This is, in a word, unusual. From Vatican Insider: The Pope has received a letter signed by 26 Italian women who admit to have feelings for a priest or a monk and are asking for a review of the celibacy law. “Dear Pope Francis, we are a group of women from all over Italy (and further afield) and are writing to you to break down the wall of silence and indifference that we are faced with every day. Each of... Read more
Here’s a first look at the new deacons, ordained yesterday by Bishop William Murphy at the Cathedral of St. Agnes on Long Island. (h/t Tom Connelly for the pic!) Read more about the new deacons at the diocesan website. Congratulations, brothers, and welcome! Ad multos annos! Read more
Details: A popular priest killed himself Monday, days after the Diocese of St. Petersburg launched an investigation into his church’s finances, authorities said. A maintenance worker found the Rev. Vladimir Dziadek, 57, at the bottom of a staircase in the living quarters at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Monday, police said. A few days earlier, representatives from the diocese had met with Dziadek after an auditor discovered irregularities in the church’s quarterly financial report.The representatives were scheduled to meet again... Read more
Details: Hundreds of students at a San Francisco Catholic school wore ties to class Friday to protest an administrative decision to keep the graduation photo of a female student wearing a tuxedo out of the yearbook. The outcry became contagious as word spread across social media and support for Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory senior Jessica Urbina flowed in from around the world. Late in the day, school officials said the events had “sparked a campus-wide dialogue which will result in a revision of policy.” The statement... Read more
What happens when the worlds of “Mad Men” and “X-Men” collide? You have to see it. This was evidently created by the good people at Quiznos, who place a prominent plug at the end. In a word: inspired. Read more
Since it’s ordination season, here’s a valuable phrase that every newly ordained priest and deacon needs to know: May this rosary and the one who uses it be blessed, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. You’ll use that more often than you realize. Last year, I posted an item on blessings, for those who are curious about such things. There’s also a good primer at the beginning of the... Read more
Regular readers may remember postings from a few months ago about the renovation of Holy Name of Jesus Church in Brooklyn. The work is now complete and the church is to be rededicated Sunday, just a few days after another Brooklyn landmark, St. Joseph’s, was rededicated as the diocese’s co-cathedral. Brooklyn, the “city of churches,” seems to be enjoying a renaissance of beautiful Catholic churches, and I can’t help but think (and hope) it will help to energize the faithful.... Read more
It could happen, according to RNS: Spanish heartthrob Antonio Banderas may be cast in the role of Pope Francis in the first feature film to be made on the life of the Argentine pontiff. Italian director Daniele Luchetti plans to make the $12 million Spanish-language film, titled Call Me Francesco, with producer Pietro Valsecchi, who has made some of Italy’s highest-grossing movies. Valsecchi’s Rome-based production house, Taodue Film, confirmed the news May 14, and a spokeswoman said the company was looking... Read more
A fascinating interpretation, via Bill Ditewig, from an interview with Bishop Tena Garriga, renowned expert on liturgical theology: The retired bishop stressed the role of preaching as critical to the ministry of the deacon. He referred first to the ancient liturgies, often in the catacombs, in which the episkopos would celebrate Mass over the bones of the martyrs. The deacon, likewise, was directed by the bishop to proclaim the Gospel from an open tomb nearby in order to stress the fact that the... Read more
Lord, have mercy: A pregnant Sudanese doctor has been sentenced to death after refusing to recant her Christian faith. Meriam Ibrahim Ishag was born to a Muslim father but married a Christian man in 2011. The 26-year-old, who is eight months pregnant and has an 18-month-old son, was convicted of apostasy – or renouncing her faith – by a court in Khartoum. ‘We gave you three days to recant but you insist on not returning to Islam. I sentence you to... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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