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Permanent deacon blends spreadsheets, sacraments to serve those in need

Ordained in June by Archbishop Nelson Perez, Franz Fruehwald, chief financial officer of archdiocesan Catholic Social Services, weaves vocation, career and faith into one mission of hope.

With 8 kids, new deacon knows all about life balance

Mark Nowakowski, who will be ordained June 13, juggled his work, many parish activities and raising a large family as he prepared to serve the church as a deacon.

His journey to priesthood stretches continents, decades into eternity

Across more than 2,000 miles from his native Venezuela to Philadelphia, with stops along the way, now at age 49 the sacred vocation of Deacon Wilmer Chirino Gonzalez will soon be realized.

Early thought of priesthood, put aside, comes full circle at ordination

The seed of a vocation took root early in the mind of Deacon August Taglianetti, who will be ordained a priest June 20, and emerged in college while studying to be a teacher.

The youth from Nigeria will be a priest for Philadelphia

When Kevin Okafor is ordained a priest by Archbishop Nelson Perez on June 20, it will be the end of an almost three-decade journey from a farming village to lay mission work to St. Charles Seminary.

Following God’s unique call on a traditional path to priesthood

Louis Monica Jr. followed the way of many an archdiocesan priest, which he will become in June: from Philadelphia parish to Catholic high school and right into St. Charles Seminary, whose seminarians "are like brothers to me."

Long road, long time leading to priesthood, finally

Cesar J. Izaguirre joined the Neo-Catechumenal Way from his home in Nicaragua, studied for the priesthood in Guam and at St. Charles Seminary and, at age 35, will be ordained this June.

For 50 years, Oratorian priest ‘an instrument of God’s love’ in Phila.

Father Georges Theirs, who co-founded the Oratory of St. Philip Neri at St. Francis Xavier Parish in the city's Fairmount section, has helped model St. John Newman's motto, "Heart Speaks unto Heart."

The living tell the story of God’s goodness in pandemic’s wake

Shoshana Taylor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in North Philadelphia found her faith and her mission to share God's mysterious love renewed after her boyfriend died from coronavirus.

Cantor’s voice raised hearts of viewers watching Masses online

Even without the Cathedral Choir, Marcelle McGuirk's soaring soprano presence uplifted hundreds of thousands of faithful watching the Masses of Holy Week and Easter at the cathedral.