That would be this fellow, who is perched on my desk at work — a gift from a priest colleague with a wicked sense of humor. I won’t show you the backside, but he’s doing just what you might imagine. The good people at TIME magazine wrote about this little Christmas treat a few years back: For at least the past two centuries, the traditional nativity scene in Catalonia — you know, the usual suspects of Mary, Joseph and the... Read more
A priest friend send me this image this morning: I was curious to learn more about Steve Maraboli, and found this 2011 story about him from Long Island Catholic: “Pretend God is deaf” and more interested in actions than words, motivational speaker Steve Maraboli advised parishioners at St. Peter of Alcantara Church here last week. “The language of God is action,” said Maraboli, native of Port Washington and a graduate of the parish school here. He cited Jesus’ words from the... Read more
He spoke of sports and the Olympics today, according to Vatican Radio: “Sports are at home in the Church” – that’s what Pope Francis told managers and athletes of Italy’s National Olympic Committee Friday. In a meeting in the Vatican, the Pope congratulated them on Rome’s candidacy as a possible venue for the 2024 Olympics, but quipped; “I won’t be here!” He observed that Italy’s National Olympic Committee celebrates its first centenary this year and recalled that it draws inspiration from... Read more
My pastor, Bishop Paul Sanchez, at Midnight Mass at our parish, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Forest Hills, NY in 2013. (photo: Rosalind Chan) It’s happening in the United States—I know of more and more places that are offering “Midnight Mass” a few hours earlier—and it’s a phenomenon that has taken hold in the UK, as well. From The Tablet: With the church ablaze with candles, the Christ child in the crib and the choir singing their carols in... Read more
From Friday’s paper: Perhaps the timing was purely coincidental. But a day after he was credited with helping to broker thehistoric diplomatic breakthrough betweenCuba and the United States, Pope Francisbegan his Thursday morning by greeting a new crop of envoys to the Vatican, and offering some advice. “The work of an ambassador lies in small steps, small things, but they always end up making peace, bringing closer the hearts of people, sowing brotherhood among people,” he said. “This is your job, but with little... Read more
As MCPF (My Close Personal Friend) Stephen bids farewell to his show at Comedy Central tonight, Busted Halo has a nifty roundup of top Colbert Catholic moments. This one below, however, remains, my all time favorite. The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,The Colbert Report on Facebook,Video Archive UPDATE: James Martin, S.J., the chaplain of The Colbert Report, has some insight into Colbert The Catholic over at America: He describes himself as the “Most Famous Catholic in... Read more
From CBS News: Since birth, they’ve called her “one tough cookie.” Now, Gracie West is living up to that nickname as she fights cancer. She’s had nine rounds of chemotherapy, and when asked if she could have one wish, she said she wanted to meet the pope, CBS News’ Allen Pizzey reports. “My motto is, you have no choice but to be strong, but you can choose to be happy and positive. That’s helped me through a ton of stuff.... Read more
Some good news, just in time for Christmas, from The Joplin Globe in Missouri: It wasn’t wrapped in red and green paper, and it certainly wasn’t sitting underneath a tree, but the new St. Mary’s Catholic Church was the best holiday gift that parishioners said they could have received this time of year. “It’s like Christmas,” said Glenn Damaso, of Joplin. “Losing the church and trying to be guided and looking for a place to call home — now we have... Read more
From The Boston Globe: The restoration of full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, as well as a prisoner exchange that secured the release of American Alan Gross, was brokered, in part, by the Holy See. A high-ranking Vatican official confirmed Wednesday that the Obama administration and the Vatican have been working together for more than a year to end decades of hostility and restore relations between the United States and the Caribbean nation. After 18 months of... Read more
I love this story, from The Catholic Review in Baltimore: If you’re looking for a unique, Maryland-related gift for Christmas, perhaps the place to start is at a parish gift shop, such as the one nestled into the Sexton’s Lodge at America’s first cathedral. Next to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a small gift store beckons visitors to the historic church. In addition to the CDs of the basilica’s choir, and... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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