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The Deacon's Bench

With the debate about health care reform still percolating, I’m going to turn my internet microphone over to a guest blogger, and pal of mine, Sister Mary Ann Walsh. She’s Director of Media Relations for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops have recently had a few things to say about this subject.…

“As the custodian of the word, Mary will hold a special place in your life as deacons. We are told in the Gospels that she treasured all matters pertaining to Christ in her heart. It was only until after the Resurrection that Mary handed on to the apostles what she treasured in her heart. It…

“I do not believe we are there just to entertain, and attempts for church services to be informal for their own sake end up being trite and embarrassing. I also doubt the value of priests or ministers being stand-up comics. The Empire Theatre, just opposite the Minster, where I’m based, does it so much better.…

I only caught bits and pieces of the State of the Union speech last night — 70 minutes is a long time for a deacon to devote to anything on a weeknight — but a British paper has performed the helpful exercise of creating a “word cloud.” So, if you missed it:

I stumbled on this tonight, and thought: “Must post.” I think there’s more than a little Merton in this gorgeous reflection by a new Episcopal deacon, describing his ordination: One by one they came forward and one by one I began to see the vast connected network of the body of Christ. I loved them,…

Well, I’m sure some deacons would gladly raise their hands and volunteer for this sacramental duty — but we can’t. Neither can lay people. And that’s beginning to cause problems, as the AP reports: It was John B. Baus’s 82nd birthday. When he was getting ready to go out with his wife, he had a…

As expected, here’s Apple’s latest new toy — and a brief overview.  Will it save the world?  Stay tuned.   You can also visit Apple’s website for the whole picture (or the Gospel According to Steve).  

You can add my neighbor to the East, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, on Long Island, to the growing list of dioceses facing tough times — and taking some drastic steps to deal with its economic challenges: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre plans to offer buyouts to 1,500 of its 6,000 employees next…

So…are they afraid people might actually decide that life is, after all, you know, a good thing? From Reuters: U.S. women’s groups are urging television broadcaster CBS not to air an ad during next month’s Super Bowl football championship final because they say it has a strident anti-abortion rights message. The plans to air the…

A doctor, diagnosing the problem of countless Mac addicts tonight, might say: “Take two iTablets and call me in the morning.” Some elf posted this on YouTube last month — is the prophecy below about to be fulfilled? We’ll know soon enough.   (Excuse me, while I wipe the drool off my chin…)
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