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The Deacon's Bench

Anyone who saw the papal mass this morning in Washington heard a real melting pot of music and languages, and Catholic News Service has an overview: The liturgical celebration of Pope Benedict XVI’s April 17 Mass in Nationals Park reflected the diversity of Catholic heritages and sensibilities reflected in the Archdiocese of Washington, where the…

From vespers at the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, April 16, 2008. Anybody know who those two lucky fellows might be?

The president is a fan. H/T to Fr. James Martin, SJ from The Good Word, the preaching and scripture blog of America magazine.

People on both sides of the Great Communion Debate will find much in this story to ponder and quarrel over: Catholic members of Congress who publicly support the right to abortion will trek to Nationals Park Thursday for a Mass celebrated by a pope who has said such lawmakers should not receive Communion. Leading these…

All poped out yet? Good. Here’s a pretty interesting nugget from today’s Washington Post on the pope and his music — or, rather, the music you will probably be hearing at the papal masses: Catholics don’t argue about abortion or the death penalty nearly as much as they argue about what music is sung (or…

How can a modern urban parish prosper, when church attendance is down and vocations are lagging and people are fleeing for the suburbs? The New York Times has one intriguing answer: The morning service begins with the swift tap-tap-tap of drums, accented with horns. “El Señor es mi pastor,” the band sings out, echoed by…

Your Humble Blogger has hardly been idle. I just posted a little something over at the CBS News blog “Couric & Co.”: Watching Pope Benedict step out of his limousine this morning and wave to the thousands cheering on the White House South Lawn, one thought crossed my mind: What would my grandparents think? They…

That’s Katie Couric’s cheeky nickname for the dashing and telegenic Fr. Thomas Williams, who played football for the University of Michigan before becoming a priest with the Legionairies of Christ. He’s now a Vatican analyst for CBS News. And here’s a snip of his interview with Katie yesterday.

Over at the New York Times, they have a running blog of various religious observers and experts, discussing the papal visit. Fascinating stuff. Some excerpts: From Fr. James Martin, SJ: “I am deeply ashamed,” Pope Benedict XVI said this morning, briefly addressing the sexual abuse crisis in the United States. “We will do what is…

In case you missed it earlier, here he is, stretching his legs at Andrews Air Force Base and saying howdy to the Bush family.
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