Another amazing vocation story about a married man about to be ordained to the priesthood: Deacon Drake McCalister is many things that most men about to become Catholic priests are not. McCallister is 50 years old; the average age of men being ordained as Catholic priests in the U.S. this year is 33. He is a husband and a father of five; most men about to become priests will promise never to marry, and will never have biological children. He... Read more
Details: The Alabama Senate approved a measure on Tuesday that would outlaw almost all abortions in the state, setting up a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the case that recognized a woman’s constitutional right to end a pregnancy. The legislation bans abortions at every stage of pregnancy and criminalizes the procedure for doctors, who could be charged with felonies and face up to 99 years in prison. It includes an exception for cases when the mother’s life is at serious risk,... Read more
Another bright light has gone out: Tim Conway has died at the age of 85. He passed away at 8:45 a.m. in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, his rep Howard Bragman confirms to PEOPLE. Prior to his death, he suffered complications from Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) and had no signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Conway is survived by his wife of 35 years, his stepdaughter, his six biological children and two granddaughters. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the... Read more
Significantly, this was announced quietly on Sunday, the day before the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. From Catholic News Agency: Pope Francis has given the green light for Catholics to organize pilgrimages to Medjugorje, a site of alleged Marian apparitions, though the Church has not yet given a verdict on the apparitions’ authenticity. The pope’s authorization of pilgrimages to the site is not to be understood as an “authentication” of the alleged apparitions, “which still require an examination by... Read more
The New York Times has the scoop: The witness rose from her seat, raised her right hand and swore to tell the truth before Congress. But four words were missing: “So help me God.” In the House of Representatives, to the winner go the spoils, and Democrats, the new decision makers, control everything, including what legislation gets a vote and the minutiae of procedural choices, such as whether witnesses must utter the traditional plea for divine aid. Democratic chairmen and... Read more
The target appears to have been the priest shown in this picture — who was murdered while trying to escape his attackers. Horrible news: Six people were killed Sunday during mass at a Catholic church in central Burkina Faso, according to state media. Gunmen on motorcycles stormed the church in Dablo on Sunday morning, killing six men, including the priest, identified as Father Simeon Yampa. The attackers then set fire to the church and other buildings in the area, the... Read more
The list includes both permanent and transitional deacons, now part of the largest diaconate ministry in the world. The press release from the Archdiocese: Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, will ordain 23 permanent and transitional deacons at 10 a.m., on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at Holy Name Cathedral, 735 North State Street, Chicago. The newly ordained deacons will be assigned to parishes in: Buffalo Grove, Chicago, Des Plaines, Gurnee, Libertyville, Midlothian, Mundelein, Palos Hills, Park Ridge, Round Lake,... Read more
Like a lot of men, I once stood nervously beside a priest in a Catholic church on a humid Saturday morning and watched my bride glide down the aisle to the strains of Pachelbel’s Canon in D. It long ago replaced “The Wedding March” (or “Here Comes the Bride”) as the default wedding processional. How did that happen? Thankfully, the New York Times offers an explanation: It dates to the late-17th or early 18th century, and there’s speculation that it... Read more
The Holy Father had an audience at the Vatican with members of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), and elaborated on his earlier comments about ordaining women as deacons: The pontiff repeated his earlier remarks that the 12 members of the commission had been unable to come to agreement about the role of women deacons in the early centuries of Christianity. “They came to a certain point,” said the pope. “Everyone agreed. Then, each had his or her own... Read more
From CNN: One week after Facebook banned Minister Louis Farrakhan and others for promoting “violence and hate,” the Nation of Islam leader insists that he is not a hateful person. Farrakhan told those at Saint Sabina Catholic Church in Chicago on Thursday that he is “a hated man today.” “Saturday, God willing, I’ll be 86 years old. I have never been arrested, no drunken driving,” he said. “What have I done that you would hate me like that?” Pointing to... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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