The Deacon's Bench
And he moonwalks! Check this out, from the geniuses at Ohio State University, playing “The Way She Makes Me Feel.” Pretty awesome. Read more
And he moonwalks! Check this out, from the geniuses at Ohio State University, playing “The Way She Makes Me Feel.” Pretty awesome. Read more
From the Newark Star Ledger: Paul McKillup, a 79-year-old retired plumber who spent much of this morning singing, said he remembered Mary Jacobson as a young parishioner at St. Mary of the Sea Catholic Church in Bayonne. “I knew Mary when she was a little girl,” McKillup, a member of the St. Mary choir, said after the 10:30 a.m. mass. “I have a lot of respect for her. She worked very hard to become a judge. She has a mind... Read more
From the Virginian-Pilot: A decade after the clergy sex-abuse scandal began to rock the Roman Catholic Church, the Diocese of Richmond has more young priests in the seminary pipeline than it has had in years. In all, 22 seminarians – including eight from Hampton Roads – are preparing to take the vows of ordination in the diocese, according to church officials. That’s the largest contingent in decades and a huge increase since 1997, when just three candidates were in training.... Read more
Details from the Sunday Express: St Peter’s Catholic church in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, has now closed its doors to the shrinking congregation following the sale. Church leaders have reassured Christians the local parish, Cobridge, will continue to exist and money from the St Peter’s sell-off will be used to benefit parishioners. The identity of the buyers has not been disclosed. A spokesman for the church said: “The Archdiocese of Birmingham has over 200 parish churches and an estimated Catholic population of over 285,000. “Any... Read more
Details: Former President George H.W. Bush says his wife is getting fed up with his flashy socks, so he’s donated an exceptional pair of bright, cactus-themed socks to a church fundraiser. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland says the socks that Bush wore in a photo with former President Bill Clinton in Kennebunkport, Maine, last month will be auctioned off Oct. 26 at its Harvest Ball. The socks include a letter of authenticity in which Bush wrote: “I absolutely love... Read more
I’m headed to the airport this morning, bound for Orlando, where I’ll be giving a series of talks to the deacons there. (No time for a sidetrip to MouseWorld, but I’ll wave as I fly over.) I may try to do some blogging while I’m at the retreat center, depending on Internet access. Later! Read more
Following up on this powerful story from the other day, an update: The Florida church where an 15-year-old orphan pleaded for a family to adopt him has been “flooded” with phone calls. “It has been just an awesome outpour,” Cynthia Coney, a secretary at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church, said. “We’ve been getting calls from as far as Utah and forwarding them to his adoption agency.” Two weeks ago, Davion Navar Henry Only, 15, dressed in a dark suit and... Read more
The notion of Pope Francis naming a woman cardinal is gaining more currency—though it’s hard to tell who, exactly, is spreading the idea. David Gibson from the Religion News Service has a closer look: Whether it’s even possible is a matter of debate. But that hasn’t stopped the feverish speculation, which was sparked last month by an article in a Spanish newspaper in which Juan Arias, a former priest who writes from Brazil, wrote that the idea “is not a... Read more
An intriguing study explores that question: The Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan, a traveler who stops on the road to help a badly wounded robbery victim that others had passed by, is a story that we see repeated again and again in the news. In Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after a woman lost control of her car on an Interstate freeway and flipped into a water-filled ditch, a man jumped in to rescue her from drowning. In Arizona, after... Read more
Behold, Ariccia, where Pope Francis and the curia will be spending a few days during Lent on retreat. From CNS: “As a good Jesuit,” Pope Francis knows it is best not to try to make a retreat where one lives and works, so he has decided the annual papal Lenten retreat with Roman Curia officials will be held outside Rome, a Vatican spokesman said. The annual retreat will take place March 9-14 at the Pauline Fathers’ retreat and conference center... Read more
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