Monthly Archives: November 2011

Feast of St. Andrew, the First Apostle

Today, November 30, is the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle. St. Andrew was the first to accept the Lord’s call to be an apostle, and was one of the first men to follow the Lord’s precursor, St. John … Continue reading

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A Deacon’s Ministry on the Streets of Toronto

I want to thank Deacon Greg Kandra over at The Deacon’s Bench (see link under Blogroll below right) for putting me on an article about Deacon Robert Kinghorn’s ministry to the prostitutes and drug dealers on Toronto’s streets. Klinghorn has … Continue reading

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Quote for the Day

“Like the early Franciscans, we too are ‘joyous penitents’ who seek to spread the Gospel by showing what a happy thing it is to live it.” — Mary Agnes, PCC

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Benedict XVI Message for the First Sunday of Advent

The Holy Father, in today’s Angelus message from the Vatican, had this to say regarding the world in which we live (my translation of the Italian original): And Isaiah, the prophet of Advent, has us reflect today with a heartfelt … Continue reading

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How Did It Go?

Well, the first Masses were prayed last night with the new translation. How did it go for you? In La Crescent, things went pretty well, it seems. Your’s truly forgot to intone the “Lord be with you” prior to the … Continue reading

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Saying Goodbye While Anticipating A Grand Hello

In only a few hours a new Church year will be upon us. We will be saying “goodbye” to a number of things at that time:  Cycle A of the Lectionary, the “old” translation of the Roman Missal, a wonderful … Continue reading

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Church of the Week

  St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church San Francisco, California

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Happy Thanksgiving!

To all who log on today, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Blessings, Deacon Bob

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More on Sexual Difference

Even though sexual and gender differences between men and women are not the simple construct of social mores or personal development, men and women are not polar opposites. Sexual differences do not result in two separate, parallel worlds. Sexual difference … Continue reading

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Church’s Social Doctrine: Building a Civilization of Hope

The immediate purpose of the Church’s social doctrine is proposing principles and values that sustain a society worthy of the human person. The principle of subsidiarity includes all of these principles in a certain sense. Love must permeate and be … Continue reading

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Iraqi Christian Martyrs

As I had posted a number of months ago how a number of terrorists broke into a Catholic church in Baghdad killing the pastor and many parishioners. Two of the killed were a newly wedded couple who had come back … Continue reading

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Is Sexual Difference a Construct of Society?

A common idea floating around our culture today is that sexual differences between men and women are a construct of society, i.e., determined by social norms, expectations and experiences. The idea purports that sexual and gender traits are what society … Continue reading

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Status of the Diaconate in the United States

I ran across a very interesting article today from The Catholic World Reporter (www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/976/servants-of-the-lord.aspx) looking at the permanent diaconate in the United States. It is well worth your time to read. It discusses the differences in the prevalence of the … Continue reading

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St. Augustine, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Dignity of the Church

An excerpt from St. Augustine’s Discourses was offered today for our consideration in the Office of Readings for the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a feast that is quite ancient in the Eastern Churches … Continue reading

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Congratulations, Archbishop Sartain

I read with pleasure this morning that Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle was elected secretary-elect of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archbishop Sartain was a fellow student at the Gregorian University in Rome in the late 1970s. … Continue reading

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