This terrific piece from Calgary, featuring my friend and blog neighbor Father Matthew Schneider, reminds us what it means to reach out to those in the margins: Catholics the world over are accustomed to bringing their individual petitions to mass. But this mass at St. Patrick’s is different. This is a Special Needs Mass. Lest there be any confusion over what that means, this mass is for people whose special needs require medical, mental or psychological support. The pews are... Read more
The story: A man walked onto the Trappist Abbey property and punched a deacon on Monday, the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office said. Deacon Jose Montoya of the Archdiocese of Portland tells KATU News that the man who hit him is a stranger to the abbey, but is well-known to law enforcement. “I suddenly see him and he punched me in the face,” Deacon Montoya said. “It’s not that bad, I just was down on the ground [with] the guy fighting... Read more
From Science magazine (h/t to my deacon pal E.J. Cassidy): Frankincense, one of three fabled gifts the wise men brought to honor Jesus, has been used for millennia as an incense in cooking and religious ceremonies. In Catholic churches today, the tendrils of smoke rising from burning frankincense are thought to carry prayers toward the heavens. Now, the earthy smell that evokes memories of spiritual communion for so many is under threat: Human activity is predicted to cause a 50%... Read more
From CNS: In the light of “a worrying negative prejudice” against the Catholic Church, Pope Francis ordered the publication of a document affirming the absolute secrecy of everything said in confession and calling on priests to defend it at all costs, even at the cost of their lives. The need for the absolute secrecy of confession “comes directly from revealed divine law and has its roots in the very nature of the sacrament to the point that no exception whatsoever... Read more
Details: “In these last few hours, we have seen in Korea a good example of the ‘culture of encounter’,” Pope Francis said after the recitation of the Angelus on Sunday. The Holy Father was referring to the meeting that took place between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump earlier in the day. The encounter took place in the “DMZ”, the “demilitarized zone” between North and South Korea. After shaking hands, President Trump crossed briefly into North... Read more
On Facebook this morning, some deacons were discussing the wearing of “clerical garb.” A deacon wrote: “We in the Archdiocese of San Francisco received official word from the archbishop’s office that at the recent USCCB meeting the National Directory for the Permanent Diaconate was revised and approved. The bishops decided to keep the prior decision that the proper dress of permanent deacons was “lay attire” (dress like the people whom they serve). So whereas prior to this our archbishop encouraged... Read more
This popped up on my Twitter feed early this morning and now I’ve seen everything. Truly. This will make your weekend. Ladies and gentlemen: the Cookie Monster takes over the 7th inning stretch. (More details here.) C is for Cubbies! @Cubs pic.twitter.com/WRUdhBPAR8 — Cookie Monster (@MeCookieMonster) June 27, 2019 Read more
From press release from the Diocese of Richmond: On the same day six names were added to the Catholic Diocese of Richmond’s list of clergy with credible and substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse, Bishop Barry C. Knestout initiated a policy directing all diocesan institutions, schools and parish buildings to only identify themselves with the following: the names of saints, the mysteries of the faith, the titles of our Lady or of our Lord, or the place where the ministry... Read more
The future saint left New York City’s historic cathedral with little fanfare early Thursday morning, the long and contentious battle over his final resting place finally resolved. Unless I’m mistaken, I believe the older woman following the casket — and sprinkling it with holy water at the end — is his niece, Joan Cunningham. Meanwhile, perhaps the bigger news is that his cause for canonization has resumed: Most Rev. Daniel Jenky, Bishop of Peoria, is happy to announce that the remains... Read more
You may remember the story I posted on him a couple weeks ago. Now, The Evangelist newspaper in Albany, has more on Father Michael Melanson, the widowed deacon just ordained a priest. How did it all come about? Read on: The calling to be a deacon for Father Melanson had an almost providential beginning. “I was at church praying alone and I heard Jesus call me ‘Tell my people how much I love them,’ ‘How am I going to do... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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