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The Deacon's Bench

A priest friend of mine likes to say “There are really two Catholic Churches. The Church of the hierarchy. And the Church of the people.” It’s the former, I think, that causes the most problems for the latter. Now, in the wake of scandal and institutional turmoil, with parishes closing and schools consolidating and priests…

At one time it would have been unthinkable. But now it’s a reality for more and more priests: they are serving as pastors for two parishes. In Los Angeles, it’s known as “twinning,” and the local paper, The Tidings, takes a look at how it works: Though his mode of transportation is a car instead…

For the third time this year, an Episcopal bishop is leaving his flock to join the Catholic Church. The following comes from The Living Church Foundation, which serves the Episcopalian church: The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey N. Steenson, Bishop of the Rio Grande, will resign from his position and become a Roman Catholic, The Living Church…

At Carnegie Mellon University, near Pittsburgh, they have a tradition of inviting professors to give what’s sometimes called “The Last Lecture.” Teachers are asked to think about what matters to them, and sum up their philosophy, as if it’s the last lecture they will ever give. It’s a very popular series and usually attracts hundreds…

The Blogging Eminence, Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley, is on the road again, with Catholic and Orthodox pilgrims, visiting Rome and Constantinople. His lovely little blog has the first installment of the trip, and it’s something to see. Week after week, the good Cardinal posts some of the most evocative and memorable pictures — which, as…

Now this case is getting interesting. Earlier in the week, a man filed a suit against God. Now God has lawyered up: Eric Perkins, an attorney in Corpus Christi, Texas, said Friday he filed a response to the lawsuit from Nebraska State Sen. Ernie Chambers. “It’s kind of a turn on ‘What would Jesus do?'”…

Has the Catholic Church gone soft? That seems to be the argument in this column from The Pilot, the Catholic paper for the Archdiocese of Boston. The piece was written by Kevin and Marilyn Ryan, editors of “Why I Am Still A Catholic.” They were dismayed at what they saw recently during vacation: The church,…

It’s getting to be harvest time, and some priests and deacons are rolling up their sleeves and bestowing a blessing or two on God’s land: The arches above the altar were not marble or painted wood, but rather the branches of towering burr oak and hickory trees. The backdrop was not a mural or stained…

A bizarre story of priestly criminality crossed the wires this afternoon from, of all places, Las Vegas: A Roman Catholic priest who smashed a wine bottle over the head of a woman in church pleaded guilty to felony battery with a deadly weapon. The Rev. George Chaanine admitted Thursday in Clark County District Court that…

Good news out of Nebraska: an especially big batch of seminarians is starting formation this fall — one of the largest classes, in fact, in the United States: The 23 newcomers attending St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward this fall are “full of questions, obviously prayerful and eager to learn,” said Father John Folda,…
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