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The Deacon's Bench

This news caused a stir last week, and I’m pleased to report that my show “Currents” (on Brooklyn’s Catholic cable channel NET) got the first broadcast interview with Archbishop Donald Wuerl, discussing his appointment to the committee helping to bring U.S. Anglicans into the Catholic Church. Take a look, below. (And a grateful diaconal bow…

Archbishop Charles Chaput delivered a terrific address to the Religion Newswriters Association recently — and concluded with this valuable thought: Journalism is a “knowledge profession.” But like any other profession, the work of journalism doesn’t necessarily translate into self-knowledge or self-criticism. And any lasting service to the common good demands both. Journalism has its own…

For various people who have wondered about the man’s religious devotion — especially in light of his recent testimony before Congress — I found this snip from an interview in 2009: Would your family all sing carols on Christmas Eve? Sure, we’d process through the house, and we still do it. My family is 50…

Some unusual news out of Brooklyn, where a Catholic church is playing a starring role in a theatrical production of “Murder in the Cathedral.” A snip from the New York Times review: Comparing the buttoned-up experience of seeing a play to going to church is an old insult, but maybe it shouldn’t be. Or at…

The problems with this item in TIME magazine begin in the second sentence: Alta Jacko is the mother of eight children. She is also an ordained priest in the Roman Catholic Church. Actually, no. Whatever else she might be, Ms. Jacko is not ordained. What she experienced would be termed an “attempted ordination.” It has…

Well, this post (at a fine new blog I’ve just discovered, Catholic Phoenix) offers some smart answers. Of course, like Starbucks, the Church — being universal — comes in a variety of sizes and flavors, to suit any taste. I like my faith tall, dark and rich (no cream or sugar). Others like theirs a…

If you wonder how a preacher goes about his (or her) job, take a look: Pastors take great care to craft sermons they hope will inspire their congregations. Many spend hours each week thinking, researching and writing. When the Rev. Charles E. Booth is putting together a sermon, he focuses on making the material relevant…

“We are living in an era where people believe in Christ, but not in his Church. They want the king, but not the kingdom; they want to believe without belonging; they want the faith, but not the faithful. But for the committed Catholic, the answer to that is, ‘no can do.’ Jesus and the Church…

This is a clever spin on scripture study — and fun, to boot. H/T Concord Pastor. Bible In A Minute – barats and beretaBarats and Bereta Productions | MySpace Video

If you wonder why churches cannot endorse political candidates, Chuck Colson explains — and explains what some preachers may be doing about it this Sunday: In 1954, then-Senator Lyndon Johnson was in the middle of a particularly bruising re-election battle. Two nonprofit groups had been especially troublesome to the senator, vocally opposing his candidacy. So,…
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