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The Deacon's Bench

And now, Trenton. The Diocese ordained a baker’s dozen o’ deacons last weekend. The Monitor, the diocesan paper, has a full report: Thirteen men were ordained to the permanent diaconate by Bishop John M. Smith in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, May 9. The new deacons are: John M. DeValue, Ascension Parish, Bradley…

That’s the question being asked by author, convert and FOB — Friend of the Bench — David Gibson in the Washington Post: All you need to know to diagnose the state of the Catholic Church in America today is that Pope Benedict XVI — who has a knack for ticking off Muslims and Jews —…

“I believe it important to acknowledge the fine example you have given in your married life and in your love and devotion to your children. The ideal of stable family life has long been a focus of interest for the Catholic Church. This, together with your frequent call for personal responsibility, is a great contribution…

Happy news from south Jersey: last weekend, they added 10 more deacons to the roster. From the Catholic Star Herald in Camden: Bishop Joseph A. Galante ordained 10 men as deacons on Saturday morning, May 9, at Church of the Incarnation in Mantua. Eight men were ordained permanent deacons to serve in the Diocese of…

“Since ‘Angels & Demons’ takes place mainly in the Vatican, and is festooned with the rites and ornaments of Roman Catholicism, I might as well begin with a confession. I have not read the novel by Dan Brown on which this film (directed, like its predecessor, ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ by Ron Howard) is based.…

This video on YouTube is proving surprisingly popular — and just might spark new interest in one of the Church’s oldest devotions. Watch. It’s just plain great. You can read more about the video here.

The Diocese of Little Rock has launched an innovative method of encouraging vocations: a “signing day,” similar to the kind that is common in professional sports: Three high school students signed letters of intent last week announcing plans to become seminarians this fall for the Diocese of Little Rock. On May 8, Catholic High School…

My own diocese is preparing to ordain the first class of deacons since Your Humble Blogger’s, and the hometown paper (The Tablet) has biographies of the candidates. Twenty men will join us, bringing the total number of deacons in my diocese to 185. I’ll be there on May 23rd for the Big Event. I’ll have…

“In conscience, I can no longer support Notre Dame as a Catholic College. I am deeply offended how you treat my wife of 54 years, the Church I love, whose head is Jesus Christ.”  — Bishop John W. Yanta, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas,  in a letter to the president of Notre…

“I am saddened that many friends of Notre Dame have suggested that our invitation to President Obama indicates ambiguity in our position on matters of Catholic teaching. The University and I are unequivocally committed to the sanctity of human life and to its protection from conception to natural death. Notre Dame has a long custom…
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