The Second Vatican Council marked a pivotal moment in the life of the Catholic Church, not only for its aggiornamento, but also for its ressourcement — the return to the sources of Scripture and the early Church. One fruit of this t … [Read more...]
The Restoration of the Permanent Diaconate After the Second Vatican Council
Significance and Implementation in the United States
A Deacon Without Vestments
The Deacon is not for the altar, he is there for service. – Pope Francis It is well known that a deacon is called to the ministry of the word, of the altar, and of charity. But there can sometimes arise the danger or t … [Read more...]
Servants of the Divine Will
New Covenant Levites Standing in Unshadowed Light
Therefore, dearest friends, standing in the awesome glory of this holy light, invoke with me, I ask you, the mercy of God almighty, that he, who has been pleased to number me, though unworthy, among the Levites, may pour … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – March 2025
February 21, 2025 by Book Reviews
The Roots of Moral Evil. By Dietrich von Hildebrand. Edited by Martin Cajthmal. Reviewed by Dr. Alexander Montes. (skip to review) The Deacon: Icon of Christ the Servant, Ministers of the Threshold. By Tim O’Donnell. Reviewed by Msgr. M … [Read more...]
The Work of Catechesis for Priests and Deacons
August 28, 2023 by Theodore Musco
Foreword by Rev. John P. Cush: “HPR Ressourcement, Part II” As you, as our faithful reader (or even new reader!) might know, this journal, now known as Homiletic and Pastoral Review, was founded over 123 years ago. When I think about the pr … [Read more...]
Preachers of the ERD
August 28, 2023 by Deacon Gregory Webster
Deacons must be comfortable with proclaiming the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. The wisdom of the ERD is not commonly shared with Catholics in the pews. The United States Conference of Catholic … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – November 2022
October 27, 2022 by Book Reviews
Faith of Our Fathers: A History of True England. By Joseph Pearce. Reviewed by K.E. Colombini. (skip to review) The WillPower Advantage: Building Habits For Lasting Happiness. By Tom Peterson and Ryan Hanning. Reviewed by Mary R. … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – July 2022
June 24, 2022 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Roots of the Apostles’ Creed Question: In the Apostles’ Creed we profess: “On the third day he rose again from the dead.” What does it mean to say “again” in this context? Answer: The Apostles’ Creed has a long and pious tradition behind … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – December 2021
November 24, 2021 by Book Reviews
Christmas Around the Fire. By Ryan N.S. Topping. Reviewed by Mark McCann. (skip to review) Meet the Gentle Jesus: First Communion Preparation Program. By Liguori Publications. Reviewed by Mark McCann. (skip to review) The Healing … [Read more...]
Deacons as Apostles for the New Evangelization
October 30, 2020 by Deacon Stephen Hilker
“Whoever believes that Christ the Lord is the way, the truth and the life, whoever knows that the Church is his continuation in history, whoever has a personal experience of all this cannot fail, for this very reason, to become fervently m … [Read more...]
The “Female Diaconate” after the Amazon Synod
The Mystery of Human Sexuality in the Woman at the Well and the Vital Sacrament of Apostolic Succession
November 25, 2019 by Scott Pauline
In light of the recent Amazon Synod, the question of the female diaconate has once again been raised. It is more than obvious that novelty and change are today’s signs of progress. In the twentieth century, for example, scientific a … [Read more...]
Re-evaluating the Diaconate
The Liturgical Potential of the Deacon
June 12, 2017 by Fr. Ryan Rojo, S.T.L.
Robert Cardinal Sarah, the Prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, delivered a riveting, yet controversial, address to the attendees of Sacra Liturgia Conference in Rome in July 2016. The Prefect … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
January 30, 2017 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Question: Would you care to comment on women deaconesses? The question of reinstating them has been raised by a Cardinal. Answer: The question of women deaconesses is a long and complicated one. It has arisen because the Church is clear … [Read more...]
Late Fall Reading
November 4, 2016 by Book Reviews
What Does It Mean to Be Catholic? by Jack Mulder, Jr. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2015). Reviewed by Dr. Rick Janet. The Heart of the Diaconate: Communion with the Servant Mysteries of Christ by James K … [Read more...]
Women Deacons: At What Price?
June 13, 2016 by Fr. Regis Scanlon, OFMCap
(This article was originally published in the print version of Homiletic & Pastoral Review, July 1996.) Now that Pope John Paul II has "definitively" ruled out women priests in his apostolic letter to the bishops, others are … [Read more...]
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