Here they are: A dozen deacon candidates were welcomed by Bishop Thomas Paprocki. The liturgy was celebrated in the chapel of the Chiara Center in Springfield. Below, the clergy that took part. The bishop was very excited to meet Deacon Gary. That’s some sacristy: Oh: and we had cheesecake! Congratulations, gentlemen! They’ll be ordained in 2016. Read more
This is a big ordination weekend for several dioceses, where I know they’ll be ordaining new deacons later today; I hope to have pictures and news about that later this weekend. Meantime, I’m privileged to be spending a few days giving a retreat to the deacon candidates of Springfield, Illinois, who will receive the ministry of lector from Bishop Thomas Paprocki this morning. The rite will take place in the beautiful chapel of the Chiara Center, the St. Francis of... Read more
A deacon candidate thought I might appreciate the pictures below, of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Chatham, Illinois. The first image is from Easter 2013. And this is from Easter 2014. The theme: Jesus as giant Easter candle. Read more
The group we’re talking about is relatively small, numbering several hundred, and not Roman Catholic. But a move like this could carry wider significance. From The New York Times: In a step that is sure to fuel the debate over mandatory celibacy, a high-level group of Catholic and Orthodox officials is calling on the Vatican to allow Eastern Catholic priests serving in North America to marry. Eastern Catholic priests are already allowed to marry overseas, but not in North America, with limited... Read more
So I’m here in Illinois, surrounded by cornfields and truck stops, in an oasis of leafy tranquility run by some kindly Franciscan nuns. (The picture above is a stunning window in a small prayer space called “The Canticle Room,” depicting St. Francis’s famous “Canticle of the Sun.”) I’m preaching a retreat to deacon candidates about to receive the ministry of lector, and I’m struggling to put into words some thoughts on The Word, when along comes Elizabeth Duffy, who seemingly... Read more
The following press release was sent out this morning by the Archdiocese for Military Services: Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer delivered the invocation at today’s internationally televised ceremony in Normandy marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day, when U.S.-led Western Allied forces landed to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation. In the ceremony, attended by U.S. President Barack Obama and French President François Hollande, Bishop Spencer asked divine guidance for government and military leaders as they chart the course of the... Read more
Details: A cheery Catholic nun has clinched an Italian television talent singing contest after winning millions of followers with her lively dance act and soulful renditions of pop classics. Wearing her habit and a crucifix around her neck, Suor Cristina immediately thanked God for her victory on Thursday in The Voice of Italy and recited an “Our Father” prayer to puzzlement among the organisers. “I want Jesus to come in here!” said the wholesome 25-year-old with a self-effacing manner, who... Read more
Details: Belgian Police have charged a 57 year old man with 10 cases of illegal euthanasia. The man, identified as Deacon Wevelgem was working in the Sacred Heart Hospital in Menin up until 2002 where, presumably the deaths occurred over a period of years. Belgium’s euthanasia laws came into effect in 2002 rendering, one would assume, any euthanasia deaths before that time subject to the Belgian criminal code on homicide. The fact that these deaths are supposed to have occurred... Read more
Illinois, that is. I’ll be giving a retreat to deacon candidates this weekend, as they receive the ministry of lector from Bishop Thomas Paprocki. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello. Here’s a blast from the past, meantime: a picture from March of 2005, when I was instituted in the ministry of lector by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. Keep us all in your prayers—especially the candidates. If I had to listen to me for the next three days,... Read more
I don’t know if this is a first for the United States, but it’s exceptional: In a gesture that reaches out to divorced and remarried Catholics, the Cleveland Catholic Diocese announced on Wednesday that it will stop charging fees for marriage annulments. Bishop Richard Lennon said he made the decision to “encourage greater participation in the life of the church” by Catholics in “irregular marital situations, such as divorce and remarriage.” Catholics who have remarried without an annulment are not permitted to... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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