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The Deacon's Bench

What is it like to be a prince of the Church? The Chicago Tribune has taken the time to answer that question with a rich, in-depth look at a day in the life of Cardinal Francis George: The cardinal archbishop of Chicago is confused. The subject is jelly. Francis George, the spiritual leader of 2.3…

An astonishing bit of news from the Havana Desk: Cuba has invited the Catholic Church to open a new monastery on the island and a German Benedictine order said Wednesday it would send four monks to establish a “spiritual centre.”The church has been officially banned in the past from building new churches on the communist…

I was wondering about that not long ago, and a pal sent me this little bit of information. Turns out, it’s at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington: The display of two papal gifts is housed on the bridge joining Memorial Hall and the Hall of American Saints. The gold metallic embroidered…

I’m humbled and delighted to report that I’ve been nominated in several categories for the Catholic Blog Awards. I’m in some very lofty company. Check the link to see the nominees and vote! There are a lot of categories, and a lot of great blogs to discover. The Catholic blogosphere is alive and well!

And now, from our Psychedelic Desk, this bit of weirdness, which just crossed the wire: High on Mount Sinai, Moses was on psychedelic drugs when he heard God deliver the Ten Commandments, an Israeli researcher claimed in a study published this week. Such mind-altering substances formed an integral part of the religious rites of Israelites…

I stumbled on this sad and sobering testimony today in the America blog, In All Things, from a California undergraduate professor: While reaching for examples to explain 20th century interpretations of salvation as the movement from inauthentic to authentic existence, I confidently asked how many in the room had read Thomas Merton, thinking I could…

Do you tithe? A don’t know many Catholics or do — or, at least, who admit to it. But it’s very big in some Protestant denominations. And the CBS News program Sunday Morning recently looked at this phenomenon: Pastor Marty Baker is a believer in the idea. “When Jesus says, ‘I will build the church,’…

One of the most prominent and outspoken Catholic actors — and one of America’s most vocal advocates for the poor and disenfranchised — is about to receive an honor from the country’s most famous Catholic university. From the Associated Press: Activist-actor Martin Sheen will be honored by the University of Notre Dame with its Laetare…

If you want to know what it’s like to be a priest in America in the early years of the 21st century, this piece from Pennsylvania may give you an idea: The Rev. Steven Palsa of St. Philomena Catholic Church of Beaver Falls has long relied on traditional devices, such as a pulpit and confessional,…

From Chicago comes this story about an exhibit on Catholicism — and our religion’s powerful impact on the Windy City culture. But the news about faith in the Second City is decidedly mixed: In John R. Powers’ Chicago of the mid-20th century, there were two religions in the city: Catholics and “publics.” “Publics went to…
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