tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20533289075108115212024-03-06T03:59:13.167-05:00The Deacon's BenchWhere a Roman Catholic deacon ponders the worldDeacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.comBlogger3376125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-30505782160116572352009-10-24T12:46:00.001-04:002009-10-24T12:48:10.624-04:00Homily for World Priest DayYou can find it <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2009/10/homily-for-october-25-2009-world-priest-day.html">over here</a>. <br /><br />It's a re-post of my talk from 2008.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-70665124678422335232009-10-17T10:14:00.001-04:002009-10-17T10:15:36.931-04:00Homily for October 18, 2009: 29th Sunday in Ordinary TimeFor World Mission Sunday. <br /><br />You can find it <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2009/10/homily-for-october-18-2009-29th-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html">over here at Beliefnet</a>.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-48241465178071623262009-10-10T12:11:00.001-04:002009-10-10T12:13:02.508-04:00Homily for October 11, 2009: 28th Sunday in Ordinary TimeIt's <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2009/10/homily-for-october-11-2009-28th-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html">right here.</a>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-57592108912420760432009-10-09T20:17:00.001-04:002009-10-09T20:19:32.160-04:00Looking for "The Deacon's Bench"?Hey! I've moved! Hop on over to <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/">this link</a>. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qTlXErirJ37MRBVYzCjS7RQG4_j91dQeUxAcJlp91wAGM-9TMsaEMjG17T70ChEdu6BMHx_MkPEIWHh9Ro1ec0MTHrK2KwDrOvMPXtpfNgoWd3pK9JuFdaHWwXfrKB9sdTSUUFtwaRtc/s1600-h/simple-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qTlXErirJ37MRBVYzCjS7RQG4_j91dQeUxAcJlp91wAGM-9TMsaEMjG17T70ChEdu6BMHx_MkPEIWHh9Ro1ec0MTHrK2KwDrOvMPXtpfNgoWd3pK9JuFdaHWwXfrKB9sdTSUUFtwaRtc/s400/simple-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390758946565322178" /></a>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-82634334700551342812009-10-03T09:34:00.001-04:002009-10-03T09:35:30.482-04:00Homily for October 4, 2009: 27th Sunday in Ordinary TimeLooking for it?<br /><br />It's <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/">right here</a>.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-32998875238414183762009-10-01T19:35:00.003-04:002009-10-01T19:40:11.176-04:00I've headed cross-town<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBizvmbjuM-Cm2kcpcvq_B9ASPAnZUzZEtDG9GAxZvoDSp1x8CEk734a7E7FJu-T3dIVAaxGVIkUwXpZi06mytPWwYEp1NelEsnTGbzHYRG9U3ViIgjLgw4MyRzN6d9mXgy9zNs_e40Wk/s1600-h/simple-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBizvmbjuM-Cm2kcpcvq_B9ASPAnZUzZEtDG9GAxZvoDSp1x8CEk734a7E7FJu-T3dIVAaxGVIkUwXpZi06mytPWwYEp1NelEsnTGbzHYRG9U3ViIgjLgw4MyRzN6d9mXgy9zNs_e40Wk/s400/simple-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387779327856543618" /></a></center>Those who are looking for "The Deacon's Bench" can now find it at <a href="http://www.beliefnet.com/">Beliefnet</a>, the large (and growing) spiritual website. <br /><br />Change your bookmarks! <br /><br />My new URL: <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/"><span style="font-weight:bold;">http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/</span></a><br /><br />Come by and visit!Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-64888801150432791052009-09-29T11:41:00.001-04:002009-09-29T11:43:01.374-04:00Yes, you can subscribe!We're moving right along ... <br /><br />Head over to <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/">my new address</a>, and there's a button on the upper right corner for an RSS feed, so you can easily keep up with The Bench.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-52083753475488584892009-09-28T23:35:00.003-04:002009-09-28T23:38:17.035-04:00The unoffocial anthem of the American Catholic parishForget "Praise to the Lord" or even "Gather Us In." You know the song I'm talking about. <br /><br /><a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2009/09/the-unofficial-anthem-of-the-american-catholic-parish.html">Crank up the volume and join in</a>.