Photo: Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune From The Chicago Tribune: For the parishioners of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church on Sunday, it was obvious in so many ways that Deacon Willie Cooper was gone. Someone else led the altar servers and lectors in prayer before Mass. Only the pastor poured holy water on a baby girl getting baptized. No one clapped a little too loudly as the choir sang. And Cooper’s seat near the altar was empty. “There was a part of... Read more
Can I hear an “Amen”? Commentator Bill Flanagan vents. Read more
My blog neighbor Kathy Schiffer, posting on the Obamas’ Christmas card, notes that Huffington Post described the greeting as “stubbornly secular.” As American Thinker put it: The Obama family this year sent out what must be the most depressing White House Christmas card of all time. Not only is there no mention of God or Jesus, or anything vaguely religious, the aesthetics of the thing are downright depressing. I don’t know if it’s depressing, but it is sort of boring. But what about... Read more
The story from last week is taking on a life of its own. Details from ABC News: Alumni, students and parents from a Seattle Catholic school are fighting to have a revered vice principal reinstated, after school officials discovered his marriage to another man. Supporters of Mark Zmuda vowed to pull funds from Eastside Catholic High School, after the school sent out a letter announcing he had resigned and calling his marriage a violation of his contract, which requires a... Read more
A snapshot of reactions and insights from a variety of people in The Boston Globe: After one of the worst decades in Roman Catholic church history, marked by a devastating sexual abuse scandal, internecine turf battles at the Vatican, and a widening chasm between the hierarchy and the people, Pope Francis is changing the conversation about Catholicism around the world — and here at home. Interviews with a dozen local Catholics offer a sense of how New Englanders have been... Read more
Photo: Jackson Clarion-Ledger A beautiful story of love, commitment and faith, from the Jackson, Mississippi Clarion-Ledger, via USA TODAY: At the challenging age of 12, when kids’ most dreaded fears should be getting a mouthful of braces or figuring out how to communicate with the opposite sex, Jack Daylon is dealing with grown-up pain. Over the past seven years, he has watched death claim his mother, father and brother. “And now he’s stuck with me, someone he’s known for three... Read more
The other night, for the umpteenth time, they were showing “It’s a Wonderful Life” on television. It’s a cliché, but it’s true: they don’t make ‘em like this anymore. It’s hard to imagine a movie like this today, where old-fashioned virtues like sacrifice and love of neighbor and a sense of duty and loyalty trump personal ambition and a desire for material gain There’s something else, too: the movie’s strong, almost insistent undercurrent of faith. It unfolds in an America... Read more
From the Arlington Heights Daily Herald in Illinois: A year after controversy in Arlington Heights about whether to allow a Nativity scene on public property, both the Nativity and a sign with views against religion are coexisting — mainly peacefully — in North School Park this holiday season. The Nativity scene, paid for by Jim Finnegan, chairman of the Illinois Nativity Scene Committee, sits next to a sign from the Freedom From Religion Foundation reading, in part, “Religion is but... Read more
Still looking for a Christmas gift for a priest or deacon? Allow me to suggest a book: “Naked and You Clothed Me: Homilies and Reflections for Cycle A”. This is the second of a three-volume series, covering all three liturgical cycles, featuring homilies from people like James Martin SJ, Richard Rohr, OFM, Dan Horan, OFM, Gregory Boyle, SJ…and (cough) me. Last year’s book, “Hungry and You Fed Me” was honored for excellence by the Catholic Press Association. Visit this link for... Read more
Remember that iconic moment when everybody dances during the pageant rehearsal? Voila: a unique flashmob that is a part street theater, part nostalgia, and all pure joy. I dare you watch this and not smile. Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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