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‘Harp of the Holy Spirit’
Carlos Briceño Comments Off on ‘Harp of the Holy Spirit’
To poets, words are like dynamite. When used with precision, they blast with beauty and meaning, exploding in readers’ minds like a fireworks display during the Fourth of July. To understand the genius of St. Ephrem’s way with words, consider this hymn he wrote about the Blessed Mother: “The Lord entered her and became a Read More
40 Days in the Desert
Susan Kehoe Comments Off on 40 Days in the Desert
Standing in front of the niche in the veteran’s cemetery as my mother’s ashes were placed next to Dad’s, I felt as if I was in the desert of Lent. I thought it was a strange image. It was only September. What does grief have to do with Lent? Grief often is a state of Read More
A Time for Self-Assessment
Father Deacon Basil Ryan Balke Comments Off on A Time for Self-Assessment
Preparation for Pascha (Easter) is somewhat different between the Eastern and Western Churches. The Byzantine Churches increase the liturgical cycle of the week considerably with the use of canons, Psalms and troparia. One such prayer is considered the greatest example of repentance in the Eastern tradition: the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. This Read More
The Need for Empathy
Deacon Dominic Cerrato Comments Off on The Need for Empathy
Perhaps one of the most essential qualities of diaconal ministry is the gift of empathy. In its most basic sense, empathy concerns the ability to recognize and enter into the experience of another. The term is grounded in the Greek prefix “em” meaning “in” and the word “pathos” meaning “suffering.” This implies a deep personal Read More
Breathing with Both Lungs
Deacon Dominic Cerrato Comments Off on Breathing with Both Lungs
I think it’s fair to say that many, if not most, Latin-rite deacons are woefully ignorant of their Eastern brothers. Much of this unfamiliarity is understandable, as we rarely cross paths. This, coupled with the fact that they consist of 23 self-governing Churches in communion with Rome, confuses many Latin-rite deacons leading some, rather erroneously, Read More
Spiritual Fatherhood of Deacons
Father Deacon Daniel G. Dozier 1
“Father Deacon? No, that can’t be right.” Recently I saw this comment in an online discussion regarding the title “Father Deacon” before my name. For many Catholics in the Western tradition, the use of the appellation “Father” seems counterintuitive. Isn’t that title reserved exclusively for priests? The Old Testament recounts two main periods of priestly Read More
The Deacon’s Role in Accompanying Those with Same-Sex Attraction
Father Philip G. Bochanski Comments Off on The Deacon’s Role in Accompanying Those with Same-Sex Attraction
Courage International was founded in the Archdiocese of New York in 1980, when Cardinal Terence Cooke asked Father John F. Harvey, OSFS, to create a pastoral outreach for Catholics who experience same-sex attractions (SSA) who wanted to live chastely. Building on his expertise as a moral theologian and his 36 years of priestly ministry, Father Read More
Sabbath Moments: Finding Balance in Your Life
Deacon Daniel Lowery Comments Off on Sabbath Moments: Finding Balance in Your Life
The challenges many deacons experience in achieving and sustaining balance in their lives frequently has been noted. Indeed, according to a recent study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, some 31 percent of deacons report that they experience difficulty in this regard. All too often, responsibilities associated with the Read More