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The Deacon's Bench

This is supposedly one of the most successful ads ever aired in Britain. It’s definitely different. H/T Andrew Sullivan, who thinks it has particular meaning in this election year.

A friend and former colleague from CBS, Dick Meyer, has weighed in on a phenomenon he knows well: the difficulty of some to embrace traditional faith. By way of introduction…Dick has just published a new book “Why We Hate Us”, which Publishers Weekly describes thusly: “In this study of American social self-loathing Meyer addresses why…

This news item didn’t get much attention — probably because of the vast (cough) audience (cough) of C-SPAN — but it’s noteworthy: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she, unlike other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, has not clashed with her church about receiving communion. In an interview on C-SPAN that aired on Sunday,…

It’s happened again. A priest has been accused of sex abuse and removed from ministry. This time, though, he has an unusually high profile. From the New York Times: It may not be the most heavily attended church in the area, but the imposing Roman Catholic church on 141st Street, St. Charles Borromeo, known locally…

Since this is the feast of St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests, I thought it would be good to remember all our priests in a special way. I found this prayer online, and thought it was very meaningful: Almighty God, look upon the Face of Jesus Who is the eternal High Priest, and have…

This has nothing to do with religion — unless it provokes you to utter the Lord’s name in vain. (In which case, perhaps it has something to do with the Sacrament of Reconciliation…) But you can’t make this stuff up: JetBlue Airways Corp. said Monday it will begin charging customers for pillows and blankets. The…

Scott Dodge, that is. And if you visit his dandy blog, you will get a lot out of it. He’s got plenty of news, and ample spiritual food for thought. If his name seems vaguely familiar, I blogged about him several weeks back. He’s a deacon in Salt Lake City. I’m always thrilled to find…

Some weeks back, I posted an item on how too many priests aren’t fit — physically, that is. Now comes this nifty news item about a physically fit friar — the “Iron Friar” — who puts all of us to shame: Atonement Father Dan Callahan evangelizes underwater. And on a bike. And while he’s running.…

This is a lovely ode to the great Randy Pausch, from Tom Dermody, editor of The Catholic Post newspaper of Peoria, Illinois. Watch and weep. H/T to Catholic News Service blog.

If you ever wondered what seminarians do during their summer vacation — I know that has been on your mind, hasn’t it? — the Florida Catholic newspaper has this intriguing profile of how some men in St. Petersburg are spending these weeks: College students home for summer break typically hang with friends or work jobs.…
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