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-75634673724498011002009-09-27T19:33:00.002-04:002009-09-27T19:35:41.052-04:00"He was just a simple priest"Can you believe it's been 30 years since Pope John Paul celebrated mass in that cornfield in Iowa? (How's <i>that</i> for a "Field of Dreams"?) <br /><br />People who were there are still talking about it. <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2009/09/he-was-just-a-simple-priest-remembering-the-papal-visit-to-iowa-in-1979.html">Read more here.</a>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-18567144752266656602009-09-26T22:19:00.002-04:002009-09-26T22:21:45.519-04:00Checking up on some pioneers: Indy's first deacons, one year laterLast year, Indianapolis ordained its very first class of deacons. And you can find out how they're doing <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2009/09/the-indianapolis-deacons-one-year-later.html">right here.</a>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-58420839953687715042009-09-26T15:32:00.001-04:002009-09-26T15:35:08.298-04:00Metropolitan Jonah and his amazing technicolor vestmentsAmazing, indeed. Check out more <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2009/09/metropolitan-jonah-and-his-amazing-technicolor-vestments.html">here</a>. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK68TeJCtp90k8RerAGbPVo7iPnl5yzMWEgrP2OXViWqk40T6SHQ8BHj64JEa_RhJOsKeRKWygXAlJ8p0o8rLir3047S2Rc0NzZZvb3fuw9vM_0MIwTFkPmPLE1MJ9Z7iC4fMmsAsJXWqm/s1600-h/3926476510_900812edfc.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK68TeJCtp90k8RerAGbPVo7iPnl5yzMWEgrP2OXViWqk40T6SHQ8BHj64JEa_RhJOsKeRKWygXAlJ8p0o8rLir3047S2Rc0NzZZvb3fuw9vM_0MIwTFkPmPLE1MJ9Z7iC4fMmsAsJXWqm/s400/3926476510_900812edfc.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385861442633257250" /></a>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-67950044632784558592009-09-26T13:49:00.000-04:002009-09-26T13:50:46.943-04:00Eureka! New deacons in California!The story, and pictures, <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2009/09/on-deacons-they-are-absolutely-critical.html">here</a>.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-81611242356212935762009-09-26T12:12:00.001-04:002009-09-26T12:14:12.783-04:00Lord, be close to your servants who move into this home...I did a house blessing this morning, and it seemed like an opportune time to offer a blessing for <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/">my own new home</a>, too. <br /><br /><a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2009/09/-this-morning-i-was.html">Take a look</a>.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-53182355087224037952009-09-25T15:22:00.003-04:002009-09-25T15:26:42.650-04:00Here we go ...This weekend, I will start blogging at my new address. <br /><br />You'll find me at <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/">this link</a>. <br /><br />The URL: <br /><br />http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/<br /><br />I expect <a href="http://www.beliefnet.com/">Beliefnet</a> will forward people automatically, but it might be a good idea to change your bookmarks. <br /><br />So...come by and visit! I'll look forward to seeing you there. Meantime, happy trails. And Happy Friday.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-28408937915109386092009-09-25T09:35:00.003-04:002009-09-25T09:39:45.371-04:00Journeys with the Messiah: the "Currents" editionIf you still haven't seen <a href="http://www.thejourneysproject.com/">those stunning pictures of Jesus</a> taken by fashion photographer Michael Belk, here's a preview, from the interview with him that we did on <a href="http://netny.net/currents/">"Currents" </a>earlier this week. <br /><br /><center><object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/e8XzW4vowOs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/e8XzW4vowOs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object></center>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-50554993576387447452009-09-25T09:20:00.003-04:002009-09-25T09:30:51.343-04:00A thoroughbred faithWe periodically hear about <a href="http://www.championsoffaith.com/">athletes and their faith</a> -- but here's a sport that rarely gets mentioned: horse racing. