From The Department of Diaconal Nepotism: a great story about a great guy doing a great thing. The guy in question just happens to be the brother of the woman I’m married to. From the University of Notre Dame: At 6 a.m. on May 3, Michael Meyer will start off on a 30-mile trek that will take him around the University of Notre Dame campus 20 times. The reason for his trek, says Meyer, who teaches accountancy at the Mendoza... Read more
A deacon reader passed this along. This question popped up at Zenit and is answered by Fr. Edward McNamara: Q: In Vietnam, the Eucharistic minister wears a deacon’s stole, as you can see in the attached picture. Is this right? — N.T., Vietnam A: Our reader accompanied the question with a photo of a gentleman leading a Communion service while wearing a vestment that looked very much like a deacon’s stole over his civilian suit and tie. There was also... Read more
From AP: Pope Francis will visit Cuba before arriving in the United States in the last week of September, the Vatican said Wednesday. The Vatican spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi, confirmed the Cuba leg to reporters but didn’t provide details or dates. Francis has been credited with helping the United States and Cuba reach their historic rapprochement by writing to the leaders of both countries and having the Vatican host their delegations for the final negotiations. Francis’ visit to Cuba would... Read more
From The San Francisco Chronicle: The divisions within the Bay Area’s Catholic community over gay rights hit Marin Catholic High School full force the other day, when a group of nuns walked out of their classes to protest the sponsors of a program intended to protect gay and lesbian teens from bullying. The five members of the Dominican Sisters of Mary order exited their classrooms Friday as students began handing out flyers at the Kentfield school promoting a nationwide Day... Read more
A few people have asked me questions about my just-completed jaunt to Jordan, so I thought I’d post a few answers. If you’re planning an overseas trip or pilgrimage, you might find these ideas useful. Or not. (Your mileage may vary.) They worked for me. So here goes: 1. Shoes. You don’t need a graduate degree to know that any tour involves a lot of standing, walking, hiking, climbing, trudging, trekking, skipping, and jogging (not for exercise, but to catch up with the... Read more
A followup on yesterday’s posting, from MichiganLive: Christ the King Church in Ann Arbor will no longer offer concealed pistol license (CPL) classes, the church’s priest announced on Facebook Tuesday afternoon. Edward Fride had sent out a letter defending his decision to offer the book-based portion of the course—not the live fire instruction—at the church after some parishioners expressed concern. The Detroit Free Press reported Monday that the Lansing Catholic Bishop Earl Boyea said in a statement that guns and gun lessons do not belong... Read more
A great young videographer named Connor Eberhart accompanied us on the trip. He was tireless and he was everywhere—photographing everything we did, every place we saw. (Did he ever sleep? I’m not so sure…) Here, in roughly chronological order, are some of the videos he posted on his Vimeo site, which give a great sense of the experience. Most are short, just a minute or so. Below that, I’ve posted links to all my blog posts on the trip. My... Read more
From Associated Press: Pope Francis on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert Finn, who led the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. Finn pleaded guilty in 2013 to failing to report a suspected priestly child abuser in the first known case of a pope sanctioning bishops for covering up for pedophiles. The Vatican said Tuesday that Bishop Robert Finn had offered his resignation under the code of canon law that allows bishops to resign early for illness or some “grave”... Read more
I received the email announcement about this wonderful news Monday afternoon: 47 men, called from each of the five counties of the Diocese of Allentown, will be ordained permanent deacons by Bishop John Barres at the Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena in Allentown on Saturday, April 25 at 10:30 AM. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, this is probably the largest group of permanent deacons being ordained in any diocese in... Read more
I received the email announcement about this wonderful news Monday afternoon: 47 men, called from each of the five counties of the Diocese of Allentown, will be ordained permanent deacons by Bishop John Barres at the Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena in Allentown on Saturday, April 25 at 10:30 AM. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, this is probably the largest group of permanent deacons being ordained in any diocese in... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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