The Deacon’s Wife and I went to see “Finding Dory” Saturday night. Herewith, a quick overview of what I found—and didn’t—in this hugely popular sequel to the hugely popular “Finding Nemo.” 1. No lesbians. You may recall there was quite a kerfuffle a few weeks back about this being the first Disney movie to feature a gay couple. Well, no. That report turned out to be patently ridiculous. Relax. There are no overtly gay characters in the film. At all. 2.... Read more
Congratulations and welcome, brothers! I got to meet these guys when they became lectors two years ago, and I had the privilege of preaching a retreat for them. (And they celebrated my birthday by surprising me with a Batman cake. It doesn’t get much better than that.) Ad multos annos! Read more
Details: A Rocky River priest was attacked at gunpoint during confession, police said. Rocky River detectives are investigating the incident. The attack happened in the late afternoon hours of June 11 at the St. Christopher parish on Detroit Road. A man requested a confession with a priest. During the confession, the man pulled out a small pistol and attacked the priest, according to police. The priest reported the assault to police. Officers searched the area but couldn’t find the attacker.... Read more
A heart-rending, astonishing story from today’s Washington Post: Norma Winffel and her husband Mike had their morning ritual. He’d wake up before dawn for work and kiss her goodbye. They’d exchange I love yous. As he left for his job at the naval base in Potomac, she’d whisper: “Holy Spirit, stay with my husband and take care of my family.” Then Mike would call her at 7:30 a.m. to see how the kids made off to school and again at... Read more
What we have come to: Priests and anyone else in “the orbit of the church” will be forbidden from being alone with children and other vulnerable people as part of a pilot project, the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Montreal said Thursday. The goal is to create a “safety net” for everyone associated with the Catholic Church in Montreal, canon François Sarrazin said in an interview. “Imagine if you are alone in a room and a child accuses you of hitting... Read more
Maybe: Pope Francis’ position on the death penalty is abolitionist. He believes there is no moral ground in Catholic teaching that would justify any state using capital punishment today, and he has set up a commission to review the question and the relevant section of theCatechism of the Catholic Church to amend this. Right now the catechism does not exclude the use of the death penalty in extreme situations. It says in No. 2267: Assuming that the guilty party’s identity... Read more
Something beautiful and new, via the Latin Patriarchate website: Graffiti painted along the Separation wall, charged with political and social messages, have always been a form of protest against Israel’s unjust measures. Near the Emmanuel Monastery in Bethlehem, an icon of the Mother of God emerges on the 8-meter high concrete wall, revealing with its beauty the failure of communities to love one another. Made at the request of the local faithful and some internationals, the icon of Our Lady... Read more
It was a great night for the Diocese of Brooklyn, as 12 men were admitted to the ministry of acolyte—men who will be ordained deacons next year. What, exactly, is an acolyte? Glad you asked. Here’s the description from the GIRM: The acolyte is instituted for service at the altar and to assist the Priest and Deacon. It is his place principally to prepare the altar and the sacred vessels and, if necessary, to distribute the Eucharist to the faithful... Read more
From Crux: Although they’ve often been portrayed as a study in contrasts, a book excerpt released Wednesday confirms Pope Francis is actually a huge fan of his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, calling Catholic priests everywhere to look to, and to read, Benedict whenever they have doubts about their calling. On June 29, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate the 65 anniversary of his priestly ordination, which will be marked the day before with a small ceremony at the Vatican’s Secretary... Read more
When this item landed last week, it set many Facebook feeds aquiver, with the jaw-dropping investigation by Ariel Sabar into a piece of papyrus that supposedly offered, for the first time, Jesus referring to “my wife.” Now, the historian who passionately promoted this evidence admits it doesn’t add up: For four years, Karen L. King, a Harvard historian of Christianity, has defended the so-called “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife” against scholars who argued it was a forgery. But Thursday, for the first... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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