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The Deacon's Bench

Steven Waldman over at Beliefnet has compiled a pretty interesting archive of all known inaugural prayers through history. Did you know the practice didn’t begin until 1937?? Take a look and see what you think. Evidently, the presidential pray-ers never heard the old saying “Be brief, be brilliant, and be gone.”

This chump thinks he knows.

This may be one of the president’s final proclamations — maybe the final one? — before he leaves office: The sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women. On this day and throughout the year, we aspire to build a society in which every child is welcome in life and…

That’s the question a lot of parents and educators are asking — and Our Sunday Visitor takes a closer look: Dr. Leonard Sax didn’t have a very supportive response when a patient in his private practice in Maryland told him that her son’s academic performance improved when she placed him in an all-boys Catholic school.…

Few Catholics are aware of it, but now there’s word that the Vatican is lifting the veil on a secretive panel which deals with only the most serious of sins: One of the Vatican’s most secrecy shrouded tribunals, which handles confessions of sins so grave only the pope can grant absolution, is giving the faithful…

The tittle says it tall. From poet-performer-teacher Taylor Mali.

The wires reported yesterday the death of Ricardo Montalban, at 88. Among other things, he was the brother-in-law of legendary Hollywood Catholic Loretta Young. Those of us Of A Certain Age remember the strange and smooth stylings of Ricardo Montalban as he intoned on television, week after week, “Welcome to Fantasy Island!,” while the weird…

Like a lot of people, I’ve gotten e-mails and notices about a FOCA novena tied to the inauguration and the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. But now the USCCB has taken the unusual step of alerting Catholics to the fact that the novena isn’t entirely accurate: Officials at the Pro-life Secretariat of the U.S. Conference…

…you could lose your mind! Take a look at this picture of twin Jesuits: And read the unusual story behind them here. As the post points out: vocations really do run in families.

From the good folks at Catholic Media House, a powerful short film — and it couldn’t come at a better time.
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