For those who have been following his story, and remembering him in prayer, an update: After focusing on his right hand for a few weeks, his right thumb and pinky are starting to move very slowly. His therapist is optimistic that they can get more of the fingers to follow suit, it will just take a lot more time and effort. His left hand continues to gain strength; they are working on isolated finger movements and he can now compress... Read more
Hot on the heels of yesterday’s post on beauty in churches, here’s a living example of a renovation gone wrong—and an effort to make it right. Last year, I posted on the remarkable renovation being undertaken at one Brooklyn parish, whose sanctuary looked like this: Now that’s changing. Here’s an update from the New York Daily News: We’ve all heard about the soaring cost of the St. Patrick’s Cathedral renovation. But over in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, the Holy Name of... Read more
Here’s something you don’t see every day: a piece on corporate behavior and politics … by a religious sister. Details: Thirty years ago, I became a Catholic sister as one way to live out my desire to make the world a peaceful place. Almost immediately, I ran into heartbreak. At age 30, I thought I had at last found “my tribe”—people with whom I could work to establish justice and nonviolence, writ large. That was until I started attending meetings.... Read more
For the full story behind the image, check out what ace CNS photog Paul Haring has to say over at the CNS blog. And kudos to him for giving us another one that’s worth a thousand words. Read more
Here’s a different take on Pope Francis, from a business perspective, via a retired university professor and dean: Leaving aside for the moment judgments about faith and doctrine that are beyond the scope of the financial pages, let’s just look at how successful Francis has been in his first year as CEO of one of the world’s largest and most influential multinationals. He may be the first Pontiff to merit a Harvard Business School case study in 21st Century executive... Read more
Well, sort of. Details: An ancestor of humans — albeit one that is at the root of our family tree — shared the planet with dinosaurs, a new study concludes. This ancestor, the first placental mammal, lived between 88.3 to 91.6 million years ago, according to the study, published in the latest issue of Biology Letters. Placental mammals today include humans and all other mammals except those that lay eggs or have pouches (marsupials). The study counters prior research, based... Read more
A parish priest offers his perspective, from NCR: The thornier annulments involve people who were not Catholics at the time and had absolutely no reason to get married in a Catholic church. Ironically, they have to go through a full legal process before a church tribunal. It is painful and pointless. They have to find witnesses, get records, take statements, dig up old contacts, and open old wounds. All of our language is legal, not pastoral. We speak of petitions,... Read more
I stumbled on this interesting review by Colette Arredondo of a new book by a leading Catholic architect, Duncan G. Stroik, who argues persuasively for traditional church design: Stroik seeks an architecture that is inherently Catholic. For him, the “form follows function” concept is at odds with the purpose of a church building, which needs to do more than just serve the programmatic function of the liturgy. Catholicism is a religion of the senses, he explains. The architecture of its... Read more
Photo: Martha Rial/Pittsburgh Magazine You won’t see anything more beautiful and inspiring than this. Pittsburgh’s Dr. Jim Withers operates his practice with a simple idea: the best way to care for the homeless is to treat them where they live. Nightly, he takes to the streets with a man who once was homeless, to care for those no one else cares for. Pittsburgh Magazine profiled him a few years ago. But check out the video below. Read more
Oh, Canada: Halifax considers doorknob ban on new homes Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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