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The Deacon's Bench

Over at Beliefnet, Fr. Jim Martin takes a wry look at what goes into cabinet appointments — and wonders if even the Son of God would pass muster these days. What if Obama’s transition team met with Jesus for a possible position in the new administration? Below is what the team’s report to the president-elect…

…think again. The story below is a beautiful reminder of what matters, especially during this time of year. Watch it and weep. And pray in thanksgiving to God for giving us kids like this.

The good people at the Pew Forum released an interesting report late last week on journalism and the press. Some highlights: Religion played a much more significant role in the media coverage of President-elect Barack Obama than it did in the press treatment of Republican nominee John McCain during the 2008 presidential campaign, but much…

Well, to quote a certain governor from a cold climate: “You betcha.” Or so it seems, from this intriguing little giblet: This history books will tell you that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the pilgrims in 1621. Not true. An interesting bit of trivia is that the first American Thanksgiving was actually celebrated on…

You’ll find few stories more harrowing or heart-rending or sobering than this one, from Sunday’s Washington Post, which chronicles the journey of a medical student named Lesley Wojick, as she decides whether or not she wants to perform abortions: “Abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on women, yet nobody in medical…

Just when you thought vocations in Ireland were dead, along comes this surprising piece of news, from the Irish Times: IT IS “a myth” to say there is a continuing dearth of vocations to the Catholic priesthood in Ireland, the church’s national co-ordinator of diocesan vocations, Fr. Paddy Rushe, has said. Noting that 30 men…

My sister, a horsewoman, sent this my way. It comes just in time for Christmas — when, of course, we’ll be seeing the Magi depicted on countless Christmas cards, journeying on these lumbering beasts. But trust me: you’ve never seen a camel like this one. He doesn’t lumber. He dances. It’s truly something.

It’s a phenomenon that most of us have seen: the growing number of students at Catholic schools who aren’t Catholic — and in some cases, not even Christian. A paper in Pittsburgh has more: When it came time for the Rev. Richard Helsel to send his children to school, he surprised his congregation by crossing…

Someone asked me recently whatever became of Fr. Francis Mary, the celebrated EWTN host who took a leave of absence last year over his relationship with a widow. I wondered myself, so did a little googling. Turns out, he’s launched a new business, and has his own website. Curt Jester recently had an item on…

Some suggestions come from Amy Sullivan at Time magazine, who has penned a letter to Obama: Dear Mr. President-elect, No doubt you have a lot of big decisions associated with your upcoming move to Washington. What school (public or private) should the girls go to? Who should be the new Secretary of State? Goldendoodle or…
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