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The Deacon's Bench

“The growth of the Internet, blogs in particular, is aggressively democratizing Catholic conversation – providing an outlet for alternative points of view, and in some cases becoming the meeting place for what are virtually “cyber-parishes,” or at least small Christian communities in cyberspace. We are an ever more global family of faith, and the Internet…

A religious license plate won’t be popping up on cars in South Carolina any time soon. From the New York Times: A United States District Judge has struck down a Christian-themed license plate that had been approved by the South Carolina Legislature, reports the BBC. Judge Cameron Currie ruled that the plate was a violation…

Seems the Holy Father is web savvy: The president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, shared this week that the Holy Father has an appreciation for new developments in technology and is comfortable surfing the internet and using email. During an interview with the program “Studio Aperto” on the Italia…

This treasure trove contains some of the oldest bits of American history, pre-dating even the Pilgrims: Sister Catherine Bitzer slowly opened a file box and carefully removed a brittle page, scarred by years of neglectful storage, mold and insects. At 415 years old, the marriage record written by a Roman Catholic priest is still readable…

The astonishing Mary Karr reflects on prayer and writing: Writing about prayer to a secular audience is tap-dancing on the radio. I want to say “Gee whiz, isn’t this great” and have everyone’s head cocked like the RCA dog. I get very quiet. I listen to my breath. I get on my knees before I…

Monday, the Vatican unveiled a stunning website that offers a virtual tour of the Lateran Basilica. CNS has details: The Vatican Web site celebrated the feast of the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran by launching a virtual tour of the Rome church — thanks to Villanova University in Pennsylvania. The virtual tour…

Some welcome news from the Philippines: An elderly Irish priest kidnapped and held captive in the Philippines has been released, it has been revealed tonight. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin confirmed Fr Michael Sinnott has been freed. The missionary was abducted from his gated compound in Pagadian City on the island of…

You’ve read the review. Now see how it was put together. Below, a brief promotional video for Pope Benedict’s new CD, Alma Mater.

Necessity is the mother of invention, of course, and an Italian inventor — sensing a necessity — has invented something that blends the sacred with the sensible: The terracotta dispenser, used in the northern town of Fornaci di Briosco, functions like an automatic soap dispenser in public washrooms — a churchgoer waves his or her…

The reviews are trickling in for Pope Benedict’s new CD, Alma Mater — the first album to feature a pontiff singing. The Holy Father may want to keep his day job. From the Times of London: The result is not quite an unholy mess but it comes close. Surprisingly, it is the lead vocalist, once…
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