Well, here we are.
Feel free to make yourself at home. This little enterprise will be a place for news about deacons, the Catholic Church, and various thoughts on the art of preaching. I hope it will give off more light than heat, and provoke both thought and prayer. I’ll also post some of my homilies, delivered from the pulpit of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Catholic Church in Forest Hills, New York. I welcome your feedback, comments, constructive criticisms — and prayer
Thomas Merton wrote: “To write is to pray,” and it’s my wish to make of these writings a kind of prayer, too — a hymn of praise and thanksgiving, a quiet canticle to The Word.If you choose to leave a comment, the ground rules are simple: no slander, profanity, racism, sexism or name-calling. Violators will be deleted. I reserve the right to moderate comments, if necessary, or even shut them down. E-mails are also fair game for publication, unless you specifically ask otherwise. The guiding principle should be: WWJB? “What Would Jesus Blog?”
I hope you like reading these pages as much as I do writing them.And I hope that this effort will reap the fruits of the beautiful prayer said over me at my ordination:
“Receive the gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”
I still hope those words will hold true in the days and months to come. And I hope to make this a dialogue, not a monologue. Drop a line, leave a comment, whatever. I like to hear what people are thinking.
Meantime, if you want to know more about me and what I’m up to, you can check out my biography, on the sidebar, or read some of my ideas about blogging that were published a few months ago in America magazine. You might also like to look at a few of my thoughts on my own vocation, which were adapted from my first homily in May of 2007.
And the picture below? That’s from the recessional at my Mass of Thanksgiving, on May 20, 2007, at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, my parish in Forest Hills, New York. The woman beside me? The lector. Who also happens to be my wife. (You’ll be hearing more about her, trust me…) Meantime, thanks for reading.
posted September 25, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Dcn Greg
may i be one of the first to wish you well at your new home…i turn to your blog daily because there is always something there i can take with me for the journey
peace and God’s blessing
posted September 25, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Is there a way to add this blog to an RSS reader? I read all my blogs (including yours) through Google Reader, and just don’t have time to visit each one’s separate site. I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up on this blog (as I’d very much like to) if there’s no RSS feed and/or the posts aren’t cross-posted to your old blog. Thanks, and blessings on your new home!
-Cole
posted September 25, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Hi, Cole! I’m hoping the Beliefnetters will indeed provide an RSS feed (that rhymes!). The archives should eventually be deposited here, as well. It’s just going to take some time to get things coordinated. Thanks for the good wishes — keep coming back!
Blessings,
Dcn. G.
posted September 25, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Congratulations Deacon Greg!
Prayers to you and your wife.
AWDCC
posted September 25, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Congratulations on your new bench! I look forward to more of the same thought provoking, soul stirring and also humorous posts. Many prayers, wishes and intentions for you and your work.
Pax et bonum my friend!
posted September 25, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Congrats on your new digs, Deacon Greg!
I’ll be praying that this new move for you is very Spirit-filled and blessed!
posted September 25, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Hope you’re not too tired from the trip! Welcome to your new home.
God bless,
Bill
DDD
posted September 26, 2009 at 7:22 am
Dcn Greg,
Best wishes and many grace filled moments in your new digs… I’m sure I will enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed the “old bench…”
BTW… I think a letter got dropped in the Diaconate charge when posted… Go back and take a close look at the post… Sorry to be a nit-picker, but this charge is very important as I’m sure you know and believe…
Peace!
Deacon Alex
posted September 26, 2009 at 8:48 am
Greg, congratulations. My prayers are for your continued success. Deacon Lou Malfara, Phila. PA
posted September 26, 2009 at 9:33 am
Thanks, Alex! (Blushing deeply). I fixed it.
G.
posted September 26, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Remember… “To err is human, to forgive is divine…”
No need to blush in blogsphere… ;^)
Peace!
posted September 26, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Your new home looks great! The Anchoress sent me here. Have read and appreciated your blog before occasionally. If I were wiser I would have visited more often.
Are those ecclesiastical garments that thr lector is wearing? They are certainly more conducive to appropriate Christian joy than the innovative vestments favored by the presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church (U.S.A.). The colors are cheerful. As are the traditional ecclesiastical colors. Interestingly, basic color psychology teaches the merits of the traditional colors. More advanced color psychology would undoubtedly approve of the choices of the lector.
posted September 26, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Hi, Jim! Welcome (and welcome back!) to The Bench.
No, the outfit my wife was wearing was a simple jacket and skirt. Nothing ecclesiastical about it, I’m afraid. The dalmatic I’m wearing, incidentally, was her ordination gift to me: a beautiful blue and white Marian ensemble (since our parish is dedicated to Our Lady, and the ordination was in May…)
Come back again soon!
Dcn. G.
posted September 26, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Hello Deacon Greg,
You know all us over 50 folks don’t like change. I got the heads up on the move and followed. George J. would truly be envious. Congrats, you are now considered all over the internet! have a great Sunday friend!
Art
posted September 30, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Thanks for all the great inspiration, Greg. Just 2 years ordained after 15 years of waiting, it’s all blessing.
Roy Harrington
Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Seattle