Get in your bid: A Montevideo auction house hopes to get at least $40,000 for an iPad used by Pope Francis, with the proceeds to be donated to a Catholic high school in the northwestern Uruguayan city of Paysandu. “There is interest not only in our country,” auctioneer Juan Castells told Efe. “Recently, we received calls from around the world. The buzz has been great.” The device to be auctioned on April 14 was given by Pope Francis to Uruguayan... Read more
Grim news for Holy Week: Two renegade Catholic bishops plan to consecrate a new generation of bishops to spread their ultra-traditionalist movement called “The Resistance” in defiance of the Vatican, one of them said at a remote monastery in Brazil. French Bishop Jean-Michel Faure, himself consecrated only two weeks ago by the Holocaust-denying British Bishop Richard Williamson, said the new group rejected Pope Francis and what it called his “new religion” and would not engage in a dialogue with Rome until... Read more
I dropped by one of my favorite churches in Manhattan, St. Francis of Assisi, for confession today, “Reconciliation Monday.” The church is open for confessions every day, at all hours, but there was a line today anyway—about 20 people when I arrived at 5 p.m. Four confessionals were open, so things moved quickly. I was done by 5:30, and after spending some time in prayer (and doing my penance—which, considering my sins, was pretty tame, frankly)I took a brief stroll... Read more
An excellent nudge, from Commonweal: Want to prove you’re a good Catholic? I’m afraid you’ll have to do more than feed the hungry and teach your children the Lord’s Prayer in at least four modern languages and one or two dead ones. The absolute steel test for proving you’re a good Catholic has little to do with the directives of Matthew 25 or your ability to educate and evangelize. No, it has everything to do with whether or not you... Read more
Grim news for Holy Week: Two renegade Catholic bishops plan to consecrate a new generation of bishops to spread their ultra-traditionalist movement called “The Resistance” in defiance of the Vatican, one of them said at a remote monastery in Brazil. French Bishop Jean-Michel Faure, himself consecrated only two weeks ago by the Holocaust-denying British Bishop Richard Williamson, said the new group rejected Pope Francis and what it called his “new religion” and would not engage in a dialogue with Rome... Read more
Details: EWTN employees more accustomed to running cameras, editing video and overseeing a worldwide religious TV network got their hands dirty on Friday. An anonymous donor contributed $60,000 to Greater Birmingham Habitat for Humanity in honor of Pope Francis and his commitment to “work confers dignity.” That money has been used toward construction of a Pope Francis house in the Center Point area that is nearing completion. It’s part of a new subdivision of Habitat houses built by volunteers. Similar... Read more
An excellent nudge, from Commonweal: Want to prove you’re a good Catholic? I’m afraid you’ll have to do more than feed the hungry and teach your children the Lord’s Prayer in at least four modern languages and one or two dead ones. The absolute steel test for proving you’re a good Catholic has little to do with the directives of Matthew 25 or your ability to educate and evangelize. No, it has everything to do with whether or not you... Read more
[img attachment=”73654″ align=”alignnone” size=”medium” /] I dropped by one of my favorite churches in Manhattan, St. Francis of Assisi, for confession today, “Reconciliation Monday.” The church is open for confessions every day, at all hours, but there was a line today anyway—about 20 people when I arrived at 5 p.m. Four confessionals were open, so things moved quickly. I was done by 5:30, and after spending some time in prayer (and doing my penance—which, considering my sins, was pretty tame,... Read more
Details: EWTN employees more accustomed to running cameras, editing video and overseeing a worldwide religious TV network got their hands dirty on Friday. An anonymous donor contributed $60,000 to Greater Birmingham Habitat for Humanity in honor of Pope Francis and his commitment to “work confers dignity.” That money has been used toward construction of a Pope Francis house in the Center Point area that is nearing completion. It’s part of a new subdivision of Habitat houses built by volunteers. Similar... Read more
From The Chicago Tribune: A day after the Archdiocese of Chicago announced that Cardinal Francis George was back in the hospital, Archbishop Blase Cupich said that his predecessor was in good spirits. “He was very good to talk to, as he always is,” Cupich told reporters after Palm Sunday Mass in Holy Name Cathedral. “He asked me how I was doing, and said, ‘You’re doing a good job.’ No matter how he’s doing, he always asks me how I’m doing.” George, Chicago’s retired archbishop, stopped treatment for cancer... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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