Inspiration Faith & Prayer Health & Wellness Entertainment Love & Family
Newsletters Special Offers

The Deacon's Bench

As she kicks off the first full day of her online retreat, The Anchoress reminds us that today is the feast of St. Clare, patroness of television. Trust me: this is a medium urgently in need of heavenly intercession! The Anchoress offers us these saintly words to carry us through the day: What you hold,…

After weeks of sometimes high-profile controversy, it appears that the Archdiocese of Baltimore is cracking open the door to the Legionaries of Christ: Warned by Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien that its closely held activities must become more transparent if they are to continue within the archdiocese, the controversial Catholic religious order Legionaries of Christ —…

After many weeks of planning, The Anchoress is doing something altogether original. For the next few days, she’s leading an online “retreat.” I’m delighted and humbled to say that she’s asked me to be a part of this innovative enterprise, so you may see me make an appearance or two over there. I encourage you…

Marian apparitions and messages are not all that rare — although those that are formally approved by the Church are. One that has not received that approval happened 20 years ago in Texas. It had a powerful impact on the community. And a local paper takes a look back at the controversy surrounding the event:…

Last month, it was reported that Blessed Damien would finally be named a saint. Another miracle, we were told, had been attributed to his intervention. Now the woman who received that miracle is at last telling her story. From the Associated Press: When cancer spread into her lungs, doctors told Audrey Toguchi she had six…

August the 10th marks the feast of a great deacon and martyr of the Church, St. Lawrence. He famously died while being burned to death on a grill. (Significantly, the feast day which precedes his, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, or Edith Stein, also commemorates a martyrdom by fire — hers, in Auschwitz.) Below…

After the New York Times’ John Broder took a hard look at Barack Obama and the Catholic vote, Mark Silk — a blogger who’s been following the election and religious issues — took exception to it. And, I have to say: he raises some very interesting points: The back-and-forth on abortion in Democratic presidential politics…

Those were the words that singer Steven Curtis Chapman spoke to his teenage son moments after a devastating event: while driving the family’s SUV, the boy accidently struck and killed his little sister. Some weeks back, I blogged about that tragedy. Now, the Chapmans are coming forward to talk about it. I caught part of…

This picture appears this week in the diocesan paper of Little Rock, Arkansas Catholic, celebrating the largest diaconate class ever. The item notes: For the first time, the diocese is hosting formation classes in Spanish as well as English. The class includes 52 men and their wives — 22 in the Spanish class and 30…

Do you feel like there’s a way in which God is disappointed with you now? Yes, absolutely. Every day. Every day. Because I am like anyone else. I revert to bad, selfish behavior. I try to make myself not do it, but I’m like everybody else. Sometimes better; sometimes worse. And I think there’s not…
archives most recent
search this blog
More from Beliefnet and our partners