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.the-tidings.com/2009/092509/pedroza.htm">The Tidings</a> in Los Angeles has a look at champion jockey <a href="http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=1825">Martin Pedroza</a>, who talks about how prayer has sustained him: <blockquote> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HKDjOOkA6ONG-Q8MKXniQzp0XGe-wCOQFwF9HSWQiv2UYCGmZOHOge_KmIFqFBcxI6doIh48UgZ4935UlDzH7GyEAhqUq7x3zMdU28Gx4QF-GLYkDlQjbRXMNAAjbHunVdCG_9AkLVkL/s1600-h/garysgotrhythmwinsrace4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HKDjOOkA6ONG-Q8MKXniQzp0XGe-wCOQFwF9HSWQiv2UYCGmZOHOge_KmIFqFBcxI6doIh48UgZ4935UlDzH7GyEAhqUq7x3zMdU28Gx4QF-GLYkDlQjbRXMNAAjbHunVdCG_9AkLVkL/s320/garysgotrhythmwinsrace4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385396165249377554" /></a>The jockey says prayer has been the one constant in his life. After graduating from the famed Panama Jockey School with alums the likes of Laffit Pincay, Manuel Ycaza and Alex Solis, he still did not have a winner in four months. When he went to his mother, Luz, and said he wanted to return to high school, she said to pray to his recently deceased father, Aureleo, and also to God.<br /><br />"The next day I won a race," he recalled, grinning. "It was a miracle: 99-to-1. The name of the horse was Laclave. If he was 6-to-5, I wouldn't have thought it was a miracle. But 99-to-1!"<br /><br />In 1982, he came to the United States with the encouragement of his older brother, Marcelino, who had established himself as a jockey here. Veteran riders Eddie Delahoussey and Bill Shoemaker helped calm the younger hothead Pedroza down and got him to stop pressing when he went into a temporary slump. And the following year, the 17-year-old was the leading apprentice at the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita and also at Los Alamitos.<br /><br />But he really gained notice on the local racing circuit in 1989, when he won the Santa Anita Handicap (the "Big Cap") aboard 50-to-1 shot Martial Law. And at age 40, he won his first major title at Hollywood Park's 2005 fall meet by riding 31 winners.<br /><br />"I pray all the time, just like my mama told me," he said. "All the time I pray in the jock's room. I pray before I get on the horse. I pray at home. I pray in church. All the time."<br /><br />One thing he prayed for this year were the relatives of two horse owners he rode for - James and Charles Ortega. They were members of the extended Covina family who were allegedly shot and killed by a recently divorced husband dressed in a Santa outfit at a Christmas Eve party. A week after the horrific tragedy sent shock waves through the San Gabriel Valley, Pedroza rode their horse for the last time under the Ortegas' name.<br /><br />"I really got chills going into the [starting] gate," Pedroza recalled. "It almost felt like an angel was on my back, you know, riding with me. And when we won, I was all emotional, just very, very happy. Nothing was going to make it better for that family, I knew that, but at least it was a moment of relief and happiness for them.<br /><br />"And the horse's name was 'Return of the King,'" he said, shaking his head in disbelief even after eight months. "So just everything was going together. It was wonderful."</blockquote> Visit <a href=" http://www.the-tidings.com/2009/092509/pedroza.htm">The Tidings</a> to read the rest.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-90351476786747542552009-09-25T07:26:00.006-04:002009-09-25T09:01:39.639-04:00Quote of the day. Maybe of the week.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vPzb2lWjlifdiF43jc4FW6Om51C7vkfxvRtL-AOtAQE_uGg2NxE_atbL6pGkLouFROaKo8mcrVK75D7IYwX5Py3CSsCJ3G6Q8UfV8HcQWW3BtH5m3mMVsTc2GsoWqidd7AL7C7fyxvfz/s1600-h/dolan090928_1_250.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vPzb2lWjlifdiF43jc4FW6Om51C7vkfxvRtL-AOtAQE_uGg2NxE_atbL6pGkLouFROaKo8mcrVK75D7IYwX5Py3CSsCJ3G6Q8UfV8HcQWW3BtH5m3mMVsTc2GsoWqidd7AL7C7fyxvfz/s400/dolan090928_1_250.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385365598641489570" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">"You know, the church is the one who dreams, the church is the one who constantly has the vision, the church is the one that’s constantly saying ‘Yes!’ to everything that life and love and sexuality and marriage and belief and freedom and human dignity—everything that that stands for, the church is giving one big resounding ‘Yes!’ The church founded the universities, the church was the patron of the arts, the scientists were all committed Catholics. And that’s what we have to recapture: the kind of exhilarating, freeing aspect. I mean, it wasn’t Ronald Reagan who brought down the Berlin Wall. It was Karol Wojtyła. I didn’t make that up: Mikhail Gorbachev said that...I guess one of the things that frustrates me pastorally is that there’s this caricature of the church—of being this oppressive, patriarchal, medieval, out-of-touch naysayer—where the opposite is true.”