The Deacon's Bench

Flash mob strikes again! This time, in a shopping mall food court. Hallelujah! H/T Fr. Steve

Those are the words of a 16-year-old aspirant arriving for her first day at the convent in Michigan. This young gal was among several — including our own Mary Anne Marks! — featured on today’s episode of Oprah in a lovely follow-up to last winter’s profile of the Dominican Sisters of Mary. A snip: Aspirants…

U.S. Catholic has a nice, long look at the diaconate in its December issue — and a few familiar names pop up: Beverly Hills, California deacon and author Eric Stoltz often finds himself uttering the phrase, “Please don’t call me Father.” Besides that gentle correction to well-meaning parishioners, Stoltz also uses the first five minutes…

It’s happening on the sci-fi series “V” — and the character in question is portrayed by an actor who admits Catholic priests played a big role in his own life: The sci-fi series “V” — which returns in early January — offers one of the rarest sights on TV: a heroic priest.  Priests on TV…

Some people are asking that question — and Catholic News Agency has some answers: CNA spoke about the movement with Dr. Steven Schneck, Director of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America, and Fr. Robert Sirico, president of the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Acton Institute. Fr. Sirico described the…

The clarification has been clarified even further: The Pope’s landmark acknowledgement that the use of condoms is sometimes morally justifiable to stop Aids is valid not only for gay male prostitutes, but also for heterosexuals, according to the Vatican. The clarification, the latest step in what is already seen as a significant shift in the…

…and the busy travel season, comes this elegantly crafted ode to one of the ugliest places on earth, New York’s Pennsylvania Station: Don’t stop to contemplate, if you’re there — you’ll be trampled. This holiday season, the quicker you shove your fellow passengers, the quicker you can shove off from Aunt Gladys’s. Find an exit…

“Love is at the heart of the Good News. Love is the gospel we proclaim, but must live that love, not merely pronounce it correctly. And we are to love as Jesus loved — without limit, without exception, being willing to lay down our lives for one another.” — Archbishop- designate Gustavo Garcia-Siller, who will…

The American Church’s most prominent prelate has given his first extended news media interview since his election as President of the U.S. bishops: In an expansive interview in the front parlor of his residence on Madison Avenue — the only news interview he has granted since he spoke to a Catholic television station after last…

Details: “We ask that the martyrs of Iraq be canonized, because the example of their lives and their sacrifice is an inspiration to us all as Christians, Arabs and non alike, living in the Middle East.” These are words taken from an internet petition that has been launched by a group of Arab Christians living…

More from Beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad