A lot of people have wondered. Last weekend, when someone asked about it, my pastor joked, “You want to know? Check ‘The Deacon’s Bench’!” Heh. I was curious myself, and after digging through mounds of meaningless googling which said, again and again, “It’s because we rejoice,” I dug up this explanation, which is one of the best I’ve found. It comes from Br. Hyacinth Marie Cordell, OP: To understand the meaning of rose, we first need to be aware... Read more
Something undeniably cool: Filipinos will have that proud leap into history as a 22-year-old De La Salle graduate has been named as the first Pinoy astronaut to be sent to space in 2015. Daniel Angelo “Chino” Roque, who has a degree in psychology and a crossfit trainer, will join 22 others who were given the once-in-a-lifetime chance by the Florida-based Axe Apollo Space Academy to travel to space for 30 minutes onboard a Space Expedition Corporation shuttle. In October this year, Roque... Read more
From today’s homily: Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence in the Vatican this Friday morning, focusing his remarks on the attitude of some Christians who seem to be “allergic” to preachers and overly critical of those who proclaim the Gospel, suggesting that they are often afraid of letting the Holy Spirit into their lives and are therefore prone to profound sadness. In his remarks to the faithful following the readings of the day,... Read more
From the AP: First, one of the Legion of Christ’s top officials abruptly quit the troubled religious order in frustration over the slow pace of change. Then priests in the cult-like movement empowered proteges and associates of the order’s disgraced founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, to vote for their next leader. The past month has seen some setbacks the Legion’s efforts to rehabilitate itself as it moves toward electing a new leadership next month, the culmination of a three-year Vatican... Read more
You’ll remember I was asking folks to pray for Bill Ditewig’s grandson, Vinnie. From Bill’s Facebook page late yesterday: The VinMan did great! He’ll be sedated for quite a while. Looks like Christmas in the hospital, but so far, so good. Thanks to EVERYONE for the prayers!!! Bill also attached a pre-surgery picture: Read more
From AP: As visitors descend upon Bethlehem this holiday season, they will notice a different look for the Church of the Nativity. Wrapped in scaffolding, the basilica located at the traditional site of Jesus’ birth is undergoing a much-needed facelift after 600 years. Experts say that water is leaking from the rooftop and threatens to cause serious damage to mosaics and other priceless items. Project manager Afif Tweme said the first stage of the project began in September and is... Read more
What woman wouldn’t love a husband like this? This is causing a small sensation on the Interwebs, where the story behind these outrageous pictures is touching hearts and lifting spirits. It’s the saga of Bob and Linda Carey. After she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Bob did the only thing he could: he tried to make her smile. Just watch the video below. And visit this link for more info. I can’t think of anything that better exemplifies marital love,... Read more
My blog neighbor Rebecca Hamilton has a good piece up today on the attention swirling around yesterday’s announcement that TIME magazine had selected Pope Francis as Person of the Year. She notes: On the one hand, he is named Person of the Year. On the other hand, he is attacked as a heretic and compared — with absolutely no basis in fact — with the most corrupt popes of history. Why? Because he says that Jesus came to seek the... Read more
From The New York Post: On the night of Dec. 4, more than a thousand eager young Catholics braved the Rockefeller Center tree-lighting gridlock to pack into St. Patrick’s Cathedral. But it wasn’t to take photos or marvel at the neo-Gothic interior (which is under renovation). It was to hear New York’s Timothy Cardinal Dolan preside over the monthly Mass that welcomes a younger demographic to the grand house of worship — and it was the most popular event for... Read more
Yes. Believed to be the only relic of its kind in the United States, part of St. Juan Diego’s miraculous tilma is on permanent display in a side chapel of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Details: The relic is a small piece that was detached from the tilma and given to Archbishop John Cantwell of Los Angeles by the Archbishop of Mexico City, Luis Maria Martinez in 1941. It has been in the archives of the Los... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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