From The Telegraph: The UK’s first husband and wife team of bishops has been created with the appointment of a new Bishop of Hull. The Rev Canon Alison White, 58, is to become the Church of England’s second female bishop, but the role will mean she will see far less of her husband of 30 years, the Right Rev Frank White, who is the assistant Bishop of Newcastle. The couple, who currently live in Riding Mill, Northumberland, are to relocate to... Read more
The last minute or so of this video is priceless. CNS notes: Let the record show that never before in the nearly 300-year history of St. Louis Cathedral have Catholics seen a dancing bishop. But when Bishop Fernand “Ferd” Cheri III, a Franciscan priest and native son, made his first remarks to the nearly 1,000 people gathered for his ordination as auxiliary bishop March 23, the hometown boy in him couldn’t resist breaking into several spirituals and even moving a... Read more
From CNS: The number of Catholics in the world and the number of priests and permanent deacons rose slightly in 2013, while the number of men and women in religious orders declined, according to Vatican statistics. For the second year in a row, the number of candidates for the priesthood also decreased. The numbers come from the Statistical Yearbook of the Church, which was completed in February and published in March. The yearbook reported worldwide church figures as of Dec.... Read more
Details: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson is asking the public for help regarding the theft of chalices from three churches this month. The chalices were taken from Our Mother of Sorrows, 1800 S. Kolb Road, on March 14; St. Ambrose, 300 S. Tucson Boulevard, on March 21; and St. Pius X, 1800 N. Pio Decimo, between March 7 and March 24, said Steff Koeneman, a spokeswoman for the diocese, on Tuesday. At Our Mother of Sorrows, the chalice was... Read more
A couple of photographers decided to find out: Have you ever wondered what the priest standing at the altar sees during mass? It’s an unusual point of view, not one just anyone gets a chance to appreciate. But now, thanks to a remote-controlled camera set up behind church altars in Italy, everyone has a chance to see it with their own eyes. Italian photographers Giorgio Barrera and Niccolò Rastrelli documented this observation point without anyone ever the wiser, capturing solemn... Read more
View image | gettyimages.com From Huffington Post: A controversy over prom dresses has erupted at a Pennsylvania high school following the announcement of a new policy requiring girls to submit photographs of their dresses for pre-approval before the big event. According to the York Daily Record, Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown announced the new policy in early March. It states that “dresses cannot be too short, too low-cut, expose too much skin around the midriff or be ‘inappropriately revealing.’... Read more
This subject comes up periodically, and just today a friend on Facebook asked a question about where he could find the gospel for this weekend broken up into parts, for several people to proclaim. It’s worth a look at a 1988 document, Paschalis Sollemnitatis, which gives guidance on how to proclaim the Passion: 33. The passion narrative occupies a special place. It should be sung or read in the traditional way, that is, by three persons who take the part of Christ, the... Read more
It happened this weekend in Naples. Beatlemania? Try Francismania. Check this out, via Rome Reports. Read more
In a word: excellent. And heartbreaking. Just watch. Read more
This piece of news caught my eye this morning, from The Catholic Free Press: The funeral Mass for Father Paul W. Lemire was held Friday at St. Anne Church, 130 Boston Turnpike, Shrewsbury. Burial is in St. John’s Cemetery in Worcester. Father Lemire, 79, senior priest in residence at St. Anne’s, died Saturday in UMass Memorial Medical Center-Memorial Campus in Worcester, surrounded by his family. He is believed to be the Diocese’s only priest who was first a permanent deacon.... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In