From the Virginian-Pilot, photographer The’N. Pham has produced this brief glimpse at the world of Fr. Dan Beeman, who discusses his homily preparation: “You get them for 10 or 15 minutes during the homily,” Father Dan notes. “If you use it for your own agenda, or you recycle what you heard, or you take something from someone else, you don’t really give it the weight of God’s voice coming through you. Then you rob people of what they deserve.” “If... Read more
Details: A Roman Catholic priest who was criminally charged with violating a court order to stay away from children earlier this year has agreed to his permanent removal from the priesthood and to never work in a position that places him in contact with minors. The agreement between the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the the Rev. Michael Fugee resolves the criminal case against him without jail time. Fugee had been facing up to 18 months for multiple counts of... Read more
This arrived in the mail a few weeks back, and I’m just now delving into it: a new book on marriage and the diaconate called “Love Becomes Service,” (published by Dufour Editions) by Msgr. Michael Chaback, director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate for the Diocese of Allentown. While somewhat academic in its approach—Msgr. Chaback notes in his introduction that this slender volume grew out of part of the diaconal formation program in the summer of 2012—there’s a lot of... Read more
From FoxNews.com: On a rainy afternoon last Spring, American pastor Eric Foley and his wife stood in a muddy field near the North Korea border and prayed – their hands clasped to a 40-foot homemade balloon that would carry Bibles to the communist dictatorship’s underground Christians. “I get choked up, every time, as I let go and watch it take off,” Foley told FoxNews.com. The balloons, made from a large sheet of “farm plastic,” said Foley, are filled with hydrogen... Read more
Photo: Tony Avelar/Christian Science Monitor From the Christian Science Monitor: In the soft light of early evening, the smell of curried chilies wafts through the screen door of this two-story, Craftsman-style house in a tidy section of South Los Angeles. As bicycle bells jingle and ice-cream trucks pass by, four men sit in rockers, telling their stories of life in prison to a visiting journalist. All four spent 30 to 35 years in prison for murder. All four have been... Read more
Great shot of Francis from Wednesday’s audience. Read all about it. Read more
Using that stunning picture from earlier in the week as a starting point, CNS has posted an overview of some memorable photographic moments with Pope Francis. Writer Carol Glatz makes note of something beautiful the pontiff said during a recent homily: “God meddles in our miseries, he approaches our wounds and heals them with his hands; it was to have hands he became man. “God does not save us only by decree, with a law, he saves us with tenderness,... Read more
Aleteia has a roundup of reaction from prominent Catholic theologians and priests to the news that the CDF has cracked down on participation in Medjugorje-related events. Details (with a h/t to Diane over a Te Deum) Author and pastor of the Church of St. Michael in Manhattan, Fr. George Rutler views the Medjugorje phenomenon overall very negatively and sees the letter as a step in the right direction. “I have had numerous encounters with proponents of the Medjugorje cult, almost all of... Read more
I’m back from my quick jaunt to Washington, which actually was a quick jaunt to Alexandria, Virginia, just across the river. There, I sat on a panel discussing blogging for the regional meeting of the Catholic Press Association (my companions for the session were Matt Palmer from the USCCB and noted “Mommy Blogger” Elizabeth Foss). Then this guy dropped by. No sooner had I regained my composure, when who else should wander by but Fr. Scott Hurd! Fr. Scott and... Read more
Hey, why not? Details: Rutgers University freshmen are getting a dose of Bruce Springsteen-style religion this semester. The state university is offering a semester-long class exploring the theological roots of the rock icon’s songs, according to a report on Rutgers Today, the school’s online news site. Azzan Yadin-Israel, an associate professor of Jewish studies and classics, is teaching the course. Students are focusing on Springsteen’s interpretation of stories from the Bible in his songs. “The seminar includes lyrics of songs from ‘Greetings... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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