That was at the heart of the homily preached by Cardinal Donald Wuerl at the ordination of transitional deacons in Rome—and it bears hearing from all deacons: This week, Cardinal Donald Wuerl ordained 43 seminarians from the Pontifical North American College in Rome as deacons, reminding them to always be open to God and to live their new ministry with joy.“Dear deacons, never cease to be open to the call. Each day, renew your resolve to say, ‘Yes, Lord. Here... Read more
I’m headed there this morning, speaking at the diaconate convocation in Ocean Shore. The theme: “Preaching with the Heart of a Deacon.” (Anybody know where I can pick up a heart, along with a cup of coffee?) Looking forward to it! I’ve never been to Seattle. Do you think I’ll see the Cranes? I hope to do a little blogging when I get there. Meantime, I’m reminded of this song from my youth. Remember this show? Read more
I am a man deeply devoted to autumn, in part because it brings pumpkin-flavored food back into my life for a couple months. Bagels, donuts, muffins, cheesecake—my heart leaps! But I fear the good people who feed my habit have finally gone too far. Ladies and gentlemen: pumpkin spice chewing gum. And pumpkin spice Pringles. Pumpkin spice peanut butter. Even—I’m not making this up—pumpkin spice sangria. The world has clearly gone mad. Perhaps it is an overabundance of all things... Read more
Details: Satan has left the building. Roman Catholic Archbishop Paul S. Coakley and a priest performed “prayers of exorcism” to rid the Civic Center Music Hall of evil spirits that may have lingered after a satanic “black mass” was held there, The Oklahoman has learned. Diane Clay, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, said on Wednesday that Coakley decided to perform the ancient ritual in the Oklahoma City public venue after he learned that some Civic Center patrons were troubled and... Read more
CNS has just released these two brief videos, in which Cardinal Raymond Burke and Cardinal Walter Kasper explain their approaches to this critical issue in their own words. UPDATE: My blog neighbor Joanne McPortland is not at all impressed by this videos, and detects a distinct bias on the part of CNS. Read why. Read more
In a rare move, a secular publication in the UK, The Spectator, offers a strong and persuasive argument about Catholic communion: I am a divorced and remarried Catholic. I attend Mass every week. When my children want me to take them up to Holy Communion, I walk along behind them and cross my arms over my breast. My youngest is particularly keen on going up for a blessing, although he wants to know when he can get ‘the bread’. I say,... Read more
This is one of my favorite stories from the writings of Thomas Merton. In The Waters of Siloe, he tells the true story of a businessman checking into a hotel in Paris in the days following World War II and, inexplicably, passing a young nun in the lobby: The nun is smiling…she is a young sister with a bright, intelligent French face, full of the candor of a child, full of good sense; and her smile is a smile of frank,... Read more
The New Jersey Governor—and possible GOP candidate for president—talked about his faith and his upbringing at a Catholic gathering yesterday: Governor Christie spoke about his religious faith and his efforts to help drug addicts get treatment in his address during the 65th annual Catholic Cemetery Conference Wednesday morning. Christie repeated stories for the stories he’s told about how his wife convinced him to send their four children to Catholic school, of going to Mass with his grandmother as a child... Read more
Details: The trickiest part about hosting Beth Tikvah‘s Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur in the sanctuary of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Inverness is finding a discreet and sensitive way to hide Jesus. From a suspended perch above the altar, a larger-than-life Jesus Christ reaches out from a clear, acrylic cross in Ernest Caballero’s magnificent “Cross of New Life” sculpture, which is the focal point in the Holy Family sanctuary. The sculpture, which cost $750,000 when it was unveiled in 1997, measures... Read more
Renovation, it turns out, can have some powerful side effects. In Crisis, Michael Tamara looks at some striking restorations of churches—including one in Brooklyn—and the impact it’s had on the people in the pews: Dating from the late nineteenth century, Holy Name of Jesus has been a familiar anchor in the Windsor Terrace neighborhood of Brooklyn for generations. Although humble in size and outward appearance, the church boasted an exquisitely decorated interior. Expansive scenes from the life of Christ adorned... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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