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The Deacon's Bench

This is one of the more unusual feasts on the church calendar. It doesn’t commemorate a saint, or a biblical event. It celebrates a building. Specifically, the Lateran Basilica, in Rome. It’s the oldest of the four major basilicas in Rome, and as such serves as the official “home” of the pope – the seat…

“The men from the Bowery were there, ragged, dirty, jobless, most of them Longshore workers, teamsters, gandy dancers, sand hogs, restaurant workers, men who had led hard and dangerous lives. There were Irish, Italian, mostly, but other nationalities, too. Poles, Croatians, Hungarians. There were young and old, men and women, single and married. Tonight and…

…though I was hoping to be more like Kermit. You Are Scooter Brainy and knowledgeable, you are the perfect sidekick. You’re always willing to lend a helping hand. In any big event or party, you’re the one who keeps things going. “15 seconds to showtime!” The Muppet Personality Test

The striking icon above is by Nicholas Brian Tsai, and the open book of scripture contains this quote: He raises the poor from the dustand lifts the needy from the ash heapto make them sit with princes,with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a home,making her the joyous mother of children.…

Check out this wonderful short film from The Responsbility Project. How far would you go for your kids? Oh: it turns out the blog at this site is written by a former colleague of mine, Kathy McManus. Kudos, “Mackers”!

Over at the National Catholic Reporter, John Allen has penned an open letter to President-elect Obama, offering some unsolicited advice about how to deal with the Vatican, and he concludes with this telling anecdote about the last Democratic president: In his memoirs, former Vatican Ambassador Raymond Flynn tells a depressing story from 1994 illustrating what…

A bishop from Florida, John Riccard, has drawn a line in the sand — or maybe, at the altar rail — and has sent a letter to the vice president-elect regarding communion and conscience: I learned recently of your visit to the diocese during the political campaign and that you attended the celebration of Sunday…

This sounds like exactly the sort of television we need: a program about perseverance, and hope, and more than a little bit of faith. It’s about a 30-something Sunday school teacher in Georgia named Ruby Gettinger and her struggle with obesity. Her journey is told in “Ruby,” a nine-episode reality series debuting on the Style…

Some interesting factoids from the Washington Post: History was made Tuesday when Barack Obama, 47, was elected president — the first man with a last name ending in a vowel (other than “y” or silent “e”) to ascend to the White House, paving the way for Giulianis, Huckabees and Cuomos. He’s also, as you might…

The headline of the day: Unemployment Rate Leaps to 6.5%, 14-year High.   I suspect, in the months ahead, that number will get higher before it goes lower.  And so, a prayer: O Saint Joseph, we pray to you for those who are out of work, for those who want to earn their living or…
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