebrities or power brokers or people of influence in the most influential city in the world.... Read more
This is something exceptional — and a first for Alaska: Rep. Mike Hawker, who retired from the Alaska House since 2017, has been ordained as Permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church. A “high church” ceremony took place at Our Lady of Guadalupe on Friday, as Hawker and four other men said their vows. Hawker may be the first Alaska legislator to ever be ordained to this religious position. It’s something Hawker has been working toward for five years, since first... Read more
Late Friday, this announcement appeared on the USCCB website: The Department of Homeland Security has recently acknowledged implementation of the policy. . . of separating families arriving at the U.S./Mexico Border. Most Reverend Joe S. Vásquez, Bishop of Austin and Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, issued the following statement in response: “Forcibly separating children from their mothers and fathers is ineffective to the goals of deterrence and safety and contrary to our Catholic values. Family... Read more
From the BBC: A bill to remove the so-called “baptism barrier” from Catholic primary schools has been passed by the Dáil (Irish parliament). Under the legislation, oversubscribed primary schools will not be allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion. Minority religions will also be offered more protection. The Education (Admissions to Schools) Bill 2016 passed all stages in the Dáil on Wednesday night and will now be sent to the Seanad (senate). Education Minister Richard Bruton said: “It is... Read more
Beware. It’s happening in Florida, but could be cropping up elsewhere. UPDATE: Since posting this, I’ve heard from a number of people around the country that this is happening in their area, too—not just Florida. One place it’s hit: the Archdiocese of Washington. Here’s how it works, from The Tampa Bay Times: Some Catholics in the Tampa Bay area have been hit by scammers sending requests, purportedly from their parish priests, for iTunes gift cards. Father John Tapp of Nativity... Read more
From Catholic News Agency: As an investigation into the life of Catholic apologist G.K. Chesterton nears a close, admirers of the English writer voiced hope that his sainthood cause could soon be opened. “Chesterton stands up as that saint who contradicts the world in terms of speaking out against a bad philosophy and bad thinking,” said Dale Ahlquist, president of the American Chesterton Society. “Chesterton is someone who has really contradicted the age. He is in fact a maker of converts.... Read more
From CNS: The murder of a socially poor Dalit Catholic man who had married a woman belonging to an upper-caste Syrian Christian family has fueled protests across India’s southern state of Kerala. Kevin P. Joseph, 26, a member of Vijayapuram Diocese, was murdered in a so-called honor killing May 28, five days after he married 20-year-old Neenu Chacko of an affluent Christian family in Kollam district against the wishes of some members of her family, ucanews.com reported. The man was dragged out... Read more
From CNS: Pope Francis has named as apostolic visitor to Medjugorje the Polish archbishop he had initially sent to the town as his personal envoy to study the pastoral needs of the townspeople and of the thousands of pilgrims who flock to the site of the alleged Marian apparitions. The Pope appointed Archbishop Henryk Hoser, the retired archbishop of Warsaw-Praga, Poland, to be apostolic visitor to Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, for an indefinite period, the Vatican announced May 31. “The mission of... Read more
And…another combined ordination! (Is this becoming a trend?) From The Evangelist (h/t Mary DeTurris Poust): For Al Censullo, the path to becoming a deacon started in his hometown of Boston — or, as the Red Sox fan would put it, before he entered “enemy territory.” Throughout his life, Deacon Censullo said, he “always had a desire to learn about my faith.” He chose to act on that desire four years ago when he began studying for the diaconate. On May... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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