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The Deacon's Bench

“I used to think of the IUD as the boogeyman, as the Intrauterine Devil. Now one abides in me. I would never have predicted such a future for myself. My husband and I have been pretty strict Catholics throughout our childbearing years. It has sometimes been a sacrifice, but we have tried to make our…

While Pope Benedict prepares to depart on his first trip to Africa, it’s interesting to flashback to his predecessor’s trip to the continent nearly 30 years ago. John Paul visited six countries on his first tour — and offered some memorable photo ops, like the one below (which, somehow, I don’t think we’ll see repeated…

A priest I know is celebrating his 30th anniversary of ordination today. This one’s for you! Ad multos annos!

The controversial abortion performed on a nine-year-old girl has a new wrinkle, as a Vatican official weighs in: An influential prelate said Brazilian doctors didn’t deserve excommunication for aborting the twin fetuses of a 9-year-old child who was allegedly raped by her stepfather because the doctors were saving her life. The statement by Archbishop Rino…

From a Canadian paper comes this news about an effort by atheists to get Latin American Catholics to quit the Church: In an effort to reduce the church’s political influence, Argentine atheists and feminists are spearheading a drive to get people who were baptized Roman Catholic but disagree with the church’s politics to formally renounce…

Does the guy below look like David Letterman? Letterman’s producers evidently think so. Read on: Tuesday night, the Rev. Deacon Larry Sisterman went to bed early, happy that he and his wife had finally finished their taxes. He awoke Wednesday just a little bit famous. “You were on Letterman last night,” said his daughter, calling…

When I was growing up in Maryland, we’d often go to visit my grandmother, who lived in a little New Jersey town called Pitman, near Camden. Along the way, we’d usually pull in to a rest stop on I-95 that was just about the halfway point: The Maryland House. I think it’s still there. And…

Anyone curious about where Barack Obama turns for spiritual guidance might want to check out this intriguing item from Saturday’s New York Times: President Obama has been without a pastor or a home church ever since he cut his ties to the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. in the heat of the presidential campaign. But…

While a number of President Obama’s initiatives (notably on embryonic stem cells and abortion funding overseas) have been criticized by Catholic leaders, Catholic Charities has welcomed some of his moves: Seeing President Barack Obama’s first federal budget proposal in his still young administration, Catholic Charities officials and others committed to meeting the needs of the…

Some weeks back, a fire tore through part of Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago and, ever since, workers have been trying to repair the damage. The place is closed to only a few visitors. But one who paid a call recently was Manya Brachear, a writer and blogger for the Chicago Tribune: It’s a shame…
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