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The Deacon's Bench

One of the country’s great Catholic magazines, America, has finally taken a bold leap into the 21st century, by launching a re-designed website, complete with a blog on preaching and scripture called “The Good Word”. It’s a wonderful and accessible place for ideas and inspiration, culled from some of the most interesting minds writing about…

For the past year or so, I’ve been affiliated with the folks over at Liturgical Publications, based in Wisconsin, writing material for their homiletics newsletter, “Connect!”. They have a wide array of resources for preachers and parishes — everything from bulletin inserts to cartoons to essays and commentaries to help catechists and homilists. They also…

On this Trinity Sunday, I’m going to do something a little different. This morning, you won’t be hearing any complex theology, no explanation of the “hypostatic union,” and no stories about St. Patrick and shamrocks. Instead, I’d like to ask you to think for just a moment about something that makes you sublimely happy. Maybe…

The nice people over at “Busted Halo”, an online magazine run by the Paulists, have printed an essay of mine, adapted from my first homily. And, to my astonishment, it’s now getting a wider circulation, thanks to the venerable blog “Whispers in the Loggia”. The Wizard of “Whispers,” Rocco Palmo, has added some kind words…

Christianity is a religion that grew on its feet. From Jesus, who walked from town to town…to the apostles, who journeyed into the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire…to missionaries who ventured into uncharted, often dangerous territory to spread the gospel…Christianity has been a movement spread by movement. Today we celebrate the very first incidence…

If you had to name one of the most quoted speeches of the 20th century, one near the top of any list would be the inaugural address of John F. Kennedy in 1961. Some of you may remember it. A lot of us have seen the old film images. On a blustery winter’s day, Kennedy…

There’s an old Yiddish saying: “If you want to hear God laugh, just tell Him your plans.” I’m sure, this morning, He’s in stitches. Not so very long ago, I would never have dreamed that I’d be here. And I know a few of you who are here who couldn’t quite imagine it either. But…

Feel free to make yourself at home. This little enterprise will be a place for posting some of my homilies — both rough drafts and final versions, most delivered from the pulpit of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Catholic Church, in Forest Hills, New York. Since I’m new at this — I was ordained a…
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