Details: Father Michael Triplett, director of deacon formation, spoke of the importance of adding three Spanish-speakers to the archdiocesan clergy roster. “The very first deacons were ordained to fill a need in a population that was neglected,” he said. “There is a need for the Word to be taught by native speakers.” The crop included men who are already proven evangelists, such as Deacon Andrew Lacovara, who inspired his wife, Avendui, as well as her mother and stepfather, to join... Read more
I suspect when most of us think of the Holy Spirit, “the Advocate” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. It’s a term we might normally encounter in a court of law, and let’s face it: We don’t usually think of the third person of the Trinity standing before the bench, like a spiritual Perry Mason. But maybe we should. When Jesus refers to “the Advocate” in John’s Gospel, it is a startling reminder that in the Christian journey... Read more
From Vatican Media: Mexican journalist and writer, Valentina Alazraki, has been the Vatican correspondent for Televisa since 1974. In an exclusive interview, published on Tuesday, she asks Pope Francis questions ranging from abortion to migration. One of the first questions regards the border wall with Mexico. Pope Francis responds by repeating what he has always said, namely that “whoever builds walls ends up a prisoner of the walls he builds… Instead, those who build bridges make friends, shake hands, even... Read more
Here they are, in a class photo, shared on Twitter: Deacon Edward Giblin, Director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate for Rochester; Deacon Joseph Martuscello (who is a transitional deacon); Deacon Roger DeBell; Bishop Salvatore R. Matano; Deacon Jonathan Schott; and Deacon William Goodman. You can read more about the ordination in The Catholic Courier. Congratulations, brothers, and welcome! Ad multos annos! Read more
How does this parish do it? Is there something in the water? Some answers: Starting in 2013, and every year since for the past seven years, one young man from the parish of St. Mary’s in Hudson, Ohio, has been ordained a priest of Jesus Christ for the Catholic Church. It’s a rarity in the Catholic Church in the United States to have that many priests coming from one place in such a short time span. The timing of it... Read more
From Poland: The Congregation of the Sons of Divine Providence in Poland have ordained a new seminarian who is very sick with cancer. They ask for your prayers for Fr. Michael Los. Fr. Michael was diagnosed with an acute form of cancer one month ago. He graduated from the Major Seminary of Saint Luigi Orione. Pope Francis, on May 24, 2019, gave his permission for him to be ordained in the oncology ward of Warsaw. The bishop of the Warsaw-Praga... Read more
Sunday morning, I had the privilege of offering the invocation at the local American Legion Hall, just ahead of the annual Forest Hills Memorial Day Parade. My pastor couldn’t make it, so I was a last-minute substitution. There were a variety of people there, including Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa and a host of veterans, politicians, and local activists of all stripes. Several servicemen and women from the U.S.S. Virginia, in town for Fleet Week,... Read more
From The Tablet: Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, has said that defending migration was a misinterpretation of Gospels by priests and bishops “bewitched” by political and social issues. His interview with the French magazine ‘Valeurs Actuelles’ appeared last weekend, around the same time as Pope Francis spoke up for migrants during his visit to Morocco and said politicians who build walls to keep them out would become prisoners of those... Read more
Check out the video from NET: The press release: The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will ordain 18 men to the Permanent Diaconate, and one Transitional Deacon, for service in the Diocese of Brooklyn this Saturday, May 25, 2019 at 11 a.m. at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph’s located at 856 Pacific Street in Brooklyn. Those to be ordained include: Joseph C. Chu, St. Anastasia, Douglaston Francis Cuffie, Holy Cross, Brooklyn Gerard Joseph Devine, Holy Name, Brooklyn Michael... Read more
From AP: Pope Francis on Saturday said abortion can never be condoned, even when the fetus is gravely sick or malformed. He is urging doctors and priests to support families to carry such pregnancies to term. During an audience with participants of a Vatican-sponsored anti-abortion conference, Francis said opposition to abortion isn’t a religious issue but a human one: “Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem? Is it licit to hire a hitman to resolve... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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