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The Deacon's Bench

Bless her heart, the Anchoress has posted a terrific clip of Christopher Walken dancing in Pennies from Heaven. Most people forget he was a happy hoofer — taught by his mother, I believe — before he became one of the creepiest dramatic actors in the movies. But for my money, my favorite Dancin’ Walken is…

Those nuns who taught you in elementary school are now teaching science a thing or two about alternative medicine. Check out this item, from the front page of today’s Wall Street Journal: Here at the Providence Rest nursing home, which caters mostly to retired nuns and devout Roman Catholics, Harold Packman has developed an important…

Frequent visitors to the Catholic blogosphere will be familiar with the blog Clerical Whispers, run by an Irish priest who calls himself “Soto Voce.” Over the weekend, he posted a cry from the heart, which speaks, I think, for many priests today: In the last few days, I have done some deep thinking and reflecting…

Anyone wondering what the pontiff will have to say when he visits the U.S. next month need look no further than the current issue of the New York Sun, which has this tantalizing preview: Pope Benedict XVI will use his trip to America next month to present Catholic educators with a powerful challenge, one whose…

Just in time for Easter: Anne Rice’s trailblazing new book about Jesus. It’s the second part of her “Christ the Lord” trilogy, and follows Christ en route to his first miracle, and the seismic event that will launch his ministry. From ABC News, there’s this fascinating excerpt: Author Anne Rice made a name for herself…

I find myself, this Easter, confronting an awesome giant. It is the same massive and beautiful creature that has terrified and intimidated generations of deacons. It stands astride the holiest time of the year, daring you to pass. It laughs as you approach, snorts as you make any attempt to sneak by. I speak, of…

What on earth does basketball have to do with Marcel Lefebvre? When it comes to a recent controversy in Kansas, a lot. The item below is from the Washington Post’s On Faith section: It’s easy to dismiss what happened in Kansas recently between a private religious high school and a female referee as misogynistic. When…

If you somehow forgot to change your clocks this morning and “spring forward,” you can blame a man named William Willet. It was Willet, an English builder and outdoorsman, who is responsible for Daylight Saving Time. In 1905, while horseback riding before breakfast, he noticed that a lot of fellow Londoners slept through the best…

Some will remember the mid-20th century as the “brick-and-mortar” era of the American Church — parishes going up, vocations booming, schools clogged with children in uniforms. And nuns. Lots of ’em. I can still see them: the starched habits, the massive wooden rosaries, the worn hands dusty with chalk, the wire-rimmed glasses that, miraculously, never…

A diocese in Florida is trying an innovative approach to vocations — targeting two specific age groups in one fell swoop. Florida Catholic has details: Church vocation directors say a crucial element of encouraging vocations is inviting young people to consider entering the priesthood or religious life. Focus 11, an annual diocesan vocations rally, ensures…
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