<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;">-- Archbishop Timothy Dolan, in <a href="http://nymag.com/news/features/59256/">this profile</a> in New York Magazine.</div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/theanchoress/2009/09/24/getting-to-know-timothy-dolan/">H/T</a> to The A. </div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>PHOTO:</b><i> by Mary Ellen Mark</i></span></div>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-42593010168067962392009-09-25T07:12:00.006-04:002009-09-25T07:18:14.424-04:00How to spread the gospel: "Claim it, aim it, proclaim it"That's the stirring advice of a leading catechist in Washington, who took <a href="http://www.thefloridacatholic.org/orl/2009_orl/2009_orlarticles/20090924_orl_faith_formation.php">his message</a> to the Sunshine State last week: <blockquote> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IWUEe-6pychN3-zpEsMmKhgz-mX3HWT38ArVT8zJ1y_6oc-Sx6qQ1CIKPuuffQw8XdEEYMoEpilzZdUfPgcHrz3y5mw_R2YdJuBbhl4-rkAiy9DNXlvavz_MR2OvfIt264EM0e4BtOKU/s1600-h/20090925_orl_faith_formation_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IWUEe-6pychN3-zpEsMmKhgz-mX3HWT38ArVT8zJ1y_6oc-Sx6qQ1CIKPuuffQw8XdEEYMoEpilzZdUfPgcHrz3y5mw_R2YdJuBbhl4-rkAiy9DNXlvavz_MR2OvfIt264EM0e4BtOKU/s320/20090925_orl_faith_formation_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385362268561756626" border="0" /></a>At the 14th annual diocesan Faith Formation Day Sept. 19, keynote speaker Msgr. Ray East addressed about 900 catechists on the theme of “Catechesis and the Proclamation of the Word.”<br /><br />“Claim it, aim it and proclaim it,” is the three-step process Msgr. East advocated to catechists from around the Diocese of Orlando gathered at Bishop Moore Catholic High School here. He encouraged them to claim the stories of salvation revealed in Scripture and when they proclaim God’s saving word, to aim the saving message especially to those who are in most need. “Evangelization and catechesis are wedded together,” he said.<br /><br />Msgr. East is pastor of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in the southeastern quadrant of Washington, D.C., and vicar for evangelization of the Archdiocese of Washington. He also serves as the executive director of the Office of Black Catholics there.<br />Carolyn Ziarno, center, director of religious education and Tamara Yntema, right, of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Melbourne sing the opening song at Faith Formation Day Sept. 19. The song, entitled “Proclaim the Word” was especially composed for the Orlando Diocese by John Burland, an internationally acclaimed musician from Australia.<br /><br />Carolyn Ziarno, center, director of religious education and Tamara Yntema, right, of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Melbourne sing the opening song at Faith Formation Day Sept. 19. The song, entitled “Proclaim the Word” was especially composed for the Orlando Diocese by John Burland, an internationally acclaimed musician from Australia.<br /><br />He made a special request of attendees: Come back next year with five young adults – a crucial and underrepresented demographic for faith formation in the Catholic Church nationwide. “Let’s get some intergenerational faith formation. There’s a hole in our whole community catechesis,” he said.<br /><br />After the keynote speech, Msgr. East explained there is much to be learned from Jewish, Muslim and Protestant traditions regarding evangelization and faith formation. “We should focus on our common faith in Abraham and Sarah,” he said. “Not only are we all serving the same God, but the goal is the same.”<br /><br />Prior to Msgr. East’s address, Dr. Nicholas Wolsonovich, secretary of faith formation and superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Orlando, noted that only 40 percent of the baptized children in the Diocese of Orlando receive some kind of faith formation through Catholic schools or religious education at their parish. “Pray about reaching out to those kids who have not been touched by faith formation here in Orlando,” Wolsonovich said.