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The Deacon's Bench

While America absorbs the ramifications of the motu proprio, there’s a parish in Indiana that seems to have mastered a delicate balance. It’s been offering mass in both the old and new rite for several years : Holy Rosary Parish might become a model for how two groups of the faithful- one that prefers the…

I’m sure you’ve been wondering, like I have, about the moral and theological implications of “The Simpsons Movie.” Thankfully, the folks over at Busted Halo have decided to tackle that question for us, with this illuminating essay by Mark I. Pinsky, author of “The Gospel According to the Simpsons.” Pinsky offers a little character deconstruction,…

Most lay ministers will tell you that parish life can sometimes be a three-ring circus. But here’s a story about a guy in Virginia who knows it better than most: Sometimes Rob Tessier balances a chair or a desk on his chin to get the attention of his students, he said as he casually grabbed…

And what are you doing for the feast of St. Ignatius? I’m remembering a pilgrimage we took to Rome in 2000, for the Jubilee. One of the places we visited was the famous Gesu, where the saint is buried and some of his memorabilia is on display. It’s a stunning church, with some jaw-droppingly beautiful…

You might think that an organization named for the patron saint of lawyers would have a better sense of what’s legit, and what isn’t. But then again, maybe not: The St. Thomas More Society of San Diego has invited “womanpriest” Jane Via to speak at a meeting on Friday, Aug. 3, even though Via is…

Hot on the heels of my post yesterday that mentioned golf, here comes news that some chaps in Britain are turning the grounds of a closed seminary into a world class golf course: The £115m development of a former Catholic seminary on Deeside, west of Aberdeen, will include the transformation of the historic Blairs College…

Near Albany, New York, as with so much of the country, they’re dealing with parish closings and consolidations. The members of one closed parish found that they missed one another so much, they decided to “gather us in” — and continue a decades-long tradition: Emotions are still running high for many of the former parishioners…

Here’s a fascinating — and illuminating — critique of the years following Vatican II from someone in a position to know: Pope Benedict XVI. It strikes me as particularly on target, because he places the upheaval in its proper context, the ’60s and beyond: We must note that there were two great historic upheavals in…

It’s no secret that a lot of deacons embark on ministry as a second career, many after retiring. And now, it turns out some retirement communities (most notably in Florida) are becoming thriving havens for deacons: Dana McCarthy lived a life of service for his country for 26 years. Now the retired Navy captain, who…

Here’s a small but significant detail that many have overlooked in writing about the mammoth sex abuse settlement in LA: a number of those who committed abuse were not priests: Church teachers, sports coaches and even unpaid parochial school volunteers make up as much as 10 percent of the assailants, lawyers say. The Associated Press…
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