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The Deacon's Bench

With World Priest Day approaching on October 25, a number of people will be joining an international fast for the world’s priests:   Anna Rae-Kelly saw the Catholic priesthood becoming embattled as a result of the clergy abuse scandal that rocked the Church beginning in 2001.  Suffering from a decline in prestige and reputation among…

“The Church hates gay people.”  Well, judging from some of the comments around here, that’s the impression some people have.   It couldn’t be further from the truth.  For a clear and concise explanation of the Church’s teachings on homosexuality, check out this blog post by a monsignor in the Archdiocese of Washington.   And…

For those who have nothing better to do this long weekend: Monday night, at about 8:20 ET, Your Humble Blogger will be appearing on The Busted Halo Show, on Sirius Radio’s The Catholic Channel.  I appeared on the show a couple years ago, shortly after I was ordained.  I’m a little amazed that they invited…

I don’t think anybody expected this to move across the wire this morning:  In a stunning surprise, the Nobel Committee announced Friday that it had awarded its annual peace prize to President Obama “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” less than nine months after he took office. “He has…

Wilmington’s retired Bishop Michael Saltarelli died yesterday after a battle with cancer, and the local paper has an affectionate appreciation of his life and legacy.  It helps to remind us what being a bishop is all about:  With a strong Roman profile and a throaty accent, Saltarelli was hailed during his life as a “priest’s…

In the Year for Priests, here’s a story that reminds us the impact a priest can have on just one life: Mickey Rourke has revealed that he was on the verge of suicide before he turned to the Catholic Church for help. “The Wrestler” star, who battled alcohol and drug addiction for several years, claims…

When I saw this story and realized it had occurred at a secular, state university, I thought it was nothing less than remarkable: The melodic voices of 32 University of Northern Colorado students wafted through the predawn of Oct. 1 as they sang the Divine Mercy Chaplet. These students, part of Catholic Campus Ministry, had…

This story from the Catholic Standard in Washington caught my eye, because the young priest now serves at the parish (and school) where I grew up.  He has some sound insight into vocations:      In second grade, right around the time he was about to receive First Holy Communion, Father Patrick Riffle thought that…

“Liberals are critical of [authority], although they’ll use it when they’re in power. Conservatives would tend to be less critical, but equally dependent upon it. Consequently, when you get into the church, you get the conservatives unhappy because bishops aren’t using power the way they’re supposed to, the way they want them to. You get…

From the “What Were They Thinking?” file…some curious musical news, courtesy the Los Angeles Times: In a surprise union of two quintessentially American composers from different eras, one the 1960s mastermind of “Good Vibrations,” the other the Jazz Age creator of “Rhapsody in Blue,” former Beach Boy Brian Wilson has been authorized by the estate…
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