<br /><br />Event organizer Sister of Divine Providence Linda Gaupin, senior director of religious education for the diocese, welcomed the opportunity to have Msgr. East and 28 other workshop speakers make presentations to catechists at all levels. “Faith formation really pertains to any ministry that works with handing on the faith,” she said. “The workshops we have help (the participants) to get firsthand information in their particular area to prepare them better for their ministry.” </blockquote> There's more at the <a href="http://www.thefloridacatholic.org/orl/2009_orl/2009_orlarticles/20090924_orl_faith_formation.php">Florida Catholic link</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>PHOTO: </b><i>Msgr. Ray East delivers the keynote address to approximately 900 people at the 14th annual diocesan Faith Formation Day, Sept. 19, in Orlando. Photo by Valeta Orlando / Florida Catholic.</i></span>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-27447359350877635022009-09-25T06:12:00.004-04:002009-09-25T06:23:50.105-04:00For Kennedy's seat, a Cardinal connectionIt turns out the man taking over Ted Kennedy's Senate seat is himself part of a Massachusetts Catholic dynasty, according to <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/">Michael Paulson</a> of the Boston Globe: <blockquote> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrs_3kt_-KpIaY-eZeyOQRVVZgEtZAQvA8e9YJ0FUU1_2xT29Uavo-8g0yri1dm122cWGSpqrAIL2VLGNipTLz2pKj-O9Nej3GUgo4862xvUl9UI4NGDcrThgdD7qyVs55vangwwoBFeld/s1600-h/Paul_Kirk.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 139px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrs_3kt_-KpIaY-eZeyOQRVVZgEtZAQvA8e9YJ0FUU1_2xT29Uavo-8g0yri1dm122cWGSpqrAIL2VLGNipTLz2pKj-O9Nej3GUgo4862xvUl9UI4NGDcrThgdD7qyVs55vangwwoBFeld/s200/Paul_Kirk.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385348544518352802" /></a>A dispatch from the Boston-is-a-really-small-town department: Paul G. Kirk Jr., who was named today as the interim US Senator from Massachusetts, is the grand-nephew of Cardinal William H. O'Connell, one of the most powerful figures in local church history, who served as archbishop of Boston from 1907 until his death in 1944. Kirk, 71, is one of five children of Josephine O'Connell, whose father, Edward J. O'Connell, was an older brother of Cardinal O'Connell.<br /><br />The connection ties Kirk to one of the odder stories now unfolding in town, as the Archdiocese of Boston seeks to disinter the cardinal's remains and remove them from land that the church sold to Boston College to raise money to pay off victims of clergy sexual abuse. The saga of the cardinal's tomb, which has been playing out for five years now, last week moved to Suffolk Probate and Family Court, where Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, joined by the trustees of Boston College, are suing 30 of O'Connell's living relatives, including Kirk, for the right to relocate the remains.<br /><br />I last spoke with Kirk about his famous great-uncle about a year and a half ago. Kirk was born in 1938, and the cardinal died in 1944, so they didn't spend a lot of time together, and the memories have faded, but Kirk told me he remembered, as a little boy, visiting Cardinal O'Connell at his grand residence in Brighton (also now the property of BC), and that his most distinct memory was of reciting the pledge of allegiance for his great-uncle. At the time of our interview last year, Kirk was opposed to relocating the cardinal's remains, saying, "I think I speak for the majority of the cardinal's next of kin in saying that we would like him to remain at his chosen resting place.''</blockquote>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-3702693067817949772009-09-24T21:18:00.003-04:002009-09-24T21:25:31.191-04:00An "Everyday" deacon?A fella by the name of David Dawson dropped me a note with a link a short time ago. He's the creator of a podcast and website called <a href="http://theeverydaycatholic.com/">"The Everyday Catholic."</a> His latest installment is all about the diaconate. <br /><br /><a href="http://theeverydaycatholic.com/">Give a listen</a>.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-13077175687896593252009-09-24T16:03:00.003-04:002009-09-24T16:06:43.520-04:00From Knight to Saint?The founder of the Knights of Columbus may be inching <a href="http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17210">closer to sainthood</a>: <blockquote> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzBELvIXSpWRUCZiSdgr597ZQvmEeZVzaVUCwJ6EZYe-r1p_bRPdcbJk0m4XdS2mwXBfdZRvFikQ7oKUdkQskMjYjm5-PykAibalYjGb7QhNYDnm-S0lBaLcidLc5PQ_gDbXYeN7Gffxw/s1600-h/FrMcGivney.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzBELvIXSpWRUCZiSdgr597ZQvmEeZVzaVUCwJ6EZYe-r1p_bRPdcbJk0m4XdS2mwXBfdZRvFikQ7oKUdkQskMjYjm5-PykAibalYjGb7QhNYDnm-S0lBaLcidLc5PQ_gDbXYeN7Gffxw/s320/FrMcGivney.