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January 2015

January 04, 2015

The deacon serves “on his knees looking up, not on his throne looking down”

Those words came from a homily delivered at an unusual ordination this weekend in Albany....

January 03, 2015

Happy New Year, happy new orders!

A few of the Sisters of Our Mother of Divine Grace, from their website. Some...

December 2014

December 28, 2014

“A great day for all of the Catholic Church”: First Maronite Catholic ordination in Pacific Northwest

As Anthony Joseph Alles is ordained, two deacons hold up a cloak called the bashkoon...

November 2014

November 26, 2014

Have you ever seen a diaconate ordination like this?

A reader sent this my way, with this explanation: Deacon Greg, Knowing your interest in...

November 16, 2014

Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s surprising comment on ordaining women

I guess I wasn't the only one who did a double-take when I heard this...

November 16, 2014

CNN explores the priesthood: a review

Set your TiVo to catch a documentary tonight on the priesthood, with Lisa Ling. The...

November 12, 2014

How a man’s job at a Lutheran company led him closer to his Catholic faith—and to the diaconate

From North Texas Catholic, further proof that God writes straight with crooked lines: Deacon Doug...

October 2014

October 27, 2014

Archbishop of Malta approves ordination of permanent deacons

Details: "Society needs a church that is credible, that is representative of society and that...

October 22, 2014

A little time with the Little Sisters

As I mentioned yesterday, I spent tonight with the Little Sisters of the Poor in...

October 22, 2014

Seminarian with brain cancer writes to Brittany Maynard: “Our lives are worth living”

Remarkable and moving witness, from the Diocese of Raleigh website: Philip Johnson, a 30-year-old Catholic...

October 21, 2014

Are you free Wednesday night? Stop by and spend an hour with Jesus, the Little Sisters, and me

I got a very nice email a couple months back from The Little Sisters of the Poor,...

October 10, 2014

Indianapolis diaconate booming: “This is seeing God’s work”

Just six years after the first class was ordained, the diaconate in the archdiocese is showing...

October 10, 2014

Must-see video: “What we’re really hungering for is God”

A priest with the Congregation of Holy Cross sent this my way, with this note:...

September 2014

September 30, 2014

“God has called me to to support his sons this way”

Photo: by Gregory A. Shemitz I had the privilege of meeting Rosemary Sullivan last winter during a...

September 25, 2014

“I have seen the love of Christ shine through them”: check out this beautiful video on the priesthood

A thoughtful reader sent this along: it's the video that was shown last night at...

September 17, 2014

Here’s a great way to help support vocations—and it’s an offer too good to refuse

The folks over at Vocation Boom, the non-profit working to boost vocations to the priesthood,...

September 10, 2014

More on the seminarian ordained near death: “He will be serving the people of God in heaven”

For those who read this story yesterday and saw the poignant video, more details today...

September 04, 2014

“Your servant is listening”: new vocations video

I like this new video from the Diocese of Charleston in South Carolina. It's theme...

August 2014

August 11, 2014

Irish bishop issues pastoral letter on diaconate, calls for men to consider the vocation

The restored diaconate is something new in Ireland, and the number of deacons is relatively...

August 06, 2014

“The Latin Mass appears to be alive and well”

That's the assessment from The St. Louis Post-Dispatch: When Pope Francis was first elected, he...

August 04, 2014

Boom: Nashville sees surge in vocations

From The Catholic News Herald: The Diocese of Nashville this summer has witnessed an explosion...

August 03, 2014

A wonderful vocations tool: novena to St. John Vianney

Once again, my parish is in the midst of a great tradition, offering the annual...

August 02, 2014

The story of a seminarian, from his mother

A perspective we rarely hear: So what do you say to your son when you know...

August 01, 2014

“An authentic priestly vocation”: some insight into discernment from Los Angeles

An interesting overview on how discernment works in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, from the...

July 2014

July 31, 2014

The invisible vocation: Philadelphia hosts gathering of consecrated virgins

Here's something you don't hear about much: Becoming a consecrated virgin, says Judith Stegman, means...

July 28, 2014

“Anyone talking about a priest shortage is talking nonsense”

Those are the words of Rockville Centre's Bishop William Murphy, quoted in this article from...

July 26, 2014

Freshly ordained in the city: meet Fr. Jeremy Canna from Brooklyn

Last month, I posted about my friend Jeremy Canna, one of 13 new priests ordained...

July 21, 2014

The headline says it all

From the Central Kentucky News: Once a rebellious nun, Danville woman now eyes priesthood Snip:...

July 20, 2014

Forgive us our debts: how some young people are paying off student loans to pursue a vocation

From The Detroit Free Press: After nearly two years of waiting, Melanie Bruss headed earlier...

July 18, 2014

The world’s most successful coach of endurance runners is…a Catholic missionary?!

Yep. Great story about a remarkable man, whose legacy has been dubbed "the stuff of...