The modern version of an ancient devotion remains perennially popular, and now Mark Zimmerman at the Catholic Standard in Washington has the story behind it: About 45 years ago, amid the happy chaos of his large Bethesda home as his 13 children were coming and going in all directions, Deacon Clarence Enzler would settle onto a living room chair and write a manuscript by hand, or pull up a chair and peck at his typewriter on the dining room table.... Read more
The building that housed it may soon be history. From The New York Daily News: The lower Manhattan building that once housed the controversial “Ground Zero Mosque” will soon be reduced to rubble. An application was filed with the city Buildings Department on Monday to demolish the site at 51 Park Place in Tribeca, which had been home to Park51, an Islamic cultural and prayer center, city records show. The application by the building’s owner, Soho Properties, also requested approval... Read more
Details: Teachers and staff working at dozens of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Oakland will have to sign off on a new morality clause in their contracts to keep their jobs. It’s small paragraph that dictates behavior in both their professional and personal lives. “In both the TEACHER’S personal and professional life, the TEACHER is expected to model and promote behavior in conformity with the teaching of the Roman Catholic faith in matters of faith and morals, and to... Read more
The latest wrinkle, from The Charlotte Observer: The controversy over a recent speaker at Charlotte Catholic High School continues to churn, with the pastor at St. Ann Catholic Church in Charlotte telling parishioners that sins were committed by some parents and students for their “utter lack of charity and vicious disrespect . . . in this fight.” In his Sunday homily, or sermon, the Rev. Timothy Reid had a lot to say about the uproar over a March 21 address... Read more
Wow. Life imitates television. That’s a scary thought. From Mother Jones: On Tuesday morning, Fox & Friends First host Heather Childers referred to the UConn Huskies as “NAACP national champs.” This is funny, because what she meant was “NCAA national champs.” The NAACP is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which, among other things, mounted anti-lynching campaigns in the United States. The NCAA is the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which didn’t. So we all had a brief chuckle at Childers‘ expense, and were ready to move... Read more
A mother struggles with being both a Christian and a liberal academic—and it sounds like she’s embarrassed about it. Here’s writer Christin Taylor in The New York Times: As I drove home from church, I eyed the bright foam sign my 6-year-old daughter held. “Jesus is Alive” it read in kid scrawl. “We’re supposed to put them in our yards!” Noelle beamed, eyeing her creation proudly through pink-rimmed glasses. I imagined our wide, open yard in Pennsylvania, the green grass... Read more
I’ve never seen anything quite like this. And I’ll wager you haven’t either. From the Christian Post: SonLight Music Ministry had just finished what sounded like a beautiful rendition of “Be Thou My Vision” when Father Ray Kelly again took the mic at the wedding of Chris and Leah O’Kane. But instead of closing the ceremony as planned, the priest unleashed a big surprise for the couple that’s destined for the pantheon of wedding viral videos. It’s not a joke... Read more
From my conversations with clergy around the country, this result isn’t all that surprising. But the sampling is: just 539 parishes responded, out of 6,000 that were invited to participate (from about 17,000 parishes in the U.S. ) Nonetheless, here’s what those in the poll are saying, via NCR: Leaders at 539 parishes across the country indicate their disagreement with the new translation in a new study conducted by Georgetown’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) and released Tuesday in... Read more
Details: Police have arrested a 16-year-old in connection with last week’s murder of 24-year-old father-to-be Nathan Trapuzzano. Simeon Adams, 16, Indianapolis, is being held at the Juvenile Center, according to a release from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. He is recovering from a gunshot wound he received during an incident on April 1 at 1141 W. 35th St. Adams also is a suspect in an aggravated assault March 30 in the 2900 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Street. Read more. ... Read more
From Reuters: Relatives of a nine-month-old baby charged with attempted murder in Pakistan have taken him into hiding, a relative said on Tuesday, in a case that has thrown a spotlight on Pakistan’s dysfunctional criminal justice system. Mohammad Musa Khan appeared in court in the city of Lahore last week, charged with attempted murder along with his father and grandfather after a mob protesting against gas cuts and price increases stoned police and gas company workers trying to collect overdue... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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