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385127809686164018" /></a>The cause for sainthood of Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, took another step forward this week, with the submission of a supplemental report on a potential miracle attributed to the priest’s intercession.<br /><br />The Knights of Columbus announced today that officials from a supplemental tribunal of the Archdiocese of Hartford –of which Fr. McGivney was a parish priest- formally sent a new report to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The information gathered by the tribunal included testimonies from witnesses to the supposed miracle as well as the statements of several medical doctors about the circumstances surrounding the reported miracle.<br /><br />The small ceremony in which the new report was signed and presented to Archbishop Henry Mansell was attended by Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, other Supreme Officers, three relatives of Father McGivney and a number of archdiocesan officials.<br /><br />The submission of the new report “marks an important step forward. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints will now have valuable additional testimony that clarifies and adds significantly to the original submission,” Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said.</blockquote> There's more at <a href="http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17210">the link</a>.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-46130704613949954252009-09-24T07:35:00.004-04:002009-09-24T07:40:22.498-04:00Playing FatherUp in Boston, a man who once studied for the priesthood is now playing a priest onstage -- and the Boston Globe's Michael Paulson turns a spotlight on <a href="http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2009/09/20/actor_crowe_finds_priest_role_has_real_life_feel?mode=PF">this intriguing melodrama</a>: <blockquote> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2wm_UuhniEPn5FvFkMl65ohKYhGCIr5UxA92id0Cg23p95gbHfT1KRJQH7PSXsk8qNz2fGMBUC_VEoGXN29c4wpQeupsXCe3cSDkTo9xuu8iIXDBrOhDUquQsbS6BdMmwnHn37dp4nkK/s1600-h/300h.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2wm_UuhniEPn5FvFkMl65ohKYhGCIr5UxA92id0Cg23p95gbHfT1KRJQH7PSXsk8qNz2fGMBUC_VEoGXN29c4wpQeupsXCe3cSDkTo9xuu8iIXDBrOhDUquQsbS6BdMmwnHn37dp4nkK/s320/300h.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384997254279407266" /></a>The weary priest, seated on a deep couch with a drink at hand, pauses for several minutes before responding to the question about how it felt to embrace a life of celibacy. When he answers, he begins with an anecdote, about the period of time just before he took his vows.<br /><br />“One day, the fact of celibacy just - hit me in the face,’’ says Father Patrick Murphy, one of the central characters in a new play, “The Savannah Disputation,’’ which opens today at the Boston Center for the Arts.<br /><br />“For the first time, I seemed to really - understand,’’ the priest says, “and I felt extremely free, like I had sidestepped a trap.’’<br /><br />The character offers the comment as a straightforward confession of a long-buried emotion. But for the actor, Timothy Crowe, the line is rich with irony.<br /><br />Crowe, 64, faced that same moment of understanding decades ago as a young seminarian in Missouri. But for Crowe, unlike for Father Murphy, sidestepping the trap meant not entering the priesthood.<br /><br />“It was a very difficult decision,’’ Crowe said in an interview last week. “But I felt incomplete.’’<br /><br />The character of Father Murphy is one of four deeply religious and chronically single people who populate “The Savannah Disputation,’’ a 100-minute comedy about two Roman Catholic sisters in their 60s who respond to a cheerfully anti-Catholic evangelical missionary who keeps knocking on their door by luring her into a debate over theology with their beloved parish priest.<br /><br />Crowe’s character is a reluctant disputant, a position the actor relates to. “It makes me think of how unimportant all this bickering is,’’ he said.<br /><br />In the play, that bickering, about the afterlife, the papacy, and the priesthood, is often quite raw. Much of the humor comes in the form of tart insults from Mary, the younger sister. At one point, she says of evangelical missionaries, “If you’re nice to them, they just keep coming back. They’re like cats.’’ The missionary’s pitch for Protestantism is so over-the-top that it, too, plays for laughs: “I didn’t know it, but every morning I was inviting this pagan, Satanic stuff into my house by doing yoga,’’ she says.