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The Deacon's Bench

I’m movin’ on up. In the next several days, you’ll find “The Deacon’s Bench” at a new address, with a new look. The good people at Beliefnet have invited me over there, to take up the Catholic corner of real estate that used to be occupied by Amy Welborn and David Gibson, two FOBs (Friends…

Can a group of kids spark a revolution? Hey, you never know. Take a look at the video below that is beginning to make the rounds. It’s possible they just might make virtue go viral. You can find more information at this site.

On this feast of St. Pio I decided to revisit a homily I delivered earlier this year, when my parish dedicated a special chapel in his name. A snip: One of my favorite stories about him happened during the early 1960s Italy was in crisis. The Red Brigade was sparking violence in Rome, and it…

The New York Times magazine last weekend offered a long look at how people of various faiths and orthodoxies pray. It was written by a self-professed agnostic, so his point of view is clearly skeptical. But much of the article makes for interesting reading, particularly when it comes to non-Catholic practices. Among other things, I…

How would you feel if you saw your parish church listed in the real estate ads? Some parishioners in Cleveland weren’t exactly pleased: The members of St. Stanislaus parish will hold their final Mass this Sunday at 8:30 a.m. But even before the doors are closed for good, parishioners were shocked to see the real…

This is pretty terrific. And boy, how many of us need to hear this message now? H/T The Anchoress.

“In this post-journalistic world, the model for all national debate becomes the trial, where adversaries face off, representing opposing points of view. We accept the harshness of this process because the consequences in a courtroom are so stark; trials are about assigning guilt or responsibility for harm. There is very little wiggle room in such…

The song from “Hello, Dolly” advises the citizens of Yonkers to put on their Sunday clothes. Does anyone still do that? Over at Googling God, Mike Hayes asks an interesting question: what do you wear to mass? A snip: I think we should dress at least somewhat appropriate for mass. The larger question is that…

Trend-watchers might want to take note of this report, from USA TODAY: Americans who don’t identify with any religion are now 15% of the USA, but trends in a new study shows they could one day surpass the nation’s largest denominations — including Catholics, now 24% of the nation. “American Nones: Profile of the No…

Some of you may remember the back-and-forth we had here with the wife of a deacon in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Some readers (including Your Humble Blogger) took issue with the archdiocese’s use of the designation “Deacon Couple.” The wife who had written to be originally offered to answer my questions about this. Here…
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