Profile
‘Lightning’ of autism strikes twice, but faith helps couple cope
AnnMarie and Steve Milligan, who attend St. Bede Church, never envisioned raising an autistic son, let alone two. But the challenges have brought the couple closer as they’ve helped each other all along, according to God’s plan.
Greatest draw to priesthood? A happy priest, says deacon
Matt Windle was working and dating before he turned to prayer and studying to become a priest at St. Charles Seminary. Serving in parishes, he saw how much his priest-mentors enjoyed ministry. See the last in our series on the men to be ordained priests May 21.
He follows the fishermen’s steps toward priesthood
Since he was a kid, Thomas O'Donald loved spending time on the water at Rehoboth Bay fishing, crabbing, boating. As a priest to be ordained May 21, he will soon be fishing in the manner of the apostles. See the next in our series on the four men to be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Would-be football coach will be a new priest this May
Mark Cavara always loved football, and he sees parallels between coaching and priestly ministry. When he is ordained soon he will continue a recent string of vocations from his home parish, St. Agnes in West Chester. See the next in our series on the four men to be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
From Temple to cathedral: One man’s path to priesthood
Matt Biedrzycki might have laughed at the idea of becoming a priest while at Northeast Catholic High School. But while attending Temple University, he had a conversion experience through the Newman Center and began discerning the call to priesthood. See the first in our series of profiles of the four men to be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on May 21 at the cathedral.
From playground to pro hoops, Beck remains a Philly guy
Ernie Beck has been a basketball star and fan his whole life, from Southwest Philly to Penn to the Philadelphia Warriors. The devout Sacred Heart parishioner still loves the game and roots for the local teams.
New vicar sees the beauty of multicultural Catholic Church
Vincentian Father Gregory Semeniuk is the Philadelphia Archdiocese's new head of cultural ministries, a task he sees as blending sacraments and catechesis with social ministry programs.
She affirms life, right to the end
As a hospice-care nurse, Bunny Dugan believes she is called to accompany people as their life ends and they go into the next, where “God is preparing a place for us.”
Malvern’s new man aims to focus on forgiveness
After a successful career in social services, Mark Poletunow, the new president of Malvern Retreat House, wants to help people deepen their relationship with Jesus, who can heal their brokenness.
In rapidly changing field, he keeps Catholic identity constant
James Amato, new secretary for Catholic Human Services, has seen seen a lot in his 32 years of social work in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. He knows how to adapt to new models of care and government funding.