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The Deacon's Bench

Not long ago on EWTN, during Lent, they re-ran this spellbinding talk by one of their most popular preachers. I was wondering if there was a copy online, and sure enough, there’s a shortened version, about 10 minutes long, which I’ve posted below. If you haven’t heard Fr. John Corapi’s “conversion story,” check this out.

Well, here’s a different way of looking at the Church, from the Wall Street Journal: Is the U.S. Catholic Church in a state of crisis? The bond market says no. In fact, investors increasingly view the collection plate as a reliable source of cash flow. Church debt, which is increasingly packaged and sold as bonds,…

If this isn’t an interesting sign of the times, I don’t know what is. From the Chicago Tribune: As a teen, Sarah Bier traveled from Chicago to Israel to learn more about Judaism. But her journey to the Holy Land, marred by religious violence from beginning to end, ultimately led her to explore other faiths…

And the long line of men in dalmatics continues. Bless ’em all. This, from Long Island Catholic. (h/t to the blog A Long Island Catholic.) The scoop follows — and at the link, you can find pictures and bios of the men. Bishop William Murphy will ordain 13 men as deacons on May 17 at…

One of the most popular parlor games right now — being played in sacristies and vestibules and parking lots across this great land — is figuring out who will be the next Archbishop (and, presumably, Cardinal Archbishop) of New York. Pat Rice gets into the act at the St. Louis Beacon: As Cardinal Edward Egan…

Did you know St. Jerome has a connection to doo-wop? This, from today’s New York Times: An Italian-American bluesman records a song in Florida. An Irish-American disc jockey plays it at a radio station in Woodstock, N.Y. He tells a friend from his old neighborhood in the Bronx about the song. And before you know…

I’m a little bit amazed that this sort of thing is going on, since the Church’s position on this is pretty clear. But evidently, in some places, lay preaching at mass is not uncommon. But now, in one archdiocese, that’s coming to an end: Father Terry Rassmussen, pastor of St. Joseph in New Hope, finished…

This intriguing story takes the idea of the New Evangelization to whole new galaxy. Literally. From the AP: Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican’s chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday. The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory,…

A high-profile preacher who threw his support behind John McCain — and who, not insignificantly, has referred to the Catholic Church as a “whore” — now says, in effect, “My bad. Sorry.” From the AP: John Hagee, an influential Texas televangelist who endorsed John McCain, apologized to Catholics Tuesday for his stinging criticism of the…

If this doesn’t lift your spirits, nothing will. It’s short and sweet. Go ahead. Shut the door and turn up the speakers and enjoy.
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