The Deacon's Bench
They pray and do the dishes. Read more
They pray and do the dishes. Read more
Oops. Details, from AFP: A woman who underwent fertility treatment at a clinic in Rome became pregnant with the twins of another couple after their embryos were mixed up, press reports said Sunday. Italy’s health ministry said it was launching an investigation into the mix-up, which was only discovered when the woman was three months pregnant. The mistake happened on December 4, when four different couples were receiving treatment at a specialist fertility unit at the Sandro Pertini Hospital in... Read more
From CNS: President Barack Obama praised Francis during an Easter prayer breakfast at the White House, April 14. In his remarks, the president said he felt the spirit of the hope of the Resurrection and of following Jesus when he met Pope Francis on Mar. 27 at the Vatican. “Those of us of the Christian faith, regardless of our denomination, have been touched and moved by Pope Francis,” Obama said. “Some of it is his words — his message of... Read more
He appeared on RTE’s “The Late Late Show” a few nights back. He performed an encore of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” just as he did at the wedding, and talked about that phenomenal (and controversial) moment below. UPDATE: Writing at Catholic Vote, Kate O’Hare offers some poignant, hopeful thoughts on this phenomenon, and what it might mean for the church in Ireland: While questions could be asked about the liturgical correctness of singing the song—even with the customized lyrics celebrating the... Read more
This is exceptional: An 14 incredible years in the making, this viral video shows Lotte Hofmeester grow from a baby to a beautiful teen in a mere 4 minutes and five seconds. Lotte’s father, Frans Hofmeester, started taking video of his daughter as soon as she was born on October 28, 1999. “She was changing at such a rapid pace, that I felt the need to document the way she looked, to keep my memories intact,” he writes on his website. Watch below. Read more
Details: The Maltese parliament legalized same-sex unions and gay adoption on Monday in a 37-0 vote, signaling a major change in social policy for a conservative country where Catholicism is the state religion. “Malta is now more liberal and more European, and it has given equality to all its people,” Labour Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said. The opposition Nationalist Party abstained from the vote, saying that although it supports civil unions, it has doubts about adoption rights for gay couples.... Read more
In Prague, it seems, everybody wants to wish you a Hoppy Easter. They got an early start today in the city’s main square with the traditional rabbit obstacle course competition. You get an idea of what’s involved above. For more…Czech out other pictures at this link. Photo: Reuters/David W. Cerny Read more
Details: A tech-savvy priest who has worked on social media technology for the Vatican is launching a new app he claims will challenge censorship of Christian prayers in Muslim countries. Launched on Saturday through iTunes, iBreviary in Arabic will give Arabic-speaking priests all the daily prayers they need on their iPhones, enabling them to skirt bans in the sale of the Catholic breviary in parts of the Islamic world. “This app opens a door for religious freedom,” said Father Paolo... Read more
So say the Academy Award-winning songwriters behind the monster hit, “Frozen,” in this interview with NPR: The husband and wife team behind the Oscar-winning Frozen said on Thursday that while Disney is open to bringing songwriters from diverse backgrounds, God is the only thing that they have seen censored since they have worked there. Speaking on NPR’s Fresh Air show, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez told host Terry Gross that some of the preconceptions outside of the industry folks might have about Disney may not... Read more
I first posted this during Advent, but it seems even more timely now. Check it out: Pope Francis called on the faithful to use the Internet as a source of hope. Every click of the mouse, every arrow hovering over a link, can lead us either closer to or further from the Gospel. As the Holy Father said: “Guided by the Holy Spirit, we will discover valuable opportunities to lead people to the luminous face of the Lord. Among the possibilities... Read more
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