Ahead of the fireworks and the flag-waving, and before the barbeques, ceremonies, and parades, American Catholics approaching the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence this Fourth of July may well pause to ask: Is all this pomp truly patriotism? And further: What is patriotism in the Catholic understanding, and how can it be practiced well?
Diocese
After the Cursillo Center of Dallas opened its doors about 60 years ago, a question soon arose within the community: Could the transformative spiritual formation that the center offered to individual retreatants be brought into the home — that is, into the family — too? This year marks the 50th anniversary of the center’s resounding answer: the Jornada Familiar and Jornada Juvenil retreats.
Even before its church building was erected, its school established, and its congregation multiplied from hundreds of parishioners to thousands, St. Joseph Catholic Parish had already distinguished itself as a spiritual home where all are welcome — regardless of age, ability, or nationality. This year, the Richardson parish marks 50 years of bringing the people in its pews, in all their diversity, closer to each other and closer to Christ.
Parishioners gathered June 7 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Oak Cliff to celebrate the parish’s 125th anniversary with a special Mass held on the feast of Corpus Christi.
The reason Tay McRaney loves being a Catholic is not about a “something” but about a “someone,” said the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church parishioner in answer to the seemingly simple question: Why are you Catholic?
For years, Father Nicholas Weiss watched friends lie prostrate before the altar during the Litany of the Saints and thought, “I know that guy. He’s my good friend, and he’s being ordained a priest.”
After a leap of faith led him to the seminary and — almost a decade of formation later — to his ordination as a priest of the Diocese of Dallas on May 23, Father Jeremy Maness has some well-earned wisdom for anyone discerning a vocation: Don’t let uncertainty about the destination delay the journey.
In a retreat hall in Porto San Giorgio, Italy, baskets sat at the front of the room — one filled with the names of Catholic dioceses around the world, the other with the names of aspiring seminarians willing to go wherever the Church sent them.
Bishop Edward J. Burns ordained three men to the priesthood May 23 at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church, urging them to embrace lives of sacrificial service, spiritual fatherhood, and fidelity to Christ as they begin ministry in the Diocese of Dallas.
Catholics from parishes across the Diocese of Dallas gathered May 16 at St. Ann Catholic Parish for a celebration of unity in diversity. The event began with a multilingual rosary and Marian procession, followed by the annual diocesan Multicultural Mass, celebrated by Bishop Edward J. Burns, and a festival featuring international foods and musical performances.