2015-03-13T16:53:25-04:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:53 pm   By

The bishop himself made the announcement on the diocesan website: Dear Friends, On Oct. 27, nine men from across the diocese were ordained as permanent deacons:  Robert Barros-Bailey, Don Blythe, John Carpenter, Ray Daigh, David McCarthy, Terry Nelson, Jim Pasker, Jeff Powers and Tom Turpin. Because he receives the sacrament of Holy Orders, the deacon is called to serve God’s people in a variety of ways: by teaching the Word of God, assisting at the altar, distributing the Eucharist, blessing... Read more

2016-09-30T17:02:19-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:02 pm   By

From the New York Times comes this sad saga of young women effectively selling their wombs to support themselves: I’ve seen neighbors come and go, and I hope C stays forever. She was married at 16 years old, and she had two daughters before her husband was murdered. She married again, had three more children, and then that husband was convicted of a crime she can barely bring herself to mention to me. He’s in prison “forever, I hope.” Now... Read more

2016-09-30T17:02:19-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:02 pm   By

“From God we learn to want only the good and never the bad. We learn to look at each other not only with our eyes, but with the eyes of God, which is the gaze of Jesus Christ. A gaze that starts from the heart and does not stop at the surface, that goes beyond appearances and manages to capture the deepest desires of the other: to be heard, caring attention; in a word: love. But there is also the... Read more

2012-11-04T09:17:08-05:00

Last updated on: November 4, 2012 at 9:17 am   By

A friend pointed this out on his Facebook page, and it seems worth noting here: the bishops of Phoenix, Thomas J. Olmsted and his auxiliary Eduardo Navares, issued a pastoral letter several weeks back, to mark the beginning of the Year of Faith, and they devoted one section specifically to deacons: In the Acts of the Apostles (6:1-7), we see that with a growing community, the Apostles needed helpers to assist them by taking care of the widows and the... Read more

2012-11-04T08:49:24-05:00

Last updated on: November 4, 2012 at 8:49 am   By

The bishop himself made the announcement on the diocesan website: Dear Friends, On Oct. 27, nine men from across the diocese were ordained as permanent deacons:  Robert Barros-Bailey, Don Blythe, John Carpenter, Ray Daigh, David McCarthy, Terry Nelson, Jim Pasker, Jeff Powers and Tom Turpin. Because he receives the sacrament of Holy Orders, the deacon is called to serve God’s people in a variety of ways: by teaching the Word of God, assisting at the altar, distributing the Eucharist, blessing... Read more

2016-09-30T17:02:19-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:02 pm   By

From Reuters: Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox church chose a new pope, Bishop Tawadros, in a sumptuous service on Sunday that Christians hope will lead them through an Islamist-dominated landscape and protect what is the Middle East’s biggest Christian community. Many Christians in Egypt, who make up about a tenth of the population of 83 million, are worried about political gains made by Islamists since Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year. They have long complained of discrimination in Muslim-majority Egypt. In a... Read more

2016-09-30T17:02:19-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:02 pm   By

A few readers have written from different corners of the country, wondering where and how they can give to help those devastated by last week’s storm. The best resource to help those in Brooklyn and Queens is Catholic Charities.  Visit their website — ccbq.org — and you’ll find a wealth of information and links: While the recovery and rebuilding efforts continue after Hurricane Sandy, thousands of our neighbors in Brooklyn and Queens desperately need our help. Your support is needed... Read more

2015-03-13T16:53:26-04:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:53 pm   By

A friend pointed this out on his Facebook page, and it seems worth noting here: the bishops of Phoenix, Thomas J. Olmsted and his auxiliary Eduardo Navares, issued a pastoral letter several weeks back, to mark the beginning of the Year of Faith, and they devoted one section specifically to deacons: In the Acts of the Apostles (6:1-7), we see that with a growing community, the Apostles needed helpers to assist them by taking care of the widows and the... Read more

2015-03-13T16:53:26-04:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:53 pm   By

[Click here for readings.] By remarkable coincidence —or maybe divine planning —this gospel reading is as relevant and as urgent as this morning’s headlines. In this passage from Mark’s gospel, a scribe asks Jesus to name the most important commandment.  Jesus not only tells him that, but also tells him the second most important one, too. And with good reason. It’s because the two commandments are inseparable. Love of God, love of neighbor. What Jesus is telling us here is... Read more

2016-09-30T17:02:19-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:02 pm   By

I expect we’ll be seeing more of these.  Details: On the same day last month that Pope Benedict XVI canonized St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Belleville Bishop Edward Braxton announced that a new parish, to be named for the new saint, will be built in Gallatin County. The new parish will stand on the same land, in Ridgway, Ill., where St. Joseph Catholic Church stood before it was leveled by a tornado earlier this year. Braxton said the new parish’s borders would... Read more

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