Someone passed this along: A very good piece on the diaconate by Fr. Jan Larson in The Inland Register, diocesan publication of Spokane: Occasionally a bishop will ordain men to the order of deacon, one of the ministries included in the sacrament of Holy Orders. Many of these deacons are called “permanent” because they normally are not going on to be ordained priests. Permanent deacons may also be married. The ministry of permanent deacons was restored to the Church in... Read more
From The National Catholic Register: In the latest in a series of attempts by German bishops to align Church teaching with secular values, a sub-committee of the German episcopal conference is planning to amend Church labor law to allow Church employees who are homosexual or divorced and civilly remarried to work in ecclesiastical institutions. Until now, those employed in the German Church – the second largest employer in the country – are required to adhere to lifestyles consistent with Church teaching. But... Read more
This should give all of us pause. Details: Ricky Jackson walked out of jail in Cleveland, Ohio today after spending 39 years on death row, making him the longest-held prisoner to be exonerated in the United States. Ricky Jackson was just 18 years old when he and two others, Wiley and Ronnie Bridgeman, were convicted in the 1975 murder of Harold Franks after 12-year-old Eddie Vernon testified he saw the attack. All three men were sentenced to death. Mr. Jackson’s... Read more
Really. This is pretty terrific. From The New York Times: The celebration after the College of St. Scholastica won its fourth consecutive conference football championship resembled an extended family gathering this month. Oblivious to the numbing cold, players, coaches, family members and students lingered on the field, exchanging hugs and posing with the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference championship banner. In the midst of it, Mike Lehmann, a beefy reserve offensive lineman, approached an assistant coach with a request. “Coach, my... Read more
I’ve been reading some of the obits about the director Mike Nichols over the last few days, and one of the most remarkable stories of this truly remarkable life is about how he came to America. Mike Nichols was born in Germany. In 1939, when he was eight years old, his family managed to book passage on a ship to the United States. They sailed on The M.S. Bremen. It was one of the last ships to make it from... Read more
Details: Roman Catholic Mass was at one time universally celebrated in Latin, the ancient Roman language. After the second Vatican Council in the 1960s, Mass was allowed to be celebrated in the language of the people, meaning Mass in Peru was celebrated in Spanish and Mass in the United States was celebrated in English — you get the picture. Latin is now sometimes referred to as “the dead language,” but it is not dead in Miami. The Mission of Saints... Read more
From CNS: The Catholic Church “is a mother without limits and without borders,” welcoming and assisting all of God’s children, particularly those fleeing violence, oppression and poverty, Pope Francis said. Addressing the 300 participants in the Vatican-sponsored World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Migrants, the pope said the church’s concern for the whole person motivates its material aid to immigrants and refugees, its offer of legal assistance and, especially, its pastoral outreach and offer of the sacraments. In the... Read more
From The Independent: Winnie the Pooh has been banned from a Polish playground because of his “dubious sexuality” and “inappropriate” dress. The much-loved animated bear was suggested at a local council meeting to decide which famous character should become the face of the play area in the small town of Tuszyn. But the idea soon sparked outrage among more conservative members, with one councillor even denouncing poor Pooh as a “hermaphrodite”. “The problem with that bear is it doesn’t have... Read more
H/T to Rod Dreher, who posted this item: His parents were Irish Catholics; one of his sisters is a nun. This conspicuous religion adds to his broad church appeal (there’s a citation from the Christian Science Monitor on his golfing memoirs). You don’t need to ask if his faith is important to him. He talks about how 19th-century candidates risk not getting canonised because the church is keen to push ahead with the likes of John Paul II and Mother Teresa.... Read more
A new report from CNEWA’s blog One-to-One: After 100 days away from their homes, churches, and lands, more than 20,000 Christian families find themselves in dire situations where they have to fight everyday to cover their basic needs. …It is estimated that today more than 1.8 million people are displaced in the country, mostly in Kurdistan and Anbar provinces, where about 390,000 are estimated to be in need of shelter and currently living in schools, under bridges or out in... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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