Inspiration Faith & Prayer Health & Wellness Entertainment Love & Family
Newsletters Special Offers

The Deacon's Bench

A comedian’s suggestion to sell the Vatican isn’t going over well with at least one archbishop:  Sell the Vatican to help the poor? U.S. comedian Sarah Silverman might think it’s a great idea, but a Nigerian archbishop called the suggestion offensive and “stupid.” Africans from poor countries admire the Vatican, and have no desire to…

If this doesn’t make you cringe, nothing will: a horrifying video of a commuter train running over a baby carriage. Miraculously, the child survived with just a minor injury.      

This story is tragic on so many levels:  With three small children and her marriage in trouble, Pat Bond attended a spirituality retreat for Roman Catholic women in Illinois 26 years ago in hopes of finding support and comfort. What Ms. Bond found was a priest — a dynamic, handsome Franciscan friar in a brown…

Well, here’s something different.  It turns out that one of the top search terms on Google yesterday was “Virgin Maria Auxiliatrix.”  I’m not sure why, or what sparked this sudden Marian curiosity.  But my blog neighbor here at Beliefnet Mark Heringshaw decided to do a little digging:  My crash course understanding is that “Virgin Maria…

Do you know anyone who has more than two or three kids?  How about 12? : Returning to the site where they wed just over 20 years ago, Rob and Cecilia “Sam” Fatzinger entered the historic chapel at Sacred Heart Parish in Bowie to celebrate the Baptism of their 12th child, Kolbe Peter Fatzinger on…

Jesus, of course, was a carpenter, and these inspiring women are clearly following his lead:  Dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “Volunteer, Make it a Habit,” about 80 nuns from congregations nationwide worked side by side in New Orleans Oct. 5-9, swinging hammers and hanging wallboard in homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They…

As St. Theresa reminds us, in this excerpt from the Office of Readings for today, it’s Christ: What more do we desire from such a good friend at our side? Unlike our friends in the world, he will never abandon us when we are troubled or distressed. Blessed is the one who truly loves him…

“There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers.” — St. Teresa of Avila, whose feast is today.  The quote has inspired numerous people, including Truman Capote. 

Maybe.  It’s in Poland.   Fr. Z. has the scoop, which sounds a lot like a miracle that I witnessed a few years ago, in Lanciano, Italy.  

The ad below, appearing in Maine, is raising eyebrows — and blood pressures. One Catholic group is demanding it be removed. Take a look and see what you think.  
archives most recent
search this blog
More from Beliefnet and our partners