I’ll be visiting scenic Geneseo, Illinois this weekend, in the Diocese of Peoria, to give pulpit talks on behalf of CNEWA. If you’re in the neighborhood stop on by! I’ll be speaking at all the Masses at St. Malachy Parish on East Ogden Ave. Learn what CNEWA is doing to support persecuted Christians in the Middle East—and how you can help. Read more
Well, this was a pleasant surprise. I got a nice fat manila envelope in the mail today and found two copies of this inside: “Goodness and Light” is a collection of reflections for Advent and Christmas, with writings by Pope Francis, Thomas Merton, Maya Angelou, Kathleen Norris, Harper Lee, James Martin “and many more.” I’m one of the “many more.” I’m humbled and more than a little astonished to find myself between the same covers as these people. It’s a handsome... Read more
I’ll be visiting scenic Geneseo, Illinois this weekend, in the Diocese of Peoria, to give pulpit talks on behalf of CNEWA. If you’re in the neighborhood stop on by! I’ll be speaking at all the Masses at St. Malachy Parish on East Ogden Ave. Learn what CNEWA is doing to support persecuted Christians in the Middle East—and how you can help. Read more
The press release: The Archdiocese of Chicago today named Grant Gallicho as its director of publications and media, a new position, effective November 1, 2015. In his new role, Gallicho will review the Archdiocese’s publications strategy and manage its print and digital properties. A Chicago native, Gallicho is currently an associate editor of Commonweal, the oldest independent lay-run Catholic journal of opinion in the United States. “I welcome Grant back home to Chicago and look forward to working with him,” said Blase J. Cupich,... Read more
It’s a guest list that is, in a word, interesting. Thomas Williams calls it “a stunning show of political indecorum,” and takes note on Breitbart: One of the invitees, retired Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson, made history by becoming the first openly gay episcopal bishop in 2003 and subsequently the first to divorce his gay partner in 2014, after having previously separated from his wife of 14 years. He has attended a number of religious events with the Obama administration, offering a... Read more
From The Atlantic: Justin Welby was named archbishop of Canterbury with high hopes that he was the man who could save the Anglican Communion. Now it appears he may oversee its breakup—a calculated destruction intended, paradoxically, to save it. Welby heads the Church of England, making him also the titular head of the affiliated Anglican churches around the world, including the Episcopal Church in the U.S. The umbrella group, the worldwide Anglican Communion, has been shaken by conflicts over the... Read more
A new study pinpoints how self-identified Catholics answer that question: A Pew Research Center survey released Sept. 2 …asked 1,016 self-identified U.S. adult Catholics about what is “essential” to their personal sense of “being Catholic.” The answers reveal that for most Americans, Catholic identity is rooted more in how they live and believe than in whether they check off the boxes for official Catholic measures: * 68 percent cited “having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ” as essential. * 67... Read more
Worst Lead of the Week, from NBC in Chicago: Archbishop Blase Cupich on Monday addressed reforms Pope Francis has proposed, including gay marriage and whether priests should marry. Get me rewrite. And then, fire the editor. Read more
Some interesting observations from Roll Call: It will be the most Catholic Congress ever that hears from Pope Francis — and, as of this month, the first with as many Republican as Democratic members of the church. Two decades ago, the year before Speaker John A. Boehner initially became part of the GOP leadership and started working to arrange a papal visit, 27 percent of lawmakers were Roman Catholic but only a third of them were Republicans like him. One generation and... Read more
From The Washington Post: Nearly three weeks after Donald Trump was first asked to name his favorite Bible verse, he finally has an answer: He likes what the Book of Proverbs says about not bending to envy. “Proverbs, the chapter ‘never bend to envy,’” Trump said in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network’s The Brody File on Tuesday evening in California. “I’ve had that thing all of my life where people are bending to envy.” It was not clear whether Trump appreciated the passage because he had struggled... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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