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The Deacon's Bench

Good Dr. Pat notes a not-insignificant anniversary today. July 25, 1968. The date that Humanae Vitae was issued. You may have heard of it.

A lot of women have difficult pregnancies. But I can’t imagine any more difficult than the one endured by Amy McNamara. She’s a friend of Jack Smith, a writer for the Kansas City newspaper, the Catholic Key, and he told her story recently on the paper’s blog. In 1994, when Amy was three months pregnant…

There’s a certain mad brilliance to this kind of artistry. Check out the picture below: A website explains: 35-year-old Liu Bolin, from Shandong, China, manages to camouflage himself in any surroundings, no matter how difficult they might be. Liu works on a single photo for up to 10 hours at a time, to make sure…

We’ve all gotten those e-mails from Nigeria. Now, here comes one from a Catholic deacon. (No, it’s not me…) Read on: Each message was the same. A deacon of the church was stranded in England without his wallet or money, so he needed about $1,200 or more to get home. There was just one problem…

“I’ve learned that the focus is on Christ anyway and we’re merely the vessels and instruments; and we’re here to help the people find Christ, like a mediator. I try to remember that its all about bringing the people to Christ and getting out of the way.” — Rev. J Scott Winchel, newly ordained priest.He…

Amy Welborn paid a visit to her husband’s grave, and came back with this stunning memory: Sitting there, nothing was revealed to me that I did not already know. Not really. I did not feel closer, and in fact I might even have felt a little further away. Further away than I do at home,…

I know I should probably be shocked and wringing my hanky into knots over this. It’s clearly not what most of us would have in mind as the proper way for beginning the celebration of a sacrament. (N.B., it wasn’t a Catholic wedding.) But: I loved it anyway. I couldn’t stop grinning. Married life is…

With the passing of celebrated storyteller Frank McCourt this week, the world lost more than just a gifted writer. It also lost someone with a deep and complicated connection to the Catholic faith. Peter Duffy notes in the Wall Street Journal: Peter Quinn, the novelist and a practicing Catholic, wrote in an email that his…

Here’s something you don’t hear about every day: Roman Catholic Franciscan friars are to open Poland’s first privately-run Hebrew academy in October with the approval of the country’s chief rabbi and a Polish cardinal, its rector said Tuesday. “We’ve started recruiting and there’s a lot of interest. We’re thinking of accepting 45 students for a…

Clearly, that sums up Tim Burton’s vision succinctly. The first trailer for his adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” is out. See below. Disney is producing. Spinning teacups, anyone?
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