Some stunning and hopeful news, courtesy The Anchoress: Tertullian said “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” I couldn’t help but remember that, and the Coptic Martyrs, as I read this report from the AP: At a Berlin church, Muslim refugees converting in droves… Mohammed Ali Zonoobi bends his head as the priest pours holy water over his black hair. “Will you break away from Satan and his evil deeds?” pastor Gottfried Martens asks the Iranian refugee. “Will you break... Read more
How cool is this?: While the number of women entering religious life has been in a steep decline since the mid-1960s, it is notable and even startling that a contemplative order like the Dominican Nuns of Summit — where the sisters live in cloister and practice a life of prayer — would be able to attract young, college-educated millennials. In the last decade, 15 aspirants have entered this tiny order, nine of whom stayed and are on track to take their final... Read more
His name was Aylan Kurdi. And if you haven’t heard his story, you need to. Aylan was three years old, a young refugee from Syria living in Turkey. Wednesday morning, his mother woke him and his older brother, five-year-old Galip. She dressed Aylan in a simple red tee shirt and shorts, slipped on his plain brown shoes, and gathered up her children and went with her husband to board a small boat in the Turkish resort town of Bodrum. They... Read more
His name was Aylan Kurdi. And if you haven’t heard his story, you need to. Aylan was three years old, a young refugee from Syria living in Turkey. Wednesday morning, his mother woke him and his older brother, five-year-old Galip. She dressed Aylan in a simple red tee shirt and shorts, slipped on his plain brown shoes, and gathered up her children and went with her husband to board a small boat in the Turkish resort town of Bodrum. They... Read more
His name was Aylan Kurdi. And if you haven’t heard his story, you need to. Aylan was three years old, a young refugee from Syria living in Turkey. Wednesday morning, his mother woke him and his older brother, five-year-old Galip. She dressed Aylan in a simple red tee shirt and shorts, slipped on his plain brown shoes, and gathered up her children and went with her husband to board a small boat in the Turkish resort town of Bodrum. They... Read more
How cool is this?: While the number of women entering religious life has been in a steep decline since the mid-1960s, it is notable and even startling that a contemplative order like the Dominican Nuns of Summit — where the sisters live in cloister and practice a life of prayer — would be able to attract young, college-educated millennials. In the last decade, 15 aspirants have entered this tiny order, nine of whom stayed and are on track to take their final... Read more
Some stunning and hopeful news, courtesy The Anchoress: Tertullian said “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” I couldn’t help but remember that, and the Coptic Martyrs, as I read this report from the AP: At a Berlin church, Muslim refugees converting in droves… Mohammed Ali Zonoobi bends his head as the priest pours holy water over his black hair. “Will you break away from Satan and his evil deeds?” pastor Gottfried Martens asks the Iranian refugee. “Will you break... Read more
This is an interesting meditation by the daughter of a mixed-faith family—but it seems to me this shows the potential pitfalls of choosing to not choose a faith for your children: Growing up in Harrison, New York, 10 minutes outside the Bronx, everyone I knew was Italian, Jewish or both. Mine was a pretty secular home, run by an Italian-Catholic mother and a Canadian-Jewish father. We had a Christmas tree and a menorah. I ate chicken scarpariello and bagels and... Read more
Delicious: West Deptford food packaging company has taken the plain pizza box and converted it into a welcome banner for Pope Francis in commemoration of his visit to Philadelphia later this month. Amanda Farese, director of marketing for Savona-Stavola — a company that provides food packaging products — has used her artistic abilities to create original artwork for pizzerias and restaurants in the South Jersey andPhiladelphia area. “I’ve always loved art, and this gave me an opportunity to showcase my art to the millions of people living in... Read more
From today’s homily: Pope Francis says sowing divisions and discord is a sickness within the Church and described a person who indulges in gossip as like a terrorist who throws bombs. His comments came during his homily at his Friday (4th September) Mass in the Santa Marta residence. Taking his inspiration from St Paul’s letter to the Colossians where the Apostle spoke of how Christ was sent by God to sow reconciliation and peace among humanity, Pope Francis’s homily was... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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