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The Deacon's Bench

A few months ago, one of my classmates who was ordained with me just last year died after a brief illness. The deacons of Atlanta have now suffered a similar loss. I got the following e-mail earlier tonight: Deacon Dale Lister, Archdiocese of Atlanta, ordained this past February, went to be with the Lord last…

This is noteworthy, mostly because it’s the sort of thing that doesn’t usually get much attention. But it should. It’s a story about a group of deacon candidates being admitted to the ministry of reader (or lector) in Kansas: Be faithful to the church and proclaim the Word of God precisely, Bishop Robert W. Finn…

Time for another great vocation story. This one comes to us from Louisville, where a young woman intent on having a husband and eight children (!) found her plans suddenly changed: Sister Michelle Sinkhorn, a Sister of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Ind., received the call to religious life a couple of days after attending the…

How much can one man do for a suffering child? My hometown diocesan paper, The Tablet, has this inspiring answer: There is an extraordinary spirituality that shines throughout the story of Father Joseph Maier. His heroic struggles offering hope and promise to abandoned and homeless children in Bangkok, Thailand, are chronicled in a new book,…

Archbishop Fulton Sheen isn’t the only gifted Catholic communicator in line for canonization. USA TODAY has the latest on the fabled and much-beloved Fr. Patrick Peyton: Recognized widely for his catchphrase — “the family that prays together stays together” — the late Rev. Patrick Peyton spread his message to millions by radio and later television,…

A reader who knows about this sort of thing wrote me with this exciting news, which has gone largely unreported: it seems the fella just named the new auxiliary bishop for Washington, Msgr. Barry Knestout is the son of a deacon — and the first ever named to the order of bishop. Not only that,…

Or, if you prefer, just be a dasher (like the reindeer, ha!) and head to the store next week for a new Christmas special by MCPF Stephen Colbert: The permanently suit-clad Stephen Colbert has traded in his pinstripes for a cardigan sweater, red turtleneck and furry boots. Following the tradition of Andy Williams and Bing…

A rather peculiar youth mass, celebrated by Cardinal Schonborn, of all people. H/T to American Papist.

A department store known for its stellar customer service has lived up to its reputation, and taken an offensive t-shirt off the shelves: The department store chain Nordstrom says it has removed a shirt from its shelves that shows a skeleton holding a small child. A Florida customer said the Affliction-brand t-shirt showed the skeleton…

Lo and behold, the blog Roman Catholic Vocations unearthed this terrific address from two years ago, and it’s well worth reading. It’s Pope Benedict’s remarks to the permanent deacons of his own diocese in Rome, from February of 2006. A snip: Dear deacons, I am grateful to you for the services you carry out with…
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