“The Calling of St. Matthew” by Caravaggio (1599-1600) via Wikipedia My friend Fr. Scott Hurd in Washington spotted this reference in one of Pope Francis’s talks in Manila and was startled. He’d never heard mention of a spouse of the evangelist: Think of St Matthew. He was a good banker. But he let people down because he imposed taxes against his own people to give to the Romans. He was full of money. Jesus passed by, looked at him and... Read more
By all accounts, we’re in for a whopper in New York City. As we await its arrival, I offer this popular prayer against storms. Lord, hear our prayer: Jesus Christ a King of Glory has come in Peace. + God became man, + and the Word was made flesh. + Christ was born of a virgin. + Christ suffered. + Christ was crucified. + Christ died. + Christ rose from the dead. + Christ ascended into Heaven. + Christ conquers.... Read more
From NCR: Fr. Richard McBrien, who as a scholar brought distinction to a university theology department and who as an author and often-interviewed popular expert explained the Catholic church to the wider world, died early Sunday morning. He was 78. McBrien had been seriously ill for several years and had moved recently from South Bend, Ind., to his native Connecticut. It would be difficult to find a figure comparable in making understandable to a broad public the basic beliefs and... Read more
Someone sent this to me this afternoon, and it’s too good not to share. From Carnegie Hall a few years ago. Just watch. You may never hear this particular hymn the same way again. Image from U.S.DreamAcademy.org Read more
From Sunday’s paper: Facing millions of divorced Catholics around the world, many of whom express frustration over their status in the church, the Vatican has begun a remarkable re-examination of the church’s treatment of worshipers whose marriages have broken apart. Pope Francis, who plans to make his first trip to the United States in September to attend a conference on families, has acknowledged the concerns of divorced Catholics. He has set in motion a high-level debate about whether and how the church could... Read more
Chiara Lubich via Wikipedia Details: Bishop Raffaello Martinelli will officially open the process of beatification of Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement (or Work of Mary), on 27 January, in the cathedral of the Frascati. Chiara spent most of her life in this diocese and it is here that she is buried. Maria Voce, president of the Movement, upon reporting the news to its members, said that she hoped they could be “living witnesses” of the collective holiness Chiara... Read more
Ann O’Connor and Peter King by Michael Greenlar / Syracuse.com The CNS blog notes: The Catholic Worker community in Syracuse, New York, lost one of its stalwarts with the death of Ann O’Connor, 81, Jan. 17. In 1971 she became involved with Unity Kitchen Community in Syracuse, where she met her husband, Peter King. They married in 1980. Together they assumed major roles in operating the kitchen, which offered twice-weekly meals to the city’s poor and homeless residents to go... Read more
El Capitan by Mike Murphy / Wikipedia People must have thought they were crazy. Seven years ago, when rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgenson began planning to scale Yosemite’s El Capitan, people said it couldn’t be done. Caldwell and Jorgenson proposed climbing the sheer wall, or Dawn Wall, using nothing but their own skill and strength. Ropes would be there to catch them, but that was it. It would take days to climb the 3,000-foot rock face—and again and... Read more
Bishop Christopher Coyne via Diocese of Burlington A Burlington TV station aired this brief profile of its new bishop, Christopher Coyne, last night: Coyne described himself as primarily a pastor, adding he embraces direct and charitable conversations with parishioners and community members. Coyne also maintains a large presence on social media, with thousands of followers on Facebook and Twitter. He also has a blog (http://bishopcoyne.org/) with video posts that are both casual, featuring observations about life, and formal, discussing scripture... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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