<br /><br />The Catholic environment of “The Savannah Disputation’’ is quite familiar to Crowe, who was an altar boy at St. Gabriel’s Parish in St. Louis, and who attended parochial school and Catholic high school before entering a St. Louis seminary as a high school sophomore. It was another era in the church, when Mass was in Latin and Cardinal Glennon College had 400 young men studying for the priesthood.<br /><br />“This was the old days, when we studied Aquinas in Latin, had a monastic schedule and a very strict academic program,’’ Crowe said. “There were no newspapers, no radio, and no TV. There was silence during meals - we would be read to - and every night there was the ‘magnum silencium’ [the great silence] until after breakfast.’’<br /><br />Crowe lasted six years before deciding the seminary wasn’t for him. “It came down to two words: authority and women,’’ Crowe said. “I had difficulty accepting rules that I thought were inane, and I felt very uncomfortable and incomplete being surrounded by all men all the time.’’</blockquote> There's more, including Crowe's intriguing notion that the "church and the theater play in the same ballpark -- meaning, destiny, relationships." <a href="http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2009/09/20/actor_crowe_finds_priest_role_has_real_life_feel?mode=PF">Check it out</a>.Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-34063277908076737652009-09-23T23:17:00.006-04:002009-09-23T23:43:52.794-04:00Society of Jesus Christ the Priest: divine or divisive?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAxBPlVOA0Qbhyphenhyphens1kEABzGo3iymIePU1nWNBdcWDd9OL5cMnSBryV-Jh7aUBbbrW39bhiK82jlyhXKl_aCYVo4LyRvASPRpdqLtpkznNtrZ1vAF4uiRUKRzVa4IXSN0YGMdXorldtsfBP/s1600-h/09_04_21_First_Communion01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAxBPlVOA0Qbhyphenhyphens1kEABzGo3iymIePU1nWNBdcWDd9OL5cMnSBryV-Jh7aUBbbrW39bhiK82jlyhXKl_aCYVo4LyRvASPRpdqLtpkznNtrZ1vAF4uiRUKRzVa4IXSN0YGMdXorldtsfBP/s400/09_04_21_First_Communion01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384874030863245442" border="0" /></a>A leading bishop in Wisconsin is voicing his support for a tradition-minded group of priests who are now running a cluster of parishes -- and sparking <a href="http://www.wiscnews.com/spe/news/464862">some controversy</a>: <blockquote> At a recent Mass at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, the Rev. John Blewett urged parishioners to emulate their savior and stand firm on matters of church doctrine.<br /><br />"Jesus does not back down," he said.<br /><br />The same could be said for Blewett and his fellow members of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, a religious group based in Spain. Beginning in 2006, Bishop Robert Morlino invited priests from the society to serve in the Madison Catholic Diocese, and in the ensuing years, they have thrilled some and dismayed others with their staunch Catholicism and tough-love approach.<br /><br />Five of them now lead a five-parish cluster in the Sauk City area, with three more priests from the society expected this fall. They have brought considerable change in the way the parishes approach worship services.<br /><br />The priests no longer let girls be altar servers, and they have dispensed with the common Catholic practice of using trained lay people to assist with Communion. They have greatly increased opportunities for confession - some complain they nose around too much - and added many Masses celebrated only in Latin, which some parishioners find divine and others alienating.<br /><br />Supporters say the priests have brought richness to the faith and much-needed discipline to followers who too often water down church teachings.<br /><br />"They tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear," said Kay Ringelstetter, a St. Aloysius member who calls the changes beautiful. "We see their love for Jesus Christ and the joy in everything they do, and we desire it."<br /><br />Others are upset over what they consider a hard-line approach that leaves little room for shades of difference.<br /><br />"You get the impression they only want to be a shepherd for the people who agree with them," said Troy Jacobson, who left St. Barnabas Parish in Mazomanie last year over his disappointment with the priests. "It's almost like they've restricted access to God."<br /><br />Critics contend that scores of parishioners have left, but others disagree and say new members have filled any voids. The Rev. Jared Hood, a society priest and the administrator of the five-parish cluster, said membership numbers were not available.