Over the last 24 hours, many people sent me this Associated Press story about Robert Fuller, a Seattle man dying of cancer who decided to commit suicide last spring. It’s a gripping, heartbreaking read, and includes the poignant fact that he participated regularly at his Catholic parish after he decided to take his own life. As the AP reporter, Gene Johnson, noted: Fuller began returning more often to the Catholic church he had long attended. His spiritual views were hardly... Read more
Some good news, and an increasingly familiar story — this time, from Iowa: Being the parent of Father Jacob Rouse, Deacon Dan Rouse of St. Patrick Parish in Cedar Rapids, who was ordained with his class of 11 permanent deacons July 20 at the Cathedral of St. Raphael, has the distinction of being the second permanent deacon in the archdiocese whose son is a priest. The pair joins Deacon Stan Upah (ordained in 2017) and Father Andy Upah (ordained in... Read more
I got the following email today from my friend Msgr. Gerard Lopez: Ordination was Saturday, August 24th at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Chino Hills. About 1600 in attendance. This is our largest deacon class. The new deacons are: Dcn. Jose Bonilla Dcn. Lucio Espinoza Dcn. John Gabriele Dcn. Donald Hitzeman Dcn. Roberto Jara Dcn. Jeronimo Lechuga Dcn. Jose Lopez Dcn. Gustavo Morales Dcn. Martin Quintero Dcn. Humberto Rocha Dcn. Juan Rodriguez Dcn. Juan Carlos Viveros Read more about them... Read more
From Politico: Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) will resign from Congress at the end of September, the most recent in a string of Republicans who have decided against running for re-election. Duffy, who was elected in 2010 during a GOP wave, said he and his wife are expecting a child in late October who will “will need even more love, time, and attention due to complications, including a heart condition.” “With much prayer, I have decided that this is the right... Read more
When the quarterback announced his retirement this weekend, it rocked the NFL. Many will debate about what led to this decision, and what comes next. Maybe, just maybe, God has something else planned. One thing that hasn’t been widely noted is the role of faith in his life. Andrew Luck is Catholic — one biography notes that he was involved in his parish’s youth group as a teenager — and he spoke a bit about faith and service at a Catholic... Read more
From The Richmond Times-Dispatch: One of Gov. Ralph Northam’s new appointees to a state council that advises him on women’s issues has a history of making derogatory attacks on Twitter, including telling author Cornel West to “f— off and die,” and making jokes about Catholics and Catholic priests and pedophilia. Northam’s office announced Aug. 16 that Gail Gordon Donegan, a Democratic activist from Alexandria, was among new appointees to the Virginia Council on Women. The 18-member council advises the governor and... Read more
You might be surprised — I was — to learn his age is 32. I gather that a “parish priest” is the equivalent of a pastor. It’s unclear to me — maybe someone else knows? — if “Ireland” here refers only to Northern Ireland (although our friends at Wikipedia helpfully point out that all the dioceses in Northern Ireland belong to the ecclesial province of Armagh and are part of the Episcopal Conference of Ireland.) UPDATE: A priest from Ireland... Read more
We have a mission priest at my parish this weekend, so I won’t be preaching. But here’s part of my homily for this Sunday in 2016, which — with the Olympics in mind — compared the Christian life to gymnasts on the balance beam: The question we need to ask: how do we stay on balance? It goes back to what I mentioned earlier: grace. The grace of Baptism made each of us a child of God. That is just... Read more
A wonderful idea, via America: There are certain things you have to accept when you are one of 25 couples getting married during a single ceremony. If you are the bride, for example, you will not be the only woman dressed in white. You also do not choose the readings. And if one of the couples is late to the ceremony, you have to wait. “We will begin a little late this afternoon,” the Rev. Thomas Bennett says in Spanish... Read more
A few people yesterday might have noticed the impressive crozier that Bishop Mark Brennan used as he became the new bishop of Wheeling-Charleston. The Crozier, or Pastoral Staff, represents the bishop’s ministry as a shepherd to God’s people. Bishop Brennan’s is unique in that it is a simple wooden crozier with no adornments. It was designed and made by Deacon Cahoon, who also made the chair for Pope Francis in the canonization Mass for Junipero Serra and the altar for... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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