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October 2012

October 06, 2012

The preachin’ deacon

A lot of regular visitors to The Bench probably know Deacon Doctor Bill Ditewig ("Triple...

September 2012

September 28, 2012

“The Internet and mainstream press and propaganda machine of the Middle Ages”

That would be sermons. A group of scholars gathered at Harvard recently for a conference...

September 02, 2012

“This does not seem right to me”: when a priest uses someone else’s homily

I received the following e-mail this morning: Dear Deacon Greg: Today during Mass our pastor...

August 2012

August 05, 2012

Shock: priest deported over homily

It happened in Zambia. Details, from the National Catholic Reporter: Zambian authorities deported a Rwandese...

July 2012

July 24, 2012

A sermon that made me sit up and go “Wow”

From Lutheran preacher and my Patheos blog neighbor Nadia Bolz-Weber. This is one of those...

May 2012

May 28, 2012

My Pentecost: tongues of flame, and the heat of a minor crucible

So, how was your Pentecost? Here's a window into the world of a deacon --...

May 10, 2012

This may be a first: archbishop preaches in Rome basilica from an iPad

Details: Being a bishop means being no stranger to debates and challenges, but also knowing...

March 2012

March 22, 2012

Preaching on contraception: “You have to make sure people know you’re being compassionate”

Several years ago, a newly ordained priest in the Archdiocese of Washington took it upon...

February 2012

February 20, 2012

Tailoring the message: how preachers adapt to different audiences

From Abilene, KS comes this intriguing look at how preachers of various denominations -- including...

January 2012

January 30, 2012

“Pray, prepare, practice…”

Several months ago, the folks at Deacon Digest asked me if I might have anything...

November 2011

November 17, 2011

When the preacher can’t preach

What can you do about bad preaching? I wondered about that recently, after hearing from...

September 2011

September 25, 2011

Preaching to children

Thursday night, I got a call from a classmate and friend, the DRE in my...

September 09, 2011

"Forgiving is an act of love"

A longtime FOB (Friend of the Bench) and FOD (Friend of Deacons) has just published...

August 2011

August 16, 2011

Preachers, get to the point!

That's the message of a recent seminar on homiletics for priests and deacons. CNS has...

August 03, 2011

Remembering a courageous pro-life homily that made history

It happened 70 years ago today: the Bishop of Munster, Germany climbed into the pulpit...

June 2011

June 06, 2011

Have a hot topic to preach about? Keep it to yourself

That seems to be the unfortunate thinking among many priests (and, supposedly, deacons), according to...

April 2011

April 29, 2011

A royal homily about getting married "in the spirit of a generous God"

Beautiful sentiments from the homily at the royal wedding this morning (and if you have...

April 18, 2011

Feel like turning over the tables in the temple? Read this first

John Martens at America's blog "The Good Word" has a few good words for those...

February 2011

February 24, 2011

Minnesota parish under fire for lay preaching

The problem reportedly surfaced last weekend, and drew the attention of higher-ups in the diocese....

February 16, 2011

"Personally, I'm appalled"

That's one blogger's response to this post about a priest who used one of my...

December 2010

December 18, 2010

The preachin' deacon

Continuing his thoughtful and informational series on the deacon as "Minister of the Word," Deacon...