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The Deacon's Bench

So, Paul, you’ve just won a bundle of money and you’re going to sing for the Queen and, thanks to The Deacon’s Bench (and a few other places), you’re now a big fat star. Whatcha gonna do with all that moolah? But, of course! Smile, Paulie! You’ve earned it. And thanks for giving us all…

One of the many devotions that the deacon may lead is Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament or, as it’s simply known, “Benediction.” As the Catholic Encyclopedia describes it: It is ordinarily an afternoon or evening devotion and consists in the singing of certain hymns, or litanies, or canticles, before the Blessed Sacrament, which is…

Here’s a shocking thought for you. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Oh, we aren’t getting catalogs – not yet, anyway – and the elves and tinsel and snowmen aren’t up in the stores yet. We still have months to go before the first carols start playing in the malls and the Salvation…

I credit The Anchoress for first bringing this to the world’s attention (or, at least, mine). It’s a fascinating new document from the Vatican on, of all things, rules of the road. The Catholic News Service describes them as “10 Commandments for Drivers,” and that’s not far off the mark. The official title is “Guidelines…

This is just too good and interesting to pass up. As a journalist who happens to be a member of the clergy (or a clergyman who happens to be a journalist, take your pick), I found this encounter between a venerable columnist and a bishop both heartening and fascinating. The columnist is the Providence Journal’s…

This has been working its way around the ‘net for some time now, but since it is wedding season, I think it’s always good to remind ourselves that sometimes the Perfect Day…isn’t. (The baptism included in this compilation is a riot, too.) It’s been said by someone (Hallmark?) that angels fly because they take themselves…

“Obviously, of course, big holiday over the weekend. And I would like to wish all of you a happy belated 800th anniversary of the conversion of St. Francis of Assisi.” — Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report this past Monday. All this and more, from Catholic Colbert, a thriving and delightful website for my fellow…

From the newspaper Catholic San Francisco comes this wonderful vocation tale, of a deaf man named Paul Zirimenya, who was just ordained a priest: “I am proud of my deafness and never in my life have I ever wished to be hearing,” wrote Father Zirimenya in a recent e-mail. “Mainstream culture says, ‘You need to…

God bless the good people of Dairy Queen. In promoting Father’s Day this year, they decided to leave no stone unturned — and no demographic unexplored. This is very cute. And, in every sense of the word, tasteful.

Allow me to be the first to congratulate my brother deacons from the Diocese of Brooklyn on the one month anniversary of our ordination. As this report from the Brooklyn Tablet details, we received the sacrament of Holy Orders on Saturday, May 19th, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn. I…
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