From a report on their website, looking at what was happening 50 years ago at the council comes this nugget from October 29, 1963: Peru’s Cardinal declared that a permanent diaconate would answer a “general need” in the Church today, a need especially urgent in Latin America. Juan Cardinal Landazuri Ricketts, OFM, of Lima said in an interview that the proposal for a permanent diaconate — with the possibility of married deacons — involves a “profound” change in the Church.... Read more
From his prayer group’s Facebook page: Thomas is being released from rehab today! This is such a happy day…one that we were told not to expect right after his injury. THANK YOU, again and more than I can ever say, for your prayers! Please continue to pray, as the road to recovery is still long, but please also join us in celebrating this wonderful step! May our Lord bless you abundantly! God is good. It’s been a long few months... Read more
Details from Gerard O’Connell at Vatican Insider: The Australian cardinal George Pell, one of the eight cardinals that Pope Francis has chosen to advice him, agreed to talk about his experience of their historic meeting (October 1-3) with the Holy Father on the understanding that “the only substantial information” available about that gathering is what Fr Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, gave to the media. “Anything that I might say will be peripheral to that”, he said; and “as one of the... Read more
Details: Five Catholics protesting U.S. drone warfare policies said they were stunned but relieved to be found not guilty of disorderly conduct for their roles in an Ash Wednesday demonstration at an upstate New York air base. “We were like, really?” said defendant Ellen Grady, a Catholic Worker from Ithaca, N.Y., and a member of the Cornell Catholic Community at Cornell University. “The judge said ‘I know this is going to be shocking to you all, but I’m finding in... Read more
A biblical scholar makes the compelling argument that Jesus was not born in a stable: This understanding of the story has been around, even in Western scholarship, for a long, long time. Bailey cites William Thomson, a Presbyterian missionary to Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, who wrote in 1857: It is my impression that the birth actually took place in an ordinary house of some common peasant, and that the baby was laid in one of the mangers, such as are still found in... Read more
With a grateful diaconal bow to Mark Shea, I offer some of what an Episcopal priest writes in a California paper: Put simply, the new head of the Roman Catholic Church is blowing everyone’s minds. He is saying and doing things that seem like fresh water in the midst of a desert. He is speaking and acting with compassion, honesty and generosity of spirit. His wisdom is grounded in love. My guess is that Pope Francis is going to bring... Read more
From the Columbus Dispatch: Responding to concerns arising in prayer groups and confessionals, some central Ohio Catholics have started a ministry aimed at helping prevent and treat pornography addiction. The My House Initiative offers a confidential help line, support groups and referrals to counseling. It’s a collaboration of the Columbus Catholic Men’s Ministry, the Columbus Catholic Women’s Ministry and the Diocese of Columbus’ Office for Social Concerns and Office of Marriage and Family Life. “It’s a program that treats the... Read more
Efforts are underway to rebrand the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington as a major pilgrimage site. CNS has a preview below. Post by Catholic News Service. Read more
Last week, I posted on the ordination of deacons in Richmond. Here, some highlights of the bishop’s message, from the Catholic Virginian: In his exuberance of welcoming 19 men who were presenting themselves to be ordained deacons for the Diocese of Richmond, Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo compared them to “superheroes” comic strip lore and early TV. Among those he mentioned was Superman, alias Clark Kent, who fought for “Truth, Justice and the American Way.” Others included Steve Rogers and, “Let’s... Read more
And he’s eternally grateful. Check out this sensational performance from a Bronx Poetry Slam held earlier this year. This kid gets it. And so do his parents. Read more
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The Deacon's Bench
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