The Deacon's Bench
I’m not sure this is something the world has been itching to have…but here it is anyway. Ladies and gentlemen: the Shaving Helmet. (Gotta have one? There’s a website for that.) Read more
I’m not sure this is something the world has been itching to have…but here it is anyway. Ladies and gentlemen: the Shaving Helmet. (Gotta have one? There’s a website for that.) Read more
A Nebraska boy named Colton Burpo was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery — and what he had to say after his recovery has people stunned: There were things Colton did and things he said after the surgery that were out of the ordinary, but none of it made sense until a drive past the hospital four months after the surgery. His Dad jokingly asked Colton if he wanted to go back to the hospital. Colton’s response? “You know... Read more
Now it can be shown. Here’s a first for “The Deacon’s Bench”: The men about to be ordained deacons earlier this month for the Archdiocese of Atlanta show off some equipment they used to help get them through all the kneeling the ceremony entails. More on the 16 new deacons — and what else they bring to their ministry, besides kneepads — from the Georgia Bulletin: A selfless attitude, a servant’s heart, and a love for the poor are prerequisites... Read more
I know that mine didn’t. Uber-traditionalist Cardinal Raymond Burke ordained three new deacons for the Institute of Christ the King at their seminary near Florence on January 30th. You can see more snapshots and learn more at the New Liturgical Movement website. A cappa magna was there, too! Meantime, want to sample something 180 degrees from the above? To get an idea of just how wide-ranging our Catholic liturgy can be, check out this report from CNS, with an audio... Read more
In this interview with GQ, Billy Ray Cyrus talks at length — and with candor — about some of the bad choices he made, and their impact on his family (particularly his famous daughter Miley) and their faith: “Somewhere along this journey,” he says, “both mine and Miley’s faith has been shaken. That saddens me the most.” When they first came to Hollywood for Hannah Montana, the two of them would drive down the freeway together to the studio each... Read more
I was away most of the day — down in Trenton for a funeral — so I completely forgot (smack of forehead!) that today marked the beginning of my new column at Patheos, “All Things New.” If you missed it and are curious, check it out. It will be up every Wednesday (if I remember — smack of forehead!) And if you’re REALLY bored, there’s also a brief essay on the Catholic portal home page, pondering the odd things we... Read more
And even her doctors are amazed. Details: A mother who refused to abort her unborn baby after discovering she had leukaemia, has stunned doctors by giving birth to a healthy baby girl. Victoria Webster, 33, was diagnosed with cancer during a routine blood test when she was 21 weeks pregnant. Medics pleaded with her to have a late termination so she could start on a course of life-saving chemotherapy – but warned the medication would kill her unborn daughter. The... Read more
That’s one blogger’s response to this post about a priest who used one of my homilies, verbatim and without attribution, last weekend. From Quantum Theology, here’s Michelle M. Francl-Donnay: The deacon isn’t particularly perturbed, “As far as I’m concerned, the Holy Spirit owns the copyright to my work, not me, and I’m glad others can make use of the material that I post.” though he stops far short of endorsing the practice. Most of his commenters concur – it’s not... Read more
I knew Lara Logan during my time at CBS News, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more tenacious, eager, committed reporter. She was someone who could have gotten by on just her looks, but didn’t. She rolled up her sleeves and went into some of the most dangerous places on earth, to get the story, because that’s what mattered. So this news is more than a shock. It’s just horrific: On Friday February 11, the day Egyptian president Hosni... Read more
Longtime readers will know that I have great affection for Thomas Merton and have spent some memorable, meaningful hours at the place he called home for half of his life, the Abbey of Gethsamani, in Kentucky. Below is a favorite shot, from several years ago: Your Humble Blogger on the front porch of Merton’s hermitage. While Merton’s presence at Gethsemani changed the place radically — and his royalties have given it a steady revenue stream for decades — less well-known... Read more
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