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The Deacon's Bench

“Health care is such an important issue for the United States. It’s very disturbing to see that there seems to be a rush to push through legislation without carefully weighing all of the consequences. I think it’s unfortunate that some Catholic groups have not paid close enough attention to what the bishops are saying regarding…

Today’s gospel is, to a great extent, about second chances. Someone who knows about that is an Air Force pilot named Joe Kittinger. In the late 1950s, Joe Kittinger was the director of Project Excelsior, a government program to develop safety techniques for pilots who had to eject from aircraft at high altitudes. It was…

Here’s an unusual idea, and it might make for an interesting exercise for a homiletics class. A group of journalists headed out to 10 different churches in Ireland last Sunday, to hear the homilies and write about what they heard. Were they relevant? Did they connect with people? Were they too long or too short?…

Good question. Those of us who are of a certain age (cough, cough) remember references to it from the ’60s. But that fell out of fashion. If you’re curious, the good people at New Advent have a comprehensive explanation: everything you always wanted to know about Passion Sunday but were afraid to ask. Excerpts: Eons…

“You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated. Many of you found that, when you were courageous enough to speak of what happened to you, no one would listen. Those of you…

Um, isn’t that feast she’s talking about in May? I’m just sayin’ …

With the housing market being what it is, more people are turning to everybody’s most venerated father and carpenter to help sell their homes. One take on the subject: Saint Joseph is known as the patron saint of this industry. I don’t think that this is his official stature in the church, but practically every…

For the beloved saint’s feast day, here’s a striking and unusual image of the carpenter and his young son, by artist John Collier.  Doesn’t he look a little like Patrick Stewart?  H/T Dymphna.

One of America’s blogging bishops is Bishop Robert Lynch, from St. Petersburg, Florida. He’s been posting his analysis of the health care debate, and yesterday added these thoughts: Last night I received an e-mail from Sister Carol Keehan whom I had tried to reach by phone prior to writing the previous blog. She was flying…

Yes, you read that right. Details: With the Catholic Church currently embroiled in a sex abuse scandal, leading online bookmaker PaddyPower.com has shortened its odds on Pope Benedict XVI resigning his papacy from 12/1 to 3/1. The Irish site stated that it shortened its odds following a ‘cascade of bets placed on the Pontiff stepping…
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