From Catholic News Agency:  What began with glowing rosaries and the rediscovery of a statue of the Virgin Mary in Argentina has now been approved by the local bishop as a series of apparitions that are “of supernatural origin” and worthy of belief. And the designation is deeply significant, recognizing the messages of Our Lady of the Rosary of San Nicolas, which exhort peace and give dire warnings, one miracle researcher says. Bishop Hector Cardelli of San Nicolas in Argentina’s... Read more

A diaconal bow of gratitude to Deacon Phillip Franco, from the Diocese of Brooklyn, who in the essay below takes aim at a law working its way through the Albany legislature that would lift the statute of limitations on sex abuse cases—but only on private institutions. From The Tablet:  Existing in several different versions, the fundamental problem with the law is that it would be targeted solely at private institutions such as the Catholic Church. Public institutions such as schools would... Read more

You can read all about it on the archdiocesan website here:         Oh. Wait. No, you can’t.  Nevermind. Unfortunately, the archdiocese decided not to include the 22 diaconate ordinations on the main landing page of the website. However, you can read about the men who were ordained in the archdiocesan newspaper, The Catholic Advocate, here.  One of the new deacons is a familiar name, and FOB (Friend of The Bench), film critic (and recent winner of a Catholic Press Award!) Steven... Read more

This email arrived last night with some exciting news: “Deacons are alive, well and proliferating in the Lafayette diocese!” The diocese in Louisiana had to conduct two separate ordinations to accommodate everyone. Details:  Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of the Diocese of Lafayette will ordain the latest class of deacon candidates to the permanent diaconate in two separate ceremonies in the spring. The ceremonies are scheduled for May 21 and June 4 and will take place at 10 a.m. on their respective... Read more

Details:  Former government secretary Dermot McCarthy has been ordained a permanent deacon by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. Martin was one of eight men ordained to the deaconate at a ceremony at Dublin’s Pro Cathedral this morning, according to RTÉ. Most of the eight men are married or widowed and were accompanied at the ceremony by family members. There are now 30 permanent deacons in the Dublin diocese. Deacons can celebrate baptism and marriage and preside at funerals. They also visit the... Read more

As a few readers probably know by now, I was invited to Rome last week to speak to the Jubilee for Deacons. Aleteia has a brief summary: Deacon Greg Kandra, a popular blogger at Aleteia.org and a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Brooklyn recently joined several thousand Catholic deacons and their wives in Rome to celebrate a Jubilee for Deacons within the Year of Mercy. With so large a contingent, the deacons were grouped by language, with the English, German and... Read more

From the Vatican news site:  In a new Apostolic Letter, issued motu proprio, Pope Francis has established new norms providing for the removal of Bishops (or those equivalent to them in Canon Law) from their offices in cases where they have “through negligance, committed or omitted acts that have caused grave harm to others, either with regard to physical persons, or with regard to the community itself.” The Apostolic Letter “Come una madre amorevole” (As a Loving Mother) also clarifies... Read more

Details: When the Rev. Tom McMichael arrived at St. Mary Catholic Church in January, he had already introduced himself in a “Pastor’s Page” letter on the parish website. In his note, he wrote of looking forward “with joy and hope” to serving at the church. And he added a surprising detail: “I am a Catholic priest and I am married.” In his office at the Marysville parish, the 55-year-old McMichael talked Thursday about his journey, from serving 17 years as... Read more

The press release, from the In My Backyard Desk: On Saturday, June 4th, the Diocese of Brooklyn will rank among the top dioceses in the nation in terms of new priests when 10 men are ordained to the priesthood for service in the diocese. The ordination will take place beginning at 11 a.m. at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, 856 Pacific Street in Brooklyn. The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will be the celebrant. Adding to the already... Read more