From The Beacon: Bishop Serratelli ordained 13 men to the Order of Deacon June 5 in St. Peter the Apostle Church here, which was filled to capacity with many diocesan priests and deacons, the families and friends of the new pernament deacons, and the faithful of the Paterson Diocese. The 13 permanent deacons — William Aquino of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Highland Lakes; Nicholas Ardito of Our Lady of the Mountain Parish, Long Valley; John Brandi of Assumption Parish,... Read more
[getty src=”472833234?et=XIDoZCOaStFWKXuzN1VMAw&viewMoreLink=on&sig=-vZ4hpQzNCLSSBc_rpvxdWL7lOAY-AcvdEWi8y3U8P8=&caption=true” width=”594″ height=”396″] View image | gettyimages.com A couple of high profile people have been talking about the pope’s upcoming encyclical on the environment and climate change. Of course, nobody talking about it has even read the document, so it’s impossible to know what it contains. But what we do know right now is that the ideas expressed in an encyclical—any encyclical—are not insignificant. (Exhibit A: Humanae Vitae) Some background from the Catholic Encyclopedia: According to its etymology, an encyclical (from the Greek... Read more
Every now and then, a sharp-eyed observer armed with a camera and a pair of binoculars treks into the wild, sets up a base camp and waits patiently for the arrival of a creature both rare and exotic—and perhaps, to some bird-watchers, comical. He’s looking for the Cappa Magna Cardinal. This seems to be what has happened, once again, with a recent piece in Crux—which, as Terry Mattingly has noted, treats Catholics devoted to tradition with a detached curiosity you normally only... Read more
The diocese hasn’t posted any news or pictures since the ordination last weekend, but you can find the entire ordination rite preserved on video right here. A pre-ordination announcement notes: On Saturday, June 6 at 10:00 am at the Cathedral of St. Paul, Worcester, Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, S.T.D. will ordain seven men to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Worcester. The seven men are Christopher Finan, Bryan Lagimoniere, David Lajoie, Thomas Marshall, Van Nguyen, Paul Reuter, and... Read more
H/T to Gerard Nadal, who posted this remarkable item on Facebook: On the National Thanksgiving Day, which was established in late 18th Century to commemorate Poland’s patriotic struggle for independence, thousands of the inhabitants of Warsaw took part in an annual open-air Holy Mass, also massively attended by top state officials with the President-Elect Andrzej Sebastian Duda in person. During the Holy Communion a sudden gust of wind blew off one of the consecrated Hosts from the chalice that was... Read more
From CatholicPhilly.com: The number of permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia increased by 21 on Saturday, June 6, through the ordination ceremony and Mass celebrated by Archbishop Charles Chaput at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul. This newest class of permanent deacons was unique in several respects. It is the second largest class since the permanent diaconate was instituted in the archdiocese in 1981. It was almost evenly balanced between city and suburban candidates, countering recent years... Read more
Perhaps another hint of what may be coming on the Medjugorje front? From National Catholic Register: Days after declaring that a decision on the Medjugorje apparitions would be coming soon, Pope Francis cautioned against basing one’s faith solely on predicted visions or anything other than Christ himself. In his June 9 daily Mass at the Vatican’s St. Martha Guesthouse, Pope Francis cautioned against those who look for God “with these Christian spiritualties that are a little ethereal,” calling them “modern... Read more
View image | gettyimages.com From the transcript of his remarks today to the Catholic Health Association: My first job in Chicago when I moved after college to work as a community organizer — my first job was funded by the Campaign for Human Development, an anti-poverty initiative of the Catholic Church. And my first office was at Holy Rosary Church on the South Side of Chicago, across from Palmer Park. (Applause.) You’re clapping there — she knows Holy Rosary. (Laughter.) And... Read more
We salute him today, his feast day, over at the CNEWA blog, One-to-One: An aspect of Ephrem’s unusual personality is evident in the fact that, although ordained a deacon, he never became a priest — avoiding consecration by feigning madness. Although no certain explanation can be found for this behavior, some biographers believe it was due to a feeling of unworthiness. And there is this, a celebrated prayer familiar to many Orthodox: O Lord and Master of my life, take... Read more
We salute him today, his feast day, over at the CNEWA blog, One-to-One: An aspect of Ephrem’s unusual personality is evident in the fact that, although ordained a deacon, he never became a priest — avoiding consecration by feigning madness. Although no certain explanation can be found for this behavior, some biographers believe it was due to a feeling of unworthiness. And there is this, a celebrated prayer familiar to many Orthodox: O Lord and Master of my life, take... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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