While the world grieves the loss of Robin Williams, it’s worth taking one more look at a singular performance, his voice role as the Genie in Disney’s blockbuster “Aladdin.” Wikipedia describes how it came to be—and almost didn’t: [The directors] wrote the part of the Genie for Williams, and, when met with resistance, created a reel of Williams’ standup to animation of the Genie. When Williams watched the video, he “laughed his ass off” and agreed to do the project. …Williams came... Read more
The latest on the ground: This morning, we received an email from our regional director Michel Constantin in Beirut, who described his phone conversation with Bishop Geryes El Kass Moussa, patriarchal vicar of the Syriac Catholic Church in Iraq: The bishop is at present in Erbil and is staying with the displaced and refugee Christians. During our phone conversation, I heard lot of shouting around him. He informed me that the Christian youth were preparing to go to the U.S.... Read more
The restored diaconate is something new in Ireland, and the number of deacons is relatively small. But one bishop, Kieran O’Reilly of the Diocese of Killaloe, has taken a dramatic step to do something about that. A few days ago, he issued a pastoral letter on the permanent diaconate, outlining the vocation and inviting men to discern the call: With this Pastoral Letter I wish to invite men who believe that the Lord is calling them to the ministry of the permanent... Read more
Details: Sandinista priest Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, a close advisor to President Daniel Ortega, said his first Mass in 29 years this week after Pope Francis reinstated his priestly ministry. D’Escoto, a Maryknoll priest, was suspended from his priestly duties by Pope John Paul II in 1985 for refusing to renounce his position in the revolutionary Sandinista government. Three decades later, the Sandinista priest wrote a letter to the Vatican asking permission to celebrate Mass again “before dying,” according to the... Read more
Details: There are many amazing characters and creatures described in the Hebrew Bible, but elephants are not among them. Imagine the surprise of a team of archaeologists who were in the midst of their fourth summer of excavations at an ancient synagogue in Israel’s Lower Galilee when they discovered elephants in a mosaic panel where they expected only to find biblical scenes. There on the floor of a 5th century synagogue in the ancient Jewish village of Huqoq was an entire mosaic... Read more
Astonishing: The Australian couple accused of abandoning their surrogate baby in Thailand have admitted they would have preferred to abort the boy, who has Down’s syndrome, because “no parent wants a son with a disability”. In their first public comments since it emerged that they had left the boy called Gammy and returned to Australia with his healthy twin sister, Pipah, David and Wendy Farnell said that they had learnt of his condition too late to terminate and now wanted... Read more
From last week, here’s a poignant and personal glimpse at what is happening in Iraq, from the Dominican Sisters who are staying behind: Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Friends, Thank you for journeying with us through prayers and support in the past few months. It really is a time of peril and we are hoping that a miracle from God will end all that. So far, 510 families have been displaced from Mosul. Some were fortunate to leave before the deadline... Read more
The following comes from the Archdiocese of Toronto website. It’s a very good primer on what is happening in Iraq—and how you can help. *** Earlier this week, Cardinal Thomas Collins released a statement calling for Canada to assist persecuted religious minorities in Iraq. Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about the unfolding tragedy. QUESTION: What is happening in Iraq? ANSWER: In June 2014, the Islamic State (IS), formerly called ISIS – Islamic State of Iraq and Syria... Read more
Details, from Australia: From beyond the grave, father-of-four Patrick Carroll continued a five-decade crusade to steer his children away from being active Jehovah’s Witnesses and into Catholicism. Mr Carroll wrote into his will that his adult children were not to receive any inheritance unless they met two conditions: attend his funeral and become Catholics within three months of his death. Mr Carroll died in April 2012. His children attended the funeral but they did not become Catholics and challenged the... Read more
And it’s a doozy. Details: A Brazilian billionaire preacher inaugurated a massive church building in Sao Paulo, Brazil last week, designed to be a $300 million replica of the original Temple of Solomon, as noted in the Bible’s Old Testament. The temple, which takes over an entire city block, is an 11-story building twice the size of the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro, and is complete with stone from Israel and a helipad for its founder’s,... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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