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The Deacon's Bench

This is a remarkable piece of political theater: President Clinton blows up at a pro-life heckler at one of his wife’s rallies. You can read more details at this link, and there’s a brief MSNBC field report right here. h/t New Advent

“Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and…

That’s Indiana Jones talking, in yet another moment of peril. And, after nearly 20 years, no wonder. At long last, he’s about to come back in the fourth installment of the franchise, and if you haven’t seen the trailer yet, take a look. It’s great.

Every Friday during Lent, parishes around the country – maybe around the world? – offer one of the most enduring devotions of our faith: the Stations of the Cross. We retrace the route to Calvary, praying at each station. We sing – “At the cross, her station keeping / stood the mournful mother weeping…” and…

Here’s an eye-opener from across the Atlantic, courtesy the Associated Press: After same-sex marriage and fast-track divorce, Spain’s social revolution has hit a roadblock — abortion. The abortion law, severely restrictive during Gen. Francisco Franco’s dictatorship of the predominantly Roman Catholic country, was liberalized in 1985. But abortion has become too easy to obtain, say…

I couldn’t help but notice that The Anchoress has pointed out that it’s time for the Catholic Blog Awards. They’re accepting nominations at the link. The Anchoress is high on my list of nominees — and so is the Happy Catholic, The Word: Catholic Colbert, Charlotte Was Both, and almost anyone else over on my…

The new cardinal from Texas was making himself at home with his Episcopalian neighbors the other day, and the Galveston County Daily News was there: Malcolm Gee of Texas City seemed just a little bit nervous at Moody Gardens on Friday night — and with good reason. He was at the head of a 150-yard…

A high-ranking Vatican official has put his finger on a big problem with the modern priesthood: The prefect of the Congregation for Religious has lamented that many Catholic priests are neglecting their duties under the pressure of conforming to secular culture. In a February 14 interview with the Italian ANSA news agency, Cardinal Franc Rode…

Up in Beantown, Cardinal Sean used his blog this week to throw a little attention on the diaconate community — and it sounds like it’s booming: I met with the permanent deacons’ community board, which meets six times annually. Deacon Leo Donohue heads up that office, and recently we have brought in others to help…

My friend, the Trappist monk and writer Fr. James Stephen Behrens, sent this along the other day. It’s too good not to share: No one likes getting lost as a result of a wrong turn off any real or figurative road. The feeling of being in unknown territory without a map can be very unsettling.…
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