And: No one from the United States is on the list. The Wall Street Journal notes: The 15 men are all under the age of 80, which makes them eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a future pope. The majority of the new batch of cardinals is from the developing world, reflecting the Argentine-born pontiff’s efforts to rebalance the College of Cardinals toward countries where Catholicism is growing. John Allen writes in Crux: With his picks for new cardinals... Read more
Before we take down the lights, and sweep up the pine needles, and cash in those gift cards, and visit the exchange counter at Macy’s…the church gives us one more Christmas blast. This feast: Epiphany. The word means “manifestation” — it is God becoming manifest to the world through his son Jesus Christ. Every year on this feast, we encounter a story that really defines Christianity – the story of pilgrims on a journey. We meet the magi—outsiders, Gentiles, coming... Read more
A few of the Sisters of Our Mother of Divine Grace, from their website. Some heartening news from the good people at The National Catholic Register: The Holy Spirit is breathing new religious orders into being, like desert wildflowers after a storm. Conversion is a common ingredient. Striving to be “salt of the earth” that gives flavor to their evangelization, the Sisters of Our Mother of Divine Grace, Daughters of Mary of Nazareth and Brigittine Servitores have much zeal to... Read more
Arnhem Skate Hall, formerly the Church of St. Joseph (photo: Facebook) From the Wall Street Journal: Two dozen scruffy skateboarders launched perilous jumps in a soaring old church building here on a recent night, watched over by a mosaic likeness of Jesus and a solemn array of stone saints. This is the Arnhem Skate Hall, an uneasy reincarnation of the Church of St. Joseph, which once rang with the prayers of nearly 1,000 worshipers. It is one of hundreds of... Read more
Cardinal’s residence (photo: Boston College) From The New York Times: The house on the rise has long been a symbol of Catholicism in Boston. When it was built, its grandeur demonstrated the wherewithal of the city’s newly powerful Roman Catholic community. When it was sold, the transaction reflected the straits of a once-powerful archdiocese brought low by scandal. Now, the bedrooms of the Italianate palazzo where all of Boston’s 20th-century cardinals, as well as a visiting Pope John Paul II,... Read more
Incredibly, the bodacious ingenue was 82 years old. And there is a Catholic connection, according to USA TODAY: Donna Douglas, who played hillbilly bombshell Elly May Clampett on the baby-boomer-beloved 1960s sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, has died. She was 82. Charlene Smith, her niece-in-law, confirmed Friday to USA TODAY that she died of pancreatic cancer on New Year’s Day at Baton Rouge General Hospital, near her home in Zachary, La. The Baton Rouge paper, The Advocate and other media outlets, including local TV station WAFB, also confirmed her... Read more
Photo: Knights of Columbus #934 / Facebook Details: Back in September, Alexandria Marie Shields and Taylor Butcher booked the Knights of Columbus hall in Madison, Indiana for the reception that will follow their upcoming wedding ceremony. On Monday, Knights of Columbus Council 934 called the couple to tell them it was refunding their deposit as they do not agree with same-sex unions. Wednesday evening, the council reversed course and has agreed to let them have the facility. …In a Facebook... Read more
Michael Keaton in 2013 (photo: Gage Skidmore / Wikipedia) Details: Michael Keaton says his education at a Catholic school shaped the person who he is. The 63-year-old actor admits he endured tough discipline during his time at school when he was growing up in Pennsylvania, but rather than resent the treatment he believes it made him a moral person. In an interview with Prestige Hong Kong magazine, Keaton – whose parents were Catholic Christians – said: “I liked going to... Read more
From CNN: Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo has died, according to his son Chris Cuomo, host of CNN’s “New Day.” Mario Cuomo had been hospitalized recently to treat a heart condition. He was 82. Cuomo was New York’s governor for three terms from 1983 to 1995. He was married to his wife, Matilda, for more than six decades. They had five children, including current New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Asked once how we wanted to be remembered, Mario Cuomo... Read more
Photo by Carolus / via Wikipedia From The International Business Times: A Catholic bishop in Belgium has called for ecclesiastical recognition of same-sex couples within the Roman Catholic Church. Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp, Belgium, shared his thoughts in an interview for De Morgen, a Belgian newspaper, on Dec. 27. “Indeed, we need to seek a formal recognition of the kind of relationship that exists between many gay and lesbian couples,” Bonny said according to the National Catholic Reporter. “Does that... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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