That was the consistent message of this afternoon’s Holy Hour in the Archdiocese of New York, held at the beautiful Church and Priory of St. Vincent Ferrer. This placid house of prayer on Lexington Ave., staffed by the Dominicans, proved the perfect setting for an hour devoted to contemplation and adoration—and its staggering beauty easily compelled every one who entered to fall to their knees. Which, of course, is where the most important work of our lives takes place. This... Read more
The following letter has been sent out this week from Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization: Dear Deacon: As you are aware, the Holy Father has charged the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization with organizing the upcoming Extraordinary Holy Year, the Jubilee of Mercy, which Pope Francis hopes will be an opportunity for Christians to reflect on and live out more faithfully our Lord’s command: “Be merciful,... Read more
This won’t be a surprise in some places, and it echoes what is happening now in Pittsburgh. But it’s interesting to realize that, in certain dioceses, this sort of thing is still radical and new. From the St. Louis Review: The clergy appointments announced in the paper this week include one that might sound unusual: “Deacon John Schiffer, a permanent deacon assisting the pastor of St. Peter Parish in St. Charles, is released from that assignment, and appointed as Parish Life... Read more
As luck (or the Holy Spirit) would have it, my office closes early tomorrow and I’ll be able to take the short walk from my desk to this beautiful church for a special Holy Hour. Won’t you join me? If not with your presence, with your prayers? From Kathryn Jean Lopez: We must pray unceasingly for those who suffer from the unmerciful culture of death, laid bare in recent days and weeks with the Planned Parenthood videos we’ve seen and... Read more
As luck (or the Holy Spirit) would have it, my office closes early tomorrow and I’ll be able to take the short walk from my desk to this beautiful church for a special Holy Hour. Won’t you join me? If not with your presence, with your prayers? From Kathryn Jean Lopez: We must pray unceasingly for those who suffer from the unmerciful culture of death, laid bare in recent days and weeks with the Planned Parenthood videos we’ve seen and... Read more
A better title might be “Exploitation: Live!” BYOPS (Bring Your Own Pea Soup). Details from The Los Angeles Times: Destination America is looking to instill a little more fright — and a few less spirits — into viewers this Halloween with “Exorcism: Live!” Yes, it’s a real show. On television. And it’s not a parody. Just as the title implies, the network, which boasts programming such as “Mountain Monsters” and “Paranormal Survivor,” will be hosting the first ever televised live exorcism on Oct. 30... Read more
CNN reports: Planned Parenthood’s website went down Wednesday afternoon in what the nonprofit health services organization called “an attack by extremists.” The hack comes in the wake of the publication of several undercover videos by anti-abortion activists seemingly showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue and organs for medical research. Selling fetal organs for a profit is a felony, but the footage is highly edited and it is not clear that is what the officials are discussing. The website was... Read more
From The Tablet in London: The dean-elect of Salzburg University’s Catholic theological faculty has called for married priests and women deacons in the Church. “Married priests and women deacons should be reintroduced as soon as possible. That would bring new dynamism to the Church”, the future dean of Salzburg University’s Catholic theological faculty, Professor Dietmar Winkler, told the Austrian daily Salzburger Nachrichten… …The issue of women priests was “theologically complicated” but women deacons “which is well documented up to the Middle... Read more
A better title might be “Exploitation: Live!” BYOPS (Bring Your Own Pea Soup). Details from The Los Angeles Times: Destination America is looking to instill a little more fright — and a few less spirits — into viewers this Halloween with “Exorcism: Live!” Yes, it’s a real show. On television. And it’s not a parody. Just as the title implies, the network, which boasts programming such as “Mountain Monsters” and “Paranormal Survivor,” will be hosting the first ever televised live exorcism on Oct. 30... Read more
CNN reports: Planned Parenthood’s website went down Wednesday afternoon in what the nonprofit health services organization called “an attack by extremists.” The hack comes in the wake of the publication of several undercover videos by anti-abortion activists seemingly showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue and organs for medical research. Selling fetal organs for a profit is a felony, but the footage is highly edited and it is not clear that is what the officials are discussing. The website was... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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