With finals looming, many university students are tied to their studies. Some are locked away in the library with their noses in books; some are rehearsing the words of an approaching presentation or turning in lingering essays; others are savoring their last days on campus before graduation — bittersweetly noting a last class, a last assignment, a last office visit with a favorite professor.
Pews at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Plano were filled April 25 as Bishop Edward J. Burns ordained six men as transitional deacons for the Diocese of Dallas, marking a significant step in their vocation to serve the Church.
Everybody in the Church undertakes their own journey into the Catholic faith. Chadwick Dean’s just took 23 years.
In the heart of New York City, students from Mary Immaculate Catholic School’s Motter Business Program stood in the bustling financial capital of the world, looking in wonder at their school’s logo lit brightly in Times Square, during a school trip to the city March 15-19.
During the celebration of an April 11 Mass at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Bishop Edward J. Burns honored recipients of the 2026 Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church, recognizing 136 parishioners from 70 parish communities whose acts of faith and service, he said, are essential to the Church’s mission.
Hundreds of people gathered April 10 at The Westin Galleria Dallas for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas’ annual “Spark of Hope” event, a morning that recognized service and celebrated the organization’s 70-year history in the Diocese of Dallas.
The arrival of seven novices to Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey in 2024 — a record number of novices for the Irving community and a significant hike from the typical one-per-year average — is a blessing that has brought with it more heads in need of pillows, more backs in need of habits, and, crucially, more stomachs in need of meals, according to Father Abbot Peter Verhalen, O. Cist., who made the comment following the abbey’s receipt of a grant from The Catholic Foundation in support of campus renovations.
Amalia Macias, a longtime parishioner at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish, received the Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church this year, recognizing decades of faith-driven service. The honor, presented by Bishop Edward J. Burns, highlights a life shaped by devotion, sacrifice, and a commitment to others.
Despite the age difference of 19 years between the oldest and youngest of Tom and Valerie McCrary’s nine children, there was never a scene, through the years, of squeezing a party of 11 into a pew for Mass. Their volume of attendees on any given Sunday was large enough for Tom to typically leave ahead of the others to secure adequate seating.
Every day, in some way, Carlo Cueto joyfully says yes to serving God by serving his Church.