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The Deacon's Bench

They gave the maestro a final sendoff today in his hometown of Modena, at a full Catholic funeral presided over by the bishop and celebrated in the city’s 1,000-year old cathedral. The AP has the details, including praise from the pope and — near the end — some Catholic criticism, too: Verdi’s ”Ave Maria” wafted…

Is there anything better than September? This is wondrous time of year. The weather is perfect. The grass is lush. If you go to a Farmer’s Market, the fruits and vegetables are at their peak. This is the last gasp before autumn and the harvest. Our Jewish neighbors in two weeks will be celebrating Succoth,…

And I’m not saying that just because she mentions me. No, The Anchoress, with her usual laser-beam insight, has summed up beautifully what it means to believe, and to doubt: For those who have given it all, have allowed themselves to be used up until they literally have nothing left to give, it seems to…

News broke earlier this afternoon that the Diocese of San Diego has reached a settlement in the claims of sexual abuse — and, not surprisingly, it’s huge: The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego said Friday it has agreed to pay $198.1 million to settle 144 claims of sexual abuse by clergy, the second-largest payment…

I suspect some viewers (including this one) never expected to hear Katie Couric reciting the Our Father on the CBS Evening News. But last night, that’s what happened, when the program (originating this week from Iraq and Syria) broadcast something unusual and fascinating: a lovely little story about a village in Syria that is working…

That ingratiating anthem of “High School Musical” serves as the backdrop for the video below, which was just written up in the Denver Catholic Register. The story was picked up by Catholic Online: Timothy Reidy is an average all-American college student who never thought he would be using something like YouTube to promote a cause…

A new blog has popped up in the ‘sphere — and it’s safe to say there’s nothing quite like it out there right now. It’s a blog about science, written by a Catholic priest, Fr. Michael K. Holleran. And he introduces himself in his first posting: Why am I daring to undertake this blog? The…

Well, here’s a hint: one is Catholic. According to a new survey, the American public views the nominal front-runners right now as the least religious candidates in the race: People view Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rudy Giuliani as the least religious of the major presidential candidates, according to a poll released Thursday. Mitt Romney was…

Ladies and gentlemen, the obligatory Pavarotti YouTube post. Here, a duet with Mr. Barry White! Yay!

While news of Luciano Pavarotti’s death has swept around the world, we’ve started getting a few details about his last hours — and the funeral plans: Hailed by many as the greatest tenor of his generation, Pavarotti passed away during the night at his villa near the northern city of Modena after a long battle…
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