Details: Eleven men were ordained May 25 in an almost three-hour liturgy as permanent deacons in the Diocese of Belleville. Some acknowledged their nervousness, but all were excited and happy to have reached their ordination day, which heralds a new chapter in their lives of service to the church. All of the men have participated in parish ministry, some long before they entered the formation program for the diaconate five years ago. Before their ordination, the men took a few... Read more
Okay, it’s not the second guy from the left. Shown above at the Catholic Media Conference in Denver, from left to right: J.D. Flynn, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Denver; Your Humble Blogger; John Miller, Associate Director of the Liturgy Office; Deacon Chuck Parker, Director of the Liturgy Office. J.D. tells me he went to college with another Patheos blogger, Sam Rocha. Small world! It’s a great church here in Denver, and I’m happy to be spending time with... Read more
Take four minutes and see Stephen Colbert in a new and unexpectedly moving role: a loving son. The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,Video Archive Read more
Details: In a message to participants of the Fifth World Congress Against the Death Penalty held in Madrid, Pope Francis reiterated the Holy See’s support for “the abolition of the death penalty.” Opposition to the death penalty is part of the Church’s defense of the dignity of human life, he said, and it is “a courageous reaffirmation of the conviction that humanity can successfully confront criminality” without resorting to the suppression of life. In his message, which was signed by... Read more
The well-known priest—an Episcopal convert, staunch traditionalist and a familiar fixture on EWTN—is leaving the parish he’s pastored for nearly a dozen years. Rutler broke the news in his parish bulletin: Writing a weekly message to you is a challenge even under ordinary circumstances, because the cruel regimen of the printer requires that it be done with 480 words or fewer. Usually I spin it off on a Monday morning, which is not the most inspiring time in the week... Read more
Details: Heavy flooding in southwest France resulted in two dead, hundreds evacuated and the temporary closure of the Catholic pilgrimage site at Lourdes. According to ABC News, the famous grotto at Lourdes was hit by muddy floodwaters, as the entire region was beset by heavy rainfall yesterday. The grotto is a major pilgrimage site for roughly 6 million believers each year, who come from all over the world looking for miraculous healing and spiritual rejuvenation. Mathias Terrier, spokesperson for the pilgrimage... Read more
Details: Eleven men were ordained May 25 in an almost three-hour liturgy as permanent deacons in the Diocese of Belleville. Some acknowledged their nervousness, but all were excited and happy to have reached their ordination day, which heralds a new chapter in their lives of service to the church. All of the men have participated in parish ministry, some long before they entered the formation program for the diaconate five years ago. Before their ordination, the men took a few... Read more
Here in Denver for the Catholic Media Conference, I was struck by the bulletin for a local parish, which shows a whopping seven deacons. I visited the parish website and found even more astonishing facts (as of December 2012): Registered individual Catholics: 15,730 Registered Catholic families: 4,500 Estimate of young adults (8-25): 1,649 Estimate of Adults 70+ age: 982 (numbers may be low because registrations before 1991 did not have records for birthdays, etc.) Sacraments Total infant Baptisms (up to... Read more
From remarks yesterday to the Diocese of Rome: “I’m Not Ashamed of the Gospel” was the theme of Pope Francis’ catechesis given yesterday afternoon in the Paul VI Hall for the inauguration of the Ecclesial Congress (17-19 June) that concludes the Diocese of Rome’s pastoral year. The theme of the pastoral year was: “Christ, We Need You! The Responsibility of the Baptized in Proclaiming Jesus Christ.” The meeting began with Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of the Diocese, greeting the... Read more
Details: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed bill to dramatically expand legal abortion in the state died in the state senate following months of Catholic and pro-life opposition. The four-senator Independent Democratic Coalition, which has a power-sharing agreement to control the senate with the Republican Party, declined to introduce the abortion measure as part of Gov. Cuomo’s 10-point “Women’s Equality Agenda” measures. The Republican co-leader of the senate, Sen. Dean Skelos, is pro-life. He said he would not allow a... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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