A deacon friend sent me his homily for today. It’s extraordinary and, I think, deserves a wider audience. I post it here with his permission. I hope it will resonate with many. ++ My good friend, Father Hilarion has a saying that goes like this… Everyone who comes into your life is a blessing. Some are a blessing when they arrive. And some are a blessing when they leave. We all, touch the lives of others…. And we are all... Read more
The photo shows Chinese doctors bowing in tribute to a young boy who donated his organs to try and save the lives of others. The story: The parents of 11-year-old Liang Yaoyi were stunned by his request. As cancer ravaged his body, the fifth grader from the Chinese city of Shenzhen focused on how he could save others if he could not survive his own battle. “There are many people doing great things in the world,” he said from his... Read more
Those of us who grew up with the “Good News for Modern Man” in the 1970s can be forgiven for feeling a sense of deja vu. But here’s some news about a new translation of the Bible that you’ll be hearing about, from NCR: The Message is relatively unknown to Catholics because it is a Protestant Bible. It was translated by a Protestant scholar, omits several books that are in Catholic versions, was published by a Protestant outlet, NavPress, and until... Read more
Last month, I posted about my friend Jeremy Canna, one of 13 new priests ordained for the Diocese of Brooklyn. This weekend, he is profiled in The Wall Street Journal: Father Canna, a slight, hyper-articulate Marine Park native who walks through life chin first, is among the youngest of the 13 priests just ordained by the Diocese of Brooklyn—the largest class in the nation this year. The diverse crew included immigrants from Poland and Haiti, a middle-aged former flight attendant and... Read more
If you visited Facebook Friday afternoon, you would have seen on a sidebar a list of some of the stories that were trending around the world – what people were reading, sharing, talking about. High on the list was the new cast for “Game of Thrones,” Ben Affleck as Batman, a documentary about Nicholas Cage and the suspension of Ray Rice from the N.F.L after he was indicted on charges of assaulting his fiancée. You would have to look very... Read more
This moved late yesterday, but with the various technical issues involving the Patheos reboot, I’m only getting to it now. But this is huge: Christ Cathedral will be the site of the first West Coast broadcast studio for the largest religious media network in the world, with construction underway in the iconic Tower of Hope for the Eternal World Television Network. EWTN, which transmits Catholic programming 24 hours a day available to 230 million-plus homes in 140 countries, has long sought... Read more
Remarkable and noteworthy: In a region and world of increasing polarization and intolerance, Jordanian Prince El Hassan bin Talal has for decades been a beacon of tolerance and understanding in the Middle East. As founder and chair of the Royal Institute for Inter-faith Studies and Co-founder and chair of the Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue, Prince Hassan has been the voice of conscience where conscience is being drowned out by religious extremism. He is also, not insignficantly,... Read more
From CNS: Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said Pope Francis has accepted his invitation to attend the World Meeting of Families in the U.S. next year.Archbishop Chaput made the announcement July 24 before giving his homily during the opening Mass of the Tekakwitha Conference in Fargo. “Pope Francis has told me that he is coming,” said the archbishop as he invited his fellow Native Americans to the 2015 celebration being held in Philadelphia Sept. 22-27.“The pope will be with us... Read more
Details: Bishop Dennis Sullivan, in consultation with the Presbyteral Council and Deacon Council, has instituted a change in the Diocese of Camden’s practice concerning clerical attire for permanent deacons. Effective Aug. 1, clerical attire consisting of a grey clergy shirt with white collar may now be worn by the 136 permanent deacons in the diocese as they conduct their ministerial duties, which include liturgical functions in parishes; hospital, nursing home, and prison apostolates; home visitations; presiding at wake services and... Read more
I read today of the death of Fr. Pat Malone, S.J.—a man my own age, lost to leukemia. His obituary tells of a life well-lived, one that touched so many, especially workers at Ground Zero in the weeks after 9/11. He maintained a blog. Shortly after Easter, probably knowing that his life was drawing to a close, he had this to say: Here’s one: nothing seems to stop the force of compassion. In a world long drenched in inequity and... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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