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The Deacon's Bench

By now, you may have heard about the indignant e-mail of Sr. Sandra M. Schneiders, wherein she discusses at some length, and with no small amount of rancor, the apostolic visitation to women’s communities in America. Elizabeth Scalia (a.k.a., The Anchoress) has read the e-mail (which she wickedly describes as a “hootenanny of hubris.”)  …

One of the blogosphere’s most esteemed members has a new blog, with a new name, and a new address. Pay her a visit right here.

When the new archbishop for New York was announced last week, it continued the unbroken tradition: an Irish leader for a cathedral named for an Irish saint. Could that one day change? This morning’s Times takes a look: Latinos account for at least half of the Roman Catholics in New York. Their neighborhood churches are…

Buried deep inside this long and wonkish profile of Newt Gingrich in Sunday’s New York Times, was this little nugget that, I suspect, went largely unnoticed: At a moment when the role of religious fundamentalism in the party is a central question for reformers, Gingrich, rather than making any kind of case for a new…

Blogger and columnist Rod Dreher today posted this grim report from a reader about the kind of sermon nobody likes to hear: This year’s drive for the [local Catholic community chest] has been protracted, and Deacon N, after concluding his homily, directed us to the contribution forms that were in each pew. Fair enough. But…

“Congratulations to Governor Sebelius on being nominated to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. It’s an honor for the State of Kansas to have an elected official appointed to the president’s cabinet.” — Sen. Sam Brownback, on the nomination of pro-choice Catholic Kathleen Sebelius.  “For Obama to choose somebody who sews such division…

Anyone who has qualms about climbing into the pulpit to preach might want to take a page from this tyke: The first time Terry Durham preached, he was not in front of a group of people or even inside a church. He was in the bathroom of his grandmother’s home in Fort Lauderdale, delivering his…

You may remember the fiery letter that reportedly was sent by Sen. Sam Brownback, questioning the authentic Catholicity of some members of Congress. Now there are doubts being raised about how authentic the letter itself was. From Politico: A mystery is brewing over the appearance of Sen. Sam Brownback’s John Hancock on an inflammatory letter…

Another voice has weighed in with criticism of how the Vatican gets out its message — or, more often, doesn’t. Noted Catholic editor Philip Lawler offered his thoughts in an Op-Ed piece for this morning’s USA TODAY: “We didn’t control the communications,” lamented Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Jesuit priest who heads the Vatican press office.…

A rare winter snowstorm strikes the south. This shot is from Centennial Park in Atlanta. The storm is now pushing north. New York City, among other places, may get a foot or more of the white stuff — our biggest storm (so far) this season. PHOTO: by Joey Ivansco/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, via Associated Press.
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