I was happy to receive this note this morning from Deacon Kevin Cody, one of the newly ordained: The Most Reverend Peter A. Libasci, Bishop of Manchester, ordained 10 men to the Permanent Diaconate on Saturday, September 9. “The entire Church is called by Christ to serve others,” said Bishop Libasci. “But these men, by virtue of their sacramental ordination and through their various ministries, are special witnesses to the service of God’s people. I am profoundly grateful to them... Read more
Regular readers will know we’ve been following this story since last year. Finally, a breakthrough. From Reuters: An Indian priest kidnapped by gunmen in Yemen last year has been freed, Oman’s state news agency ONA said on Tuesday, posting a picture of him appearing in good health after being transferred to the Omani capital Muscat. Father Tom Uzhunnalil was abducted in March 2016 when four unidentified gunmen attacked a care home in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, killing four... Read more
A remarkable encounter with a woman who had suffered an acid attack changed everything: Consuela Cordoba planned to end her life with a doctor’s help under Colombia’s euthanasia laws, however when she met the Pope to ask permission he refused to give it. “You are very brave and very pretty,” he told her, prompting her to change her mind on the spot. Consuela was injured in 2000 when her ex-partner Dagoberto Esuncho threw acid in her face. “I had perfect... Read more
From San Bernardino: A priest shot, a stained glass window smashed, a church set on fire, and a parish tagged with hate speech. These incidents are all part of a summer crime wave that has targeted Catholic churches and personnel in the Diocese of San Bernardino. During the last three months, at least four parishes and one priest came under siege, mirroring a worldwide surge in crimes against the Church. Perhaps the most shocking, a paintball assault on Father Zhaojun... Read more
The video above tells the story. More details: Retaliation: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” So many chapters. So many verses. But these were the words — from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, in the Gospel of Matthew — found permanently exposed at... Read more
From The Washington Post: Paula White, the closest thing President Trump appears to have to a spiritual adviser, gave her lengthiest public statements Saturday about the president, saying she’s seen him “on many occasions” show repentance and that her belief that God elevated Trump extends to all leaders — including former president Barack Obama and Trump’s presidential election opponent, Hillary Clinton. White, 51, is leader of the New Destiny Christian Center, a huge Pentecostal church near Orlando. Her luxurious lifestyle and celebrity... Read more
Bruce Springsteen’s album “The Rising” amounts to a song cycle about 9/11. The title song has never been performed with more vigor and defiant joy than here, for the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009. Ladies and gentlemen, here’s Sting, backed by a full-throated gospel choir. On this day of sorrow and grief, we remember. And we pray, always, to rise. The song tells of a firefighter ascending, and remembering, and praying: “Wearin’ the cross of my calling, on wheels of fire... Read more
He made his remarks in Colombia: On Saturday, Pope Francis told Colombia’s priests and religious that vocations come from a variety of different backgrounds and flourish with joyful service, but die as soon as they become infected by greed or selfish interests. “We are a people chosen for the truth, and our call has to be in truth,” the Pope said Sept. 9. “There can be no place for deceit, hypocrisy or small-mindedness if we are branches of this vine,... Read more
Details from Variety: James Faulkner, Jim Caviezel, Olivier Martinez, Joanne Whalley, and John Lynch are starring in historical drama “Paul, Apostle of Christ” with shooting starting in Malta, Variety has learned exclusively. Sony Pictures is producing “Paul, Apostle of Christ” through its faith-based Affirm Films label. The movie is directed by Andrew Hyatt (“Full of Grace”) from his own screenplay. Producers are David Zelon (“Soul Surfer”) and T.J. Berden (“Full of Grace”). The story covers Paul, portrayed by Faulkner, going from the most infamous... Read more
The story, from CNS: In changes to the Code of Canon Law regarding translations of the Mass and other liturgical texts, Pope Francis highlighted respect for the responsibility of national and regional bishops’ conferences. The changes, released by the Vatican Sept. 9 as Pope Francis was traveling in Colombia, noted the sometimes tense relationship between bishops’ conferences and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments over translations of texts from Latin to the bishops’ local languages. The heart of... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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