And the marathon of Masses continues. After his ordination and first Mass of Thanksgiving yesterday, Fr. Jeremy Canna ventured north, into Queens, to celebrate a Mass at my parish, where he spent his pastoral year in 2011-2012. He spent some quality time in the sacristy with my pastor, Bishop Paul Sanchez. His chalice, a gift from his parents, is a beauty, featuring figures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph around the base. Before Mass, a formal photo session, with Msgr. Furnsey... Read more
The virus that is the score from “Frozen” has now infected fathers. And it’s hilarious. Read more
A reader alerted me to this yesterday, but I haven’t seen any pictures or official reports yet. (Anybody have any pictures?) But here’s the scoop from the diocesan website: The Diocese of Sacramento will welcome 19 men into the permanent diaconate during their ordination Mass on Saturday, June 28 at 11 a.m. in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacramento, located at 11th and K Streets in Sacramento. Bishop Jaime Soto will preside at the Mass. Those to be ordained to the... Read more
An impressive vocation story from Pennsylvania: Kyle Sahd was in the second grade, preparing for his first Holy Communion at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Columbia, when he thought about the wonder of the sacraments, and how he might want to become a priest. His teacher, Sister Anna Cosgrove, “got us interested in the faith,” he recalls. “It was a living faith, with saints who actually lived up to holiness — it’s not something unattainable.” Today, in a Mass... Read more
A reader sent this bit of news my way: Late last month Mexican Bishop Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel announced that after a 14 year church-ordered suspension of the rite, indigenous deacons would again be ordained in the Diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas—where the local church serves a largely Maya population. A rare reversal in church policy, resumption of deacon ordinations in Chiapas appears to signal an end to official ecclesiastical suppression of liberation theology and practice. In a striking statement, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig... Read more
What a day. The Diocese of Brooklyn ordained 13 men to the priesthood today in a ceremony that stretched nearly three hours. The setting—the newly-consecrated Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph—was packed; the place seats about 1400 and there were a lot of standees in the back. It was a glorious liturgy, though. Below, some highlights. I attended with my classmate and the DRE from my parish, Deacon Bill McNamara, and my wife. The big draw was the ordination, at last, of... Read more
Today, we welcome 13 new priests for the diocese, the largest ordination class in the United States. One of the men being ordained is my friend Jeremy Canna. I look forward to serving at his Mass of Thanksgiving tonight, and receiving one of his first priestly blessings before I proclaim the gospel. A guy I’ve thought of like a little brother is actually old enough to be my son, but today I will call him “Father.” His bio, from The Tablet:... Read more
A reader writes: In our parish, the two youth ministers are Heather and Austin. Last Sunday Father baptized a Tiffany,a Madison, and a Greysen. I remember when my children were being baptized in the ’80’s Father made a point of saying that the names were “approved” as they were saint’s names. And I remember a friend of mine in grammar school who used an Irish name as a “nickname” as she could not have it as her “real” name since... Read more
A great story of diaconal service and charity, from The Catholic Sun: You’ve seen them: weathered faces lined with care, holding their cardboard signs by the side of the road, begging for help. You’re waiting for the light to turn green and try to avoid their stare. What to do? Deacon Gene Messer and his wife Judi have the answer: Hands of Hope care packages. Judi, a registered nurse, has been helping the homeless since 2006 and knows that people... Read more
Details: The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has ordered the laicization of an archbishop-ambassador accused of paying for sex with minors. Józef Wesołowski, former apostolic nuncio to the Dominican Republic, will have two months to prepare an appeal to the ruling, which was announced in a brief statement from the Vatican on Friday. The former nuncio, who the Vatican did not refer to as an archbishop in the statement, was removed from his post in August with little explanation.... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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