Via Vatican Radio: “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Lk 2:12). What a great grace it is to celebrate the Eucharist in the place where Jesus was born! I thank God and I thank all of you who have welcomed me on my pilgrimage: President Mahmoud Abbas and the other civil authorities; Patriarch Fouad Twal and the other bishops and ordinaries of the Holy Land,... Read more
From The Troy Record: More than 250 family members, friends, well-wishers, clergy and others celebrated the ordination of four new deacons to serve the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany on Saturday afternoon The colorful and moving Ordination to the Diaconate was celebrated at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany by Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, his first such ceremony as head of the Albany Diocese. Dr. Michael J. Freeman, 50 (turns 51 on Tuesday) of Walton; Timothy James Kosto... Read more
From CNS’s talented Robert Duncan, a video compilation below of some memorable moments from Pope Francis’s first day in the Holy Land, with powerful words preached in Jordan. Read more about the trip here. Snip: Celebrating Mass on his first day in the Holy Land, Pope Francis said hope for peace in a region torn by sectarian conflicts comes from faith in God. “The way of peace is strengthened if we realize that we are all of the same stock and... Read more
This is Memorial Day weekend, a time when a lot of us will be firing up the barbecue, heading to the beach, or catching the X-Men movie. It’s the unofficial start of summer. The roads will be crowded, the boardwalks will be busy. Kids are counting down to the last day of school. Parents are counting down to the first day of summer camp. We often overlook, though, the roots of this long weekend. Like so many other things, it’s... Read more
In New York City, Steven McDonald is something of a legend. His story grabbed the headlines nearly 30 years ago, in connection with a crime that shocked and horrified many in the city. If you don’t know his story, you should: When NYPD officer Steven McDonald entered Central Park on the afternoon of July 12, 1986, he had no reason to expect anything out of the ordinary. True, there had been a recent string of bicycle thefts and other petty crimes... Read more
On May 24, 1986, my life became complete. Happy 28th Anniversary, Siobhain! I think I’ve crossed some weird existential threshold: I’ve now been a married man for more years than I was a single one. How did that happen? Wasn’t it just last week we were picking out china patterns and sampling wedding cake? The other day, I stumbled on this video of a truly epic marriage proposal. It’s now gone viral. Take a look. I couldn’t have put it... Read more
Photo: Chang W. Lee/New York Times Details: Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan lives in a 19th-century Madison Avenue mansion that connects to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. A cook and two housekeepers serve him and three other priests. A driver chauffeurs him around, though in a Chrysler minivan. It is a comfortable, if not necessarily extravagant, lifestyle, one in keeping with that of past archbishops of New York. But in the age of Pope Francis, who has captured the world’s imagination by rejecting many of the... Read more
…that Pope John Paul II issued his apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, “reserving priestly ordination to men alone.” The document was issued on May 22, 1994. The conclusion: The presence and the role of women in the life and mission of the Church, although not linked to the ministerial priesthood, remain absolutely necessary and irreplaceable. As the Declaration Inter Insigniores points out, “the Church desires that Christian women should become fully aware of the greatness of their mission: today their role... Read more
My blog neighbor—18-year veteran of the Oklahoma House of Representatives—is finishing up her last session today. Her term ends in November. And she’s in a reflective mood that reveals a side of public service most of us don’t see: Today is the last day that I will drive to the capitol, park my car and walk into the building to go to the House floor to vote on the people’s business. Today is the last day that I will walk... Read more
You can take a gander here. The announcement from her bishop, Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois: Please be advised that Ms. Mary F. Keldermans of Springfield, Illinois, has attempted to be ordained a priest for “Roman Catholic Womenpriests, Inc.” in a ceremony at the Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Springfield on May 5, 2014. As a result, she has incurred an automatic excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See. Please note also that a schismatic group called “Holy Family Inclusive... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In