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The Deacon's Bench

“In his Meet the Press interview, Sen. Biden used a morally exhausted argument that American Catholics have been hearing for 40 years: i.e., that Catholics can’t “impose” their religiously based views on the rest of the country. But resistance to abortion is a matter of human rights, not religious opinion. And the senator knows very…

A few months back, I posted some news about a documentary on Dorothy Day that is now being made available. With Day’s name once again popping up in the news, I thought I’d re-post the trailer for the film below. Also, Catholic News Service has just filed a brief item about the producer of the…

It has to be Dorothy Day, turning over in her grave. To understand why, read this. “True obedience is a matter of love, which makes it voluntary, not compelled by fear or force.” -Dorothy Day

Italy, the home of Romeo and Juliet, now offers another saga of star-crossed love — with a decidedly religious twist. From the London Telegraph: An Italian man whose girlfriend left him to become a nun is holding a vigil outside the convent where she is staying in a bid to get her to reconsider. Heartbroken…

“Mercy is not difficult. It is the great leveler, actually. When a heart at least partially attuned to mercy, even slightly open to it, then the more generous impulses are allowed out. You can see it, occasionally, even in the hot-blooded political blogosphere, a desire to be just, to have mercy and write the fair,…

Jim Martin dug up this gem, in his remembrance of the great publisher and editor, Robert Giroux, who died last week. Giroux was a good friend of Thomas Merton’s when the two were at Columbia just before World War II. This comes from Giroux’s introduction to the most recent edition of The Seven Storey Mountain:…

A Kennedy is in the news again — this time, with a new book exploring her own Catholic faith. Michael Paulson has the scoop at the Boston Globe: Catholicism ran deep at the home of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy. Prayers before and after every meal, when a family trip was beginning, when something got lost.…

Father of Mercy, give your people help and strength from heaven.The birth of the Virgin Mary’s sonwas the dawn of our salvation.May this celebration of her birthdaybring us closer to lasting peace.Grant this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God, forever and ever. Amen. —…

This is really something: the improvised homily yesterday of Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin. He chucked his prepared remarks to deliver this measured, thoughtful, but unwavering attack on the continuing confusions of Speaker Pelosi and Senator Biden. You owe it to yourself to give a listen to the mp3. This is how a shepherd…

Every now and then, I hear from deacons and deacon candidates who ask that very question. Some have seen pictures of deacons in other dioceses in clerical attire and asked, “What’s up with that?” I can almost hear them scratching their heads. I decided to pose that question to someone who knows a lot more…
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