“You’re there when there’s life, and you’re there when there’s death.” With these words, Lena Carrera described the work of a chaplain—accompanying the sick, comforting the grieving, praying with the dying. This is work that she herself has taken on since 2023 as a lay Diocese of Dallas chaplain serving at Parkland Health.
From the speakers to the goodie bags to the atmosphere, each little detail of St. Ann’s inaugural Women’s Summit was selected with the hearts of women in mind. The sold-out event, hosted by St. Ann Catholic Church in Coppell on April 5-6, saw 500 women gather to encounter Christ and celebrate each other.
The Office of Evangelization, Catechesis and Family Life this fall offered two formation opportunities to train catechists, coordinators, and directors who are helping youth candidates for the sacrament of confirmation.
When the Pastoral Services Ministry was first established in the Diocese of Dallas in 1999, Deacon Charlie Stump was named its director. At the time, the diocese had one hospital chaplain and one prison chaplain. Twenty-four years later, that ministry has evolved into the Office of Catholic Social Ministry, fielding a team that includes four priests and two deacons working full-time in hospitals, one religious and one layperson working as hospital chaplains, numerous layperson and clergy volunteers, a prison ministry coordinator, an associate director for human dignity and respect for life, an associate director of disability and deaf and mental health, and more.
For Juan Rendon, DMin., opportunities to share his love of the Catholic faith with others ignites his passion for evangelization and ministry.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently hosted a significant dialogue on catechesis and evangelization, welcoming Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella and his team from the Dicastery for Evangelization for discussions with diocesan representatives during the 2023 Spring Plenary Assembly on June 13 in Orlando. Among those in attendance was Diocese of Dallas Senior Director of Ministries Peter J. Ductrám, who was invited by USCCB as a regional diocesan representative.
In observance of the National Eucharistic Revival, Bishop Edward J. Burns invites the faithful in the Diocese of Dallas to encounter the reality of Christ truly present in the Eucharist during the celebration of a Mass on Pentecost Sunday. Bishop Burns will celebrate the Eucharist at the special Mass on May 28 at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Joshua Salinas understands the impact that good ministry can have on one’s faith life. He’s witnessed it firsthand.
Jacob Coffman’s path to the Diocese of Dallas took a few twists and turns, including a trek to the far northwest to work for a certain bishop who he’d reunite with in Dallas. While the journey may have taken some time, Coffman now finds himself right where he needs to be.
Ministering to the homebound has been a priority of Bishop Edward J. Burns, who witnessed the growing need for such a ministry with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the creation of the weekly diocesan televised Masses.
