A couple weeks ago, Fr. Roger Landry wrote a column for his diocesan newspaper in which he argued that, yes, it does: When people come to a Church that is anything but standing room only, where they opt to worship indicates something about their attitude toward involvement at Mass. Sitting up front is normally a sign of eagerness and excitement. Sitting in the back likely suggests that the person is approaching more as a spectator than as a zealous participant. If... Read more
This is something utterly sweet and heart-tugging: a brief conversation about love and memory between a daughter and her mother with Alzheimer’s. “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you…” Read more
From Vatican Radio: Pope Francis called a priest at a refugee camp in Iraq to express his closeness to the persecuted Christians who have taken refuge there and to promise his continued support. Pope Francis reportedly called Fr Behnam Benoka on August 19, a day after returning from his apostolic journey to South Korea. Fr Benoka is a priest of Bartella, a small Christian town near Mosul, and the vice-rector of the Catholic seminary in Ankawa. However, he is currently... Read more
Details, from HuffPo: Muslim leaders in the UK have issued a fatwa condemning British jihadis who fight alongside the Islamic State terrorist group, saying they are “betraying their own societies”. The fatwa, which The Sunday Times (£) said had been issued by imams, is the strongest condemnation yet of Britons joining Islamic extremists by the Muslim community. It comes as Britain’s terror threat was hiked from “substantial” to “severe” in response to fighting in Iraq and Syria, and the seemingly growing... Read more
Details: Columbus Police said they’ve never had anything like it – three churches vandalized in the same night.Someone spray painted them on the outside. It’s the words used, though, that have some people asking if this was more than a prank.“It was just one word. It said ‘Infidels!’” Father Doug Marcotte said of what was spray painted on Saint Bartholomew’s Catholic Church in Columbus overnight Saturday.Parishioners saw that, along with the word “Qur’an 3:151” on their way into mass Sunday... Read more
John Allen looks at some recent high-profile bishop appointments and draws some intriguing conclusions in The Boston Globe: The profile of the kind of man Francis seems to look for in key posts is this: Orthodox in doctrine but committed to dialogue and outreach, someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously, who emphasizes concern for the poor and those at the margins, and who gets out of the office and into the streets. Time will tell how successful Francis is... Read more
An interesting glimpse at a growing phenomenon in the American church, via OSV: A million-dollars isn’t what it used to be. Throughout the past decade, a growing number of Catholic parishes have learned that lesson for themselves, as they’ve joined the ranks of “million-dollar parishes” — parishes whose annual revenues exceed $1 million. According to a recent report by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, approximately 28 percent of Catholic parishes now qualify as... Read more
Here’s a very good video on a main theme in this Sunday’s gospel. H/T Connie at The Ark. Read more
In the gospels, it’s been a rough summer for St. Peter. A couple weeks ago, we encountered him climbing out of a boat during a storm, trying to walk on water. He lost faith and began to sink, and Jesus had to rescue him. Then, last week, Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom and called him his rock. Peter had just gotten used to that idea when, those words still ringing in his ears, he heard Jesus calling... Read more
Details, from Religion News Service: Christian farm owners in upstate New York who declined a lesbian couple’s request to hold a wedding ceremony on their property have been fined $10,000 and ordered to pay the women $1,500 each. Cynthia and Robert Gifford, who own Liberty Ridge Farm near Albany, rent their facilities for birthday parties and about a dozen weddings each year. When Jennifer McCarthy and Melisa Erwin, a same-sex couple from Newark, N.J., requested to use the facility for their 2012 wedding,... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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