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The Deacon's Bench

I’m referring, of course, to swing voters. Much has been made of how Catholics are voting this year — and now Tim Rutten has offered some intriguing secular analysis in the Los Angeles Times: Today, one in four Americans is a Roman Catholic. What makes all this particularly significant in this political year is that…

At countless churches around the world this Sunday, Lenten purple will give way to…pink?! No. Rose. The vestments are rose. It is Laetare Sunday, described succinctly right here: The fourth, or middle, Sunday of Lent, so called from the first words of the Introit at Mass, “Laetare Jerusalem” — “Rejoice, O Jerusalem”. During the first…

Do not let your hearts be troubled. I know there are many troubled hearts here this morning. Mine is one of them. I grieve with Kathleen, and James, and Teresa, and all of Jim’s family. All those who loved Jim. Our hearts are troubled. But Jim’s wouldn’t be. He understood that in the story of…

The Vatican has just issued some guidelines and a clarifying statement on the sacrament of baptism and its validity that may throw some people into a tizzy — and maybe make a few lose sleep: Doctrinal and ecumenical officials at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the release of a Vatican statement addressing the…

The pope’s upcoming trip now has an official souvenir. From a sidebar in USA Today: The first officially announced souvenir for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit is a tiny T-shirt for a teddy bear, says Archdiocese of Washington spokeswoman Susan Gibbs. The shirt will be sold only at six Washington, D.C.-area Build-A-Bear Workshop stores. “It’s cute.…

Presumptive GOP nominee John McCain got slammed the other day for accepting the endorsement of someone who’s not exactly friendly toward the Catholic Church: The president of the Catholic League blasted John McCain on Thursday for accepting the endorsement of Texas evangelist John Hagee, calling the controversial pastor a bigot who has “waged an unrelenting…

Need an upper today? This piece from a paper in Pittsburgh just might do the trick: He’s known from Pittsburgh to Guam, offering a message redeemable by all ages. His caring and compassion have comforted as many as 15,000 in a single audience. Years have passed since I first learned of Father Scott Seethaler. Public…

I have, of late, been in a rather funereal state of mind. It hurts to lose a friend. But when someone showed me the clip below — unaware of just what’s been going on in my life lately — I couldn’t help but grin. And then laugh. And then think: Jim would get such a…

Not long ago, I posted about Deacon Jim, classmate and brother deacon and friend, who was diagnosed with cancer. Last night, Jim’s journey came to an end. Lord, who shall be admitted to your tentand dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks without fault;he who acts with justiceand speaks the truth from his heart;he…

That’s the serious, but provocative, question Rod Dreher posed in his blog this morning, springboarding off yesterday’s report from the Pew Forum: Why do you think people leave the Catholic Church? We tend to accept the explanation that suits what we’d prefer to believe. In a short exchange on a combox yesterday, Daniel, who is…
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