<br /><br />Morlino said any time parishes change priests, some upheaval is inevitable. He said the priests follow a different course from many in the diocese, but that diversity is good and everything the priests do falls within the accepted practices of the church.<br /><br />"They are not in any sense renegades," he said.</blockquote> You can read more at <a href="http://www.wiscnews.com/spe/news/464862">the link</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>PHOTO:</b> <i>First Communion at St. Norbert’s in Roxbury, WI.</i> <span style="font-style: italic;">The priests (and deacon!) are from the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest. </span></span>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-64438373138587840652009-09-23T22:49:00.005-04:002009-09-23T22:56:31.144-04:00And now, England gets ready for a really Big BenAs in Benedict the Pope, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8271556.stm">who is reportedly headed to England</a> next year: <blockquote> Pope Benedict XVI is to visit Britain in 2010, the BBC has learned.<br /><br />It will be the first papal visit to Britain since 1982, when Pope John Paul II's six-day tour drew huge crowds.<br /><br />The news of Pope Benedict's visit comes after Gordon Brown extended a formal invitation to the Pope during a private audience in February.<br /><br />A spokesman for the prime minister said he was "delighted" and "it would be a moving and momentous occasion for the whole country".<br /><br />Details of his visit have yet to emerge but the trip is set to be the first official state visit by a pontiff - John Paul II's visit in May 1982 was on a pastoral basis and did not follow an official invitation by the UK government.<br /><br />Masses were held in cities including Cardiff, London, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh and he also met the Queen and Archbishop of Canterbury.<br /><br />A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "The PM is obviously delighted at the prospect of a visit from Pope Benedict XVI to Britain.<br /><br />"It would be a moving and momentous occasion for the whole country and he would undoubtedly receive the warmest of welcomes."<br /><br />Conservative leader David Cameron said he was "delighted" to hear of the possible visit.<br /><br />He said: "Such a visit - the first in over a quarter of a century - would be greatly welcomed not only by Roman Catholics but by the country as a whole." </blockquote>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053328907510811521.post-61534787525802054132009-09-23T17:30:00.005-04:002009-09-23T22:55:14.565-04:00I feel like George JeffersonI'm movin' on up. <br /><br />In the next several days, you'll find "The Deacon's Bench" at a new address, with a new look. The good people at <a href="http://www.beliefnet.com/">Beliefnet</a> have invited me over there, to take up the Catholic corner of real estate that used to be occupied by <a href="http://amywelborn.wordpress.com/">Amy Welborn</a> and <a href="http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/09/23/glenn-beck-loves-judaism-to-pieces/">David Gibson</a>, two FOBs (Friends of the Bench) who kindly suggested to the landlords that I would be a good tenant and not make much of a mess. (Thankfully, no one thought to ask my wife for a reference.) <br /><br />I'll pass along more information soon, along with the new address. I'm told the Beliefnetters will redirect readers automatically to the new site; once there you'll find all my archives and the usual stuff. The blog will be the same, the content will be the same, and I hope the tone and spirit of The Bench will remain the same, too. <br /><br />Stay tuned. <br /><br />Meantime, the new header for the blog is below. (Yeah, I know. But what could we do? George Clooney was unavailable.) <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazEOO9Wz4elwUPKcvcRSQhnXVDaSFmXUUpuBNSPgqEK8j2NgjBZseE4sfA_qB_mDcj28odEVWTehGQVoZBvaURuQIJ1NV6d8vUli_WGpCV_WlXERC0gEhE1RJ72kxlQiI6bSeCSl-Bb4z/s1600-h/The-Deacons-Bench.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazEOO9Wz4elwUPKcvcRSQhnXVDaSFmXUUpuBNSPgqEK8j2NgjBZseE4sfA_qB_mDcj28odEVWTehGQVoZBvaURuQIJ1NV6d8vUli_WGpCV_WlXERC0gEhE1RJ72kxlQiI6bSeCSl-Bb4z/s400/The-Deacons-Bench.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384783024038145938" /></a>Deacon Greg Kandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01343888383568998242noreply@blogger.com10