A reader mentioned this to me in an email, and I didn’t even know such things existed. But through the miracle of Google, I found it: NO MORE CARBON – only the aroma of incense all around. INSTRUCTIONS: It is extremely easy to use and fully automatic. After having added your incense, all you need to do is touch the switch and after a few seconds the incense will start to burn for the preset time of 3 minutes. Press the... Read more
The archbishop in question is Seattle’s J. Peter Sartain—FOTB (Friend of the Bench)—and this account appears in today’s New York Times: When 25 leaders of the largest organization of American nuns met for the first time with Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle in 2012, after theVatican appointed him to lead an overhaul of their group, they expected conflict. The nuns were hurt and confused when the Vatican accused them a few months earlier of straying from Catholic teaching and promoting “radical feminist themes incompatible... Read more
A reader sent this my way, and it’s a fascinating glimpse at the theology of the diaconate, in the Orthodox Church, from a talk by Father Deacon Photios Touloumes: During the liturgy, the deacon stands in the midst of the faithful as master of ceremonies, directing them in the proper posture and movements of the service. Let us bow our head unto the Lord and (Lock) the doors, the doors are examples of this. It was part of the deacon’s... Read more
Well now. This is different. From Crux: Politics has no monopoly on making strange bedfellows, as a senior Vatican official paid tribute to Hollywood on Thursday for raising the profile of family issues, specifically citing the American sitcom “Modern Family,” a show that features two married gay men who adopt a baby, plus an older divorced dad who remarries a woman half his age. Along with writings of Pope Francis and other Vatican initiatives, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia told the United Nations on... Read more
Some students and alumnae think so. From The Naples Daily News: Alexandra Clark ended her search for a Catholic college about five years ago at Ave Maria University. She and her sister wanted a place true to their faith, a school that wasn’t “just Catholic in name only.” Clark graduated from Ave Maria in 2014, and while she loved her time there, she’s now not sure she’ll encourage her younger siblings to attend. “There’s things going on there that I wouldn’t suggest... Read more
Some thoughts this morning from New York Times Op-Ed contributor Timothy Egan: Long after we’ve forgotten what his position is on Catholic doctrine, we will remember the serenity of Pope Francis — his self-deprecating lightness of being. His smile is just shy of goofy; it’s embracing, certainly not the tight facial clench of the seasoned diplomat. Rather than hide behind the trappings of power and empire, he projects a sense that he’s an average man who’s in on the joke.... Read more
Someone sent me the following email, responding to this post: “You do realize that mocking Catholics on national TV is not the same as mocking Jews and Muslims, right?? By mocking Catholics, it’s like mocking ourselves, but mocking Jews or Muslims is mocking the ‘other.’ It’s very, very different. Profoundly different. I’m disappointed to hear you make that facile complaint. Please don’t ever say that you are waiting for Hollywood to mock Muslims.” Alrighty then. You can mock some religions,... Read more
Following in the footsteps of Honolulu, the Archdiocese of Denver is moving to put the reception of First Communion after Confirmation: Archbishop Samuel Aquila will host a live phone call at the end of the month to discuss his initiative to restore the sacraments of initiation—baptism, confirmation and Eucharist—to their original order, which places confirmation before first Eucharist. The TeleForum call, to be held 7 p.m. May 28 and open to all Catholics, is the second in a series by... Read more
The stand-up guy, and stand-up comic, is producing a TV series based on his life, set to premiere this summer on TV Land. In contrast to another recently-announced show about a Catholic family, this one doesn’t present religion as a problem to be mocked —except, perhaps, by people who are small-minded and intolerant. The pilot is full of the foibles and challenges facing a comic who just happens to be Christian. It’s knowing, whimsical, a little irreverent. And it’s real. The Church... Read more
Following in the footsteps of Honolulu, the Archdiocese of Denver is moving to put the reception of First Communion after Confirmation: Archbishop Samuel Aquila will host a live phone call at the end of the month to discuss his initiative to restore the sacraments of initiation—baptism, confirmation and Eucharist—to their original order, which places confirmation before first Eucharist. The TeleForum call, to be held 7 p.m. May 28 and open to all Catholics, is the second in a series by... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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