“Like it or not, religion is not going away…”

Last updated on: July 31, 2013 at 4:31 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

A compelling take on the world today—and tomorrow—from Michael Coren in theToronto Sun: Chattering classes may swoon over the late Christopher Hitchens and pretend to have read Richard Dawkins, but nobody is going to die, or live in the real sense, for secular humanism and atheistic materialism. The dynamic, the driving force of, in particular, younger people is religion. Shocked, incredulous, even angry at what I just said? Fine, be happy in your denial. But if you think, for example,... Read more

“Parishioners Were on the Sidewalk Crying”: Vandal Strikes Brooklyn Churches, Synagogue

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:41 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: Police at the 68th Precinct were questioning a suspect in connection with a rash of attacks on religious institutions in Bay Ridge discovered early Tuesday morning. Four churches and a prep school were splattered with red paint, according to Police Officer Sophia Tassy-Mason, a spokeswoman for the New York Police Department. Tassy-Mason said the vandalism was discovered shortly after 3 a.m. on July 30. “These incidents are being investigated as hate crimes,” she told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. US... Read more

Worth a Thousand Words

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:41 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

After returning to Rome from Rio, Pope Francis decided to stop at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major to offer a brief prayer to the Blessed Virgin for World Youth Day. A group of young people offered him a WYD T-shirt and a ball. Pope Francis later offered the gifts to our Blessed Mother. Read more

Calling All Preachers!

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:41 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The following email arrived this afternoon: I’m writing with an item that might be of interest for The Deacon’s Bench. The Loyola Institute for Ministry (Loyola New Orleans) is offering an entirely online preaching course, Sharing the Word, this fall from September 9 through November 18, and available for CEU or graduate credit . The class is open to anyone, clergy or lay, who already has some preaching experience and is interested in improving; the course content itself grows out of my doctoral... Read more

More Pope Reaction: “He is Leading with Mercy”

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:41 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the Washington Post comes this roundup of reaction to Pope Francis’s comments yesterday—including some astute thoughts from our own Eve Tushnet: “Pope Francis’s brief comment on gays reveals great mercy,” said the Reverend James Martin, an influential Catholic commentator. ”That mercy, of course, comes from Jesus Christ. And we can never have enough of it. The pope’s remarks also are in line with the catechism, which teaches that gays should be treated with ‘respect, compassion and sensitivity.’ ” Chad... Read more

Must-Read: Pope Francis on Problems Facing the Missionary Church

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:41 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

After yesterday’s bombshell, this may seem tame in comparison. But Rocco has helpfully posted the entire text of remarks Pope Francis made Sunday to CELAM, a group of bishops in Latin America. The section, I think, below deserves wider circulation. The decision for missionary discipleship will encounter temptation. It is important to know where the evil spirit is afoot in order to aid our discernment. It is not a matter of chasing after demons, but simply one of clear-sightedness and... Read more

Sanity and Clarity

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:41 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

After some of the heated emotions stirred up by yesterday’s news regarding the Extraordinary Form, two responses bring a level of sanity, clarity—and, I think, charity. First, from the Franciscans: The fact is that Pope Francis has not forbidden the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite to the Franciscans Friars of the Immaculate. Simply put, after personally examining our situation and praying, he has decided that the ordinary form of the Sacred Liturgy for the FFI will be that of the ordinary form of... Read more

Stop the Presses: Andrew Sullivan Praises the Pope!

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

You may want to sit down for this: I’ve just watched the actual video of Pope Francis’ airplane press conference, and it’s even more remarkable than the quotes we gleaned earlier from reporters like John Allen. What’s so striking to me is not what he said, but how he said it: the gentleness, the humor, the transparency. I find myself with tears in my eyes as I watch him. I’ve lived a long time to hear a Pope speak like that – with gentleness... Read more

The Pope and the Catechism

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

A little context may be helpful. Pope Francis, yesterday: “I think that when we encounter a gay person, we must make the distinction between the fact of a person being gay and the fact of a lobby, because lobbies are not good. They are bad. If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge that person? The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this point beautifully but says, wait a moment, how... Read more

A Widowed Michigan Priest—and a REALLY Late Vocation

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the Detroit Free Press, here’s an interesting profile of a pastor who was just ordained six years ago—when he was in his mid-70s—after raising a family. Snip: [Rev. William] Spencer, 81, is pastor of Holy Name of Mary Parish, which is composed of two churches that recently merged — Our Lady of Lake Huron in Harbor Beach and St. Anthony of Padua in Helena, both in the Thumb of Michigan. He also oversees Our Lady of Lake Huron Catholic... Read more