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The Deacon's Bench

The good Dr. McNamara does. And his identity (and his story) may surprise you. (Well, it surprised me, at least!)

Take a few moments and watch this and feel suddenly much better about the state of the world. I guarantee: it’s the most moving and uplifting rendition of this song you’ve ever encountered. Enjoy. “Stand by Me” performed by musicians around the world from SKAT on Vimeo.

“Too many Catholics just don’t really care. That’s the truth of it. If they cared, our political environment would be different. If 65 million Catholics really cared about their faith and cared about what it teaches, neither political party could ignore what we believe about justice for the poor, or the homeless, or immigrants, or…

You might not know it from the weather, but Friday was the first day of spring. At the building where we live, that meant they finally took down the Christmas lights. The landscaping company came out to spread mulch and seed and plant bulbs. Where I work, in Brooklyn, the road crews came to start…

Fresh from the hand-wringing and teeth-grinding caused by having President Obama speak, Notre Dame has made another little announcement: At this hour, as the bells of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart toll in Laetare Sunday, the university has announced Mary Ann Glendon — the Harvard Law star, pro-life force, Vatican A-lister and, until January,…

If you cross Queens Boulevard and head down 112th Street, you’ll pass a Reform temple, the Temple Sinai, a modern building with a small plaque by the front door. The plaque commemorates a piece of Forest Hills history: on that site once stood the home of one of the most celebrated women in America: Helen…

And now for something completely different. From the New York Times comes this odd item about a filmmaker who is having trouble with the law over the name he’s chosen for his production company: Back in the fall of 2007, with only the most practical motives in mind, George Kalman took his pen to the…

In some places, a Lenten ritual that has been a mainstay of Catholic parish life for decades is still going strong: The line starts forming when the doors open at 5 p.m. and it doesn’t let up, snaking around the hall at St. Frances Cabrini Parish. Men in blue vests — members of Knights of…

This falls under the category of “What Were They Thinking?” From South Bend: President Barack Obama will deliver the commencement address May 17 at the University of Notre Dame. Obama will be the principal speaker and the recipient of an honorary doctor of laws degree at the university’s 164th commencement ceremony, which will be in…

After all the shock and dismay over the reported excommunications surrounding that abortion in Brazil, Amy Welborn this morning offers us more details. Pay a visit. It’s revealing. I’m sure it will surprise no one that, once again, the press got it wrong.
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