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The Deacon's Bench

“I was at the vespers when he was installed as bishop. And there’s a part where the bishop knocks on the door. Most do it timidly. Tap, tap. Not him — ‘Bang! Bang!’ It echoed through the cathedral and let everyone know that Timothy Dolan was there.” — Rev. Steven M. Avella, a history professor…

…is finally out. And the Grey Lady has it on page one. UPDATE: Michael Sean Winters has this glowing first review: During his time in Milwaukee, Dolan has been a model of centrism. At the blog “Cheeky Pink Girl” there is a posting by a conservative critic of Dolan: “On the other hand, while Dolan…

After a long period of relative silence, following his departure from the presidential race, Sen. Sam Brownback is back, and he has some of his fellow Catholic politicians in his sights: Kansas Republican Senator Sam Brownback, in a fundraising letter for a new Washington-based antiabortion group distributed under his signature, questioned whether six of his…

With Lent looming, the Archdiocese of Washington is launching an innovative ad campaign to lure back some of the sheep who have strayed. From the Washington Post: The archdiocese has an estimated 580,000 Catholics, according to spokeswoman Susan Gibbs, but only about one-quarter attend Mass every Sunday. The $75,000 marketing blitz, with the slogan “Longing…

This little item may be a shock to many who watched the drama of World Youth Day unfold last summer. From a paper in Australia: World Youth Day was hailed for reigniting youthful passion in the Catholic Church, but the young woman who embodied the spirit of the event in the key role of Mary…

Anyone who’s seen it knows you can’t help but grin and bop along to the jubilant, delightful finale of “Slumdog Millionaire.” It’s favored to win the Oscar tomorrow night. And it should. Watch below and dance!

Sometimes, it can be hard to find the words to express grief after someone you love has died. But over the last few weeks, a woman I know has done that with remarkable clarity, power, and grace. Her name is Amy Welborn. Some of you may recognize the name. She’s written several books on the…

With the news that the Archdiocese of New York is planning round-the-clock reconciliation to kick off Lent, the New York Times offers this look at how a church in a nearby diocese came to rediscover the sacrament: The day after Msgr. Stephen DiGiovanni was installed in June 1998 as the pastor of St. John the…

Crank up the speakers and enjoy.

This is too funny to pass up: a self-described “collapsed” Catholic (Alec Baldwin) finds himself dating a beautiful woman (Selma Hayek) who takes her faith very seriously. They go out on a date that includes mass. And he’s worried they may lose their table at a swanky restaurant. Watch and howl. (A grateful wave of…
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