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The Deacon's Bench

Sunday, when I mentioned to Fr. Anthony that I’d be off today, and would attend this mass, he asked me if I’d like to preach, because he thought it more appropriate that an American preach on the Fourth of July. I was touched, but I almost think it would actually be more appropriate for Fr.…

As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July, it’s easy to forget that the Land of the Free wasn’t always so free for Catholics. In this morning’s New York Times, however, historian Kenneth C. Davis sets the record straight: Often, the disdain for the foreign was inflamed by religion. Boston’s Puritans hanged several Friends…

Remember this? Who could forget? Forest Gump’s mother has never been more beguiling.

A lot of us struggle to blend the secular and sacred in our daily lives, especially on the job. But here’s a woman near Indianapolis who’s taking it a step further: Jeanne Atkins takes pride in her employees who make thousands of confections, and each afternoon she assembles a handful of them for a time…

Ordination season is drawing to a close, but that hasn’t stopped them in Europe. And celibacy doesn’t seem to be an issue for these new priests, either: Two former Lutheran ministers have been ordained to the priesthood for the Catholic Church in Germany in recent weeks, and one in Austria. Father Hans-Tilmann Golde, a former…

And it’s not just another day at the office. You know what that’s like. Everybody: sing along.

Writer Dr. Christine Whelan has unearthed a word — and perhaps struck a nerve. The word is misandry, and the nerve is, well, close to wear a man lives: Misandry is not a word you’ve probably heard before. Literally, it is the hatred of men, and it’s comparable to misogyny, the hatred of women. But…

Amid everything else he has to do, the pope took a little time to write a letter in praise of scouting: Playing together, working on activities and sharing adventures, Scouts learn about nature, teamwork and service to others, Pope Benedict XVI said in a letter marking the 100th anniversary of Scouting. The specifically Catholic form…

Judging from some of the headlines now popping up around the internet, it might be a good time to call in some PR consultants. Fasten your seatbelts. “Pope seeks restoration of anti-Jewish mass; move may alienate Catholics” — Israel Insider. “Pope to revive ‘anti-Semitic’ Mass” — Jerusalem Post. “Church split feared as Pope backs return…

More and more of the secular press is hopping on the deacon bandwagon, and writing about this vocation. The latest comes from the Diocese of Pittsburgh, specifically New Castle, Pennsylvania: Years ago, a local banker began studies to become a Catholic priest but did not finish. “It was not my vocation,” said John Carran of…
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