Deacon Greg Kandra

St. Joseph

The ‘Other’ Patron Saint for Deacons

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It happens every year during ordination season. Newly ordained deacons receive gifts from family and friends — nicely wrapped boxes that contain stoles, medals, statues, icons or prayer cards depicting one of the two great saints of the diaconate, St. Stephen or St. Lawrence. Once in a while, someone might also share an image of Read More
courageous humility

A Look at ‘Courageous Humility’

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Honestly, this isn’t what I expected. Like most deacons, I’ve been following William Ditewig’s writings for many years — decades, really — and have been captivated and inspired by his insights and astounding depth of knowledge about all things diaconal. It’s not a stretch to call Bill Ditewig (and he’s just plain “Bill” to most Read More
Diaconate of Pope Benedict XVI

The Diaconate of Pope Benedict XVI

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I’ve lived in New York City for most of my adult life, but I’ve only been to the original Yankee Stadium once. It happened in April 2008, when my wife and I took the subway to the Bronx, joining about 60,000 other people, all there to crowd into the stadium and buy souvenir rosaries and Read More

The Joy of Baptisms

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Like a lot of clergy, I have a small green hardcover book I use regularly. It’s an ordination gift, Rite of Baptism for Children. Inside the back cover is a name and a date: Margaret Flanagan First Baby Baptized July 1, 2007 Barely a month goes by that I don’t glance at that name, whisper Read More
Deacon John Horn

New Book Analyzes Diaconal Identity

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Picking up Deacon Tim O’Donnell’s new book, “The Deacon: Icon of Christ the Servant, Minister of the Threshold” (Paulist Press, $29.95), I had to wonder: “Does the world need another overview of the diaconate?” The answer, to my pleasant surprise, is “yes.” Deacon O’Donnell, from the Archdiocese of Boston, has crafted a book that manages Read More
CHICAGO PRISON MINISTRY

Hitting the ‘Pause’ Button

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“Don’t it always seem to go / That you don’t know what you’ve got / ‘Til it’s gone …” That song from my youth by Joni Mitchell keeps running through my mind as I think what we have all collectively been living through over the last few months. And it has a special resonance, I Read More

Preaching too Much?

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Not long ago, a priest decided to stir the pot on social media by reminding his readers that deacons may preach, but they don’t have a right to preach. Say what? Canon law explains: “Bishops have the right to preach the word of God everywhere … unless the local bishop has expressly forbidden it in Read More