The Deacon's Bench
This is something new, released just hours ago: the University of Notre Dame’s celebrated Folk Choir, featuring Danielle Rose, performing “Hail Holy Queen” in a special tribute the Notre Dame de Paris. Read more
This is something new, released just hours ago: the University of Notre Dame’s celebrated Folk Choir, featuring Danielle Rose, performing “Hail Holy Queen” in a special tribute the Notre Dame de Paris. Read more
This was announced yesterday: Former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has joined the faculty of the University of Notre Dame, the university announced on Monday. Ryan will serve as a professor of practice during the 2019-20 academic year and will lecture on subjects including American government, political polarization, Catholicism and economics. “It is an honor to be part of a University where Catholic principles, robust debates, academic freedoms and diverse viewpoints are allowed to flourish,” Ryan said in a statement. “As much as I hope... Read more
Here is an extensive and heartbreaking glimpse at what remains after yesterday’s devastating fire. We can all take consolation in the fact that it wasn’t worse — it certainly looked like it would be — and no lives were lost. But among other things, it has offered all of us a powerful moment for reflection and reckoning. This was posted on Facebook Tuesday morning by Jean-Philippe Le Trévou, a musician in Paris. Read more
The Holy Father’s statement, released Tuesday morning in French: Following the fire that devastated much of the Notre-Dame cathedral, I associate myself with your sadness, as well as that of the faithful of your diocese, the inhabitants of Paris and all the French. In these Holy Days where we remember Jesus’ passion, his death and his resurrection, I assure you of my spiritual closeness and my prayer. This disaster seriously damaged a historic building. But I realize that it has also affected... Read more
Details: Fox News’ Neil Cavuto had to hang up on Catholic League president Bill Donohue during live coverage of the Notre Dame fire when the conservative activist refused to stop speculating about the cause of the blaze. Donahue was a guest on Monday’s edition of Your World with Neil Cavuto, and managed to last just over seventy seconds before Cavuto was forced to dump him. Cavuto began by musing that the cathedral will never be the same, as it was, and Donohue replied “Well, Neil, if... Read more
Details: A fire broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris on Monday afternoon, a spokesman from the fire department said. Smoke could be seen billowing out from the top of the medieval cathedral, as flames leaped out besides its two bell towers, a Reuters witness said. A major operation was under way, the fire department added, while a city hall spokesman said on Twitter that the area was being cleared. From the BBC: The mayor of Paris, Anne... Read more
From Nebraska: A Palm Sunday morning Mass suddenly became violent at a small Catholic church [Immaculate Conception Catholic Church] in northwest Nebraska. As the pastor was reading the long Gospel narrative of Christ’s suffering, a Sheridan County sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a man just inside the doors of the Rushville, Nebraska, church. The man — later identified as Clarence Leading Fighter, 32 — was a suspect in an assault that had occurred at a separate location less than an hour... Read more
From The Daily Caller: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas told a friendly audience in California that religious belief does not compromise the work of the courts, and he expressed regret that religion featured prominently in a 2017 judicial confirmation. Speaking on April 4 at Pepperdine University School of Law’s annual banquet, Thomas was asked whether it is ever legitimate to consider a candidate’s religious views during the confirmation process. The question was asked with specific reference to Democratic Sen. Dianne... Read more
It was a busy and eventful Palm Sunday in Queens — and it started yesterday, with a procession at the 5 p.m. vigil Mass that began with the Gospel reading and blessing of palms at the rectory’s front door. There was a great turnout — helped immensely by the gorgeous warm spring weather. The festivities continued, of course, on Sunday. I served three Masses and preached at two — and served as the voice of Christ at two of the... Read more
Cardinal John Dew of New Zealand wrote a letter to his flock earlier this month: Being called “Father” may seem important to some priests, but is it really that important? What is more important is that we live and act in such a way that we treat one another as the daughters and sons of God. Making a choice to tell the people we serve not to call us Father (or for me “Your Eminence” or “Cardinal”) might seem a very... Read more
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