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The Deacon's Bench

The deacons of Boston had their annual convocation recently, and The Pilot has the scoop: Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley briefed permanent deacons on new archdiocesan initiatives and emphasized the increased importance of their ministry in the coming year at their annual convocation held Feb. 21 at St. Patrick’s Church. The impetus behind the convocation, like…

An alert reader spotted this item in the Washington Post, about a remarkable outreach to an often-neglected community: Two autistic boys sat inside a parochial school classroom this month. In a setting stripped of unnecessary furniture and toys to avoid distraction, they studied pictograms of a bearded Jesus in a red sash and images of…

Tonight, as we have every Friday during Lent for the past several years, my wife and I will undertake a unique apostolate within our parish, leading a devotion known as “Mary’s Way of the Cross,” by Richard Furey. It looks at this singular journey to Calvary, the Stations of the Cross, through the eyes of…

And we’re not talking about the liturgical color here — we’re talking about how observing Lent can help to reduce our carbon footprint. Really. As we mark the first Friday of this season, take a look at this: It’s a time for ashes and palm fronds, sacrifice and rebirth, and occasional vegetarianism. For Catholics across…

The latest wrinkle in the SSPX/Richard Williamson melodrama: he says he’s sorry. From Reuters: A Roman Catholic bishop who caused an uproar by denying the scale of the Holocaust has apologised for his views in statements carried on a Catholic news agency website on Thursday. Bishop Richard Williamson caused outrage by saying there were no…

Those who are monitoring the presence of God in the public square might want to take a look at this: When Barack Obama’s presidential campaign contacted Ryan Culp last year to ask him to deliver a prayer at an Obama rally in Culp’s native Elkhart, Ind., the high school wellness teacher declined. “I’m a conservative…

I missed this when it ran the other day, but this Times piece on Archbishop Dolan zeroes in on part of his appeal — and why he just might be very good news for vocations: The big recruiters talk about him as if he were future Hall-of-Fame material — the kind you build organizations around.…

As many people know, New York is one of the archdioceses that has been feeling the pain of parish closings. And some parishioners aren’t taking it sitting down (or even kneeling). From the New York Times: The closing of their church was among the more devastating of events to have struck the congregants of Our…

Vice President Joe Biden attending an event in Washington yesterday. PHOTO: by Getty Images/Win McNamee

If you are looking for a way to kick-start your Lent, I can think of no better person to turn to than The Anchoress, who is offering this day a rich roundup of thoughtful material. Among other things, she’s offering to pray the rosary with us, with one of her characteristically beautiful podcasts. And she’s…
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