Evidently, the kids at Bishop Sullivan High School in Virginia Beach made this video for Bishop Robert Barron — who has accepted their invitation. Having seen this video, you’ll understand why. It’s sensational. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lZ3mhYJ_OE Read more
I’m not preaching this weekend, but here’s something from the vault: my homily for this Sunday in 2012. The disciples met the risen Lord themselves in a tangible, physical way — a figure of flesh and bone, of wounds and scars, a man who even ate with them. “Touch me and see,” he told them. See, he said, and believe. This is the last of the resurrection appearances that we’ll be hearing about in the Sunday gospels this Easter season. But... Read more
From Washington state: The priest at two Tacoma Catholic churches collapsed while celebrating Mass on Tuesday morning from a brain bleed and is not expected to survive. The Rev. Michael Wagner, 48, was celebrating the morning Mass at the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary when he fell to the ground with a ruptured cerebral aneurysm and he was taken to a Tacoma hospital, where he remains Wednesday night. Wagner has served as the priest administrator at... Read more
From CNA: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced questions from lawmakers about his company’s censorship of Catholic content during his two-day congressional hearing following the revelation that millions of Facebook users’ personal data had been compromised. Zuckerberg apologized and said that the company “made a mistake” in blocking a Catholic theology degree advertisement by Franciscan University of Steubenville, when asked about it by Washington state Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers on the second day of questioning. The ad, which featured a crucifix, was... Read more
From Crux: Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and Archbishop José Gómez of Los Angeles, who at least on some matters, would be regarded stereotypically as representing “liberal” and “conservative” views, will headline together a major convening of Catholic leaders this June aimed at overcoming division, building relationships, and strengthening the Catholic community’s contribution to the common good. “Through Many, One: Overcoming Polarization Through Catholic Social Thought,” will take place June 4-6 at Georgetown University and is a project of the... Read more
Details: Pope Francis has admitted he made “grave errors” in judgment in Chile’s sex abuse scandal and invited the abuse victims he had discredited to Rome to beg their forgiveness. In an extraordinary letter published Wednesday, Francis also summoned Chile’s bishops to the Vatican for an emergency meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the scandal, which has badly tarnished his reputation and that of the Chilean church. CNS adds: The pope said he made “serious mistakes in the assessment... Read more
From CNS: The Catholic Church in Latin America must recognize and appreciate the role of women and end the practice of using them solely as submissive laborers in the parish, said members of a pontifical commission. In addition, at the end of their plenary meeting March 6-9 at the Vatican, members of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America proposed that the church hold a Synod of Bishops “on the theme of the woman in the life and mission of the... Read more
I wish I’d gotten more notice about this, but a reader forwarded this email to me late yesterday: Free Webinar! Thursday, April 12th 11am-Noon ET Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church in the U.S has been leading the way in the formation and ordination of deacons. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the diaconate and the Church celebrates with a major gathering in New Orleans this summer. Teresa Tomeo looks at the gift of the diaconate, highlights the... Read more
A sharp-eyed reader sent this my way, from the page for the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Fresno. It was first published in 1976. Remember you were a married man before you became a deacon. Your family is your first priority. Make your spouse and children feel like part of a team. Listen actively to their ideas and gripes. Be a spiritual director at home first—they need you too. Don’t expect to be a honored member in your family—you... Read more
From The Catholic Herald: Priestly vocations are most likely to flourish among the homeschooled, according to a US study. The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (Cara), a research institute at Georgetown University, found that young American men who had been homeschooled were four times more likely to enter seminaries than those educated in Catholic institutions. Although the number of home-schooled American Catholics is small – just 100,000 are being homeschooled at the moment, compared to two million... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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