When Lester Holt took over for Brian Williams on the NBC Nightly News last week, little was said about his personal life—or one aspect of it that plays a prominent role: his faith. I was curious about what his religious background might be, so did a little Googling and came upon this interview from a few years back. I have to say: I’m impressed. This sort of unabashed piety and public profession of faith is rare in journalism—and, I think, almost... Read more
From Vatican Radio: Pope Francis presided over an ordinary Public Consistory for the Creation of New Cardinals on Saturday morning, in St. Peter’s Basilica.20 new members of the Clergy of Rome were created, the Pope’s closest partners in mission. Addressing the membership of the College of Cardinals gathered for the occasion, Pope Francis spoke of the nature of ecclesial service, explaining that the higher one is in honor, the more perfect and absolute must be his spirit and dedication to Christ... Read more
The brilliant New York Times media columnist David Carr died suddenly yesterday—which jolted a lot of us who were still shell-shocked from the death of Bob Simon the day before and the perilous fall from grace of Brian Williams. It was not a good week for the news business. Carr was a recovering drug addict; he meticulously chronicled his journey into and out of rehab in his memoir “The Night of the Gun.” He was also Catholic—the brother, in fact, of... Read more
Details: In response to the desecration of ten parishes since October, including five on February 6-7, the bishop of Bellay-Ars has ordered the Blessed Sacrament removed from the tabernacles of all parish churches and chapels. The Blessed Sacrament, Bishop Pascal Roland decreed, must be kept in a more secure location, and tabernacle doors must be kept open to indicate that the Eucharist is not present. The order (via Google Translate): Blessed Sacrament will be removed [from] tabernacles of all parish... Read more
The City of Hayward, California is trying something different. This, from The New York Daily News: Speeding is no laughing matter, but slowing down can be. A California city introduced humorous street signs to catch the attention of speeding motorists and compel them to slow down on a major residential street. Hayward, Calif. installed seven new signs in a pilot program two weeks ago, and their light touch to makes them hard to ignore, city spokesman Frank Holland told the... Read more
From CNS: Retired Pope Benedict XVI has never doubted or regretted his decision to resign, knowing it was the right thing to do for the good of the church, said Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the papal household and personal secretary to the retired pope.“The church needs a strong helmsman,” and Pope Benedict was keenly aware of his own waning strength while faced with such a demanding ministry, the archbishop said in an interview published Feb. 12 in the Italian... Read more
From Michael Alexander in the blog of The Georgia Bulletin: Until last Saturday’s rite of ordination to the diaconate, the last time I saw John Timme it was the September 23, 2002 funeral for his father, Deacon Bill Timme. Bill was a well-respected deacon who served at Holy Cross Church in Atlanta for 15 years. He also worked in the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s Metropolitan Tribunal and served as a chaplain at Saint Joseph’s Hospital. Like myself, the Timme family is... Read more
View image | gettyimages.com That would be me. As I do periodically, I decided today to change my password. I did. When I signed in again, a little box popped up saying that it looked like my name wasn’t authentic and I should change it. I tried to sign in again, again using my three-name ID—Deacon Greg Kandra—and again the little box popped up saying, in effect, “No. Change it.” The box offered an unhelpful link to the Facebook name policy page.... Read more
From the Facebook page of The Extraordinary Form in the Albany Diocese comes this posting: Read more
From CNA: Holy Name Parish in Denver changed its altar serving policy about six months ago. Now, altar serving is reserved for boys.But Holy Name’s pastor, Father Daniel Cardo, has established a new sacristan program for girls in the parish. The “Sacristans of Little Therese of Lisieux” have a schedule and responsibility, similar to the altar boys. Members prepare materials before and after Mass.“I think for the most part it’s working very well,” Fr. Cardo told CNA. “They love it... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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