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The Deacon's Bench

Some heartening news from the Lone Star state. At a time when many dioceses are closing or consolidating parishes, down in Texas, the church business is booming: Each week at Midland’s Our Lady of San Juan Parish, churchgoers attending Mass overflow the building, into the lobby and outside. The church, located 112 miles west of…

And beautifully, I might add. H/T The Anchoress.

That would be the soon-to-be saint Mary MacKillop — who evidently was (briefly) excommunicated as revenge for seeking to have a priest pedophile brought to justice. Fr. James Martin has details: the astonishing story of Blessed Mary MacKillop, an Australian sister and foundress of a women’s religious order, who will be canonized on Oct. 17,…

And now for something innovative — a Catholic hospital involved in stem-cell research, but not in a way you might think : Women giving birth by cesarean section at a Catholic hospital in Florida can contribute to cutting-edge research that could benefit burn victims, diabetics and wounded soldiers. With the permission of the new mothers,…

The USCCB’s Sr. Mary Ann Walsh takes note of something interesting in the world of movie criticism: A former Catholic bishop of Salt Lake City once facetiously boasted that he headed the second largest church in Utah. There Catholics comprise nine percent of the population. Well known of course is that most people in the…

Well, no. It’s not exactly like the TV competition that looks for hot runway models. But Rocco Palmo has posted an intriguing list of up and coming bishops. The Final Four range all over the map — including one celebrated for his rendition of “The Electric Slide.” (Which, as I once noted, could be considered…

In a rare description of his personal faith, the president at a New Mexico gathering answered some questions about religion and abortion: An event billed as a discussion on the economy turned personal Tuesday when a woman asked President Barack Obama about his Christian faith and views on abortion. The question came at a town…

New York’s Archbishop Timothy Dolan recently paid another visit to Haiti. The short video below shows what he saw in the ruins of the country’s cathedral. It’s beautiful, and haunting, and tragic.

Want to stay healthy? Keep going to church. That, at least, is one conclusion you might draw from a new study: For some people, leaving their religion means more than taking a spiritual risk. They could be risking their physical health as well, according to one recent study. In the study conducted done by Christopher…

When it comes to religion, maybe not. Catholics, in particular, don’t understand the Eucharist at an alarmingly high rate.  That, and more, according to the results of a new survey: If you want to know about God, you might want to talk to an atheist. Heresy? Perhaps. But a survey that measured Americans’ knowledge of…
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