Archbishop John Dew discusses meeting Pope Benedict XVI, studying horticulture and whether he wished he had a family. You grew up in Waipukurau. Was it a farm upbringing? My Father had a transport company business, but I spent a lot of time on farms. I had cousins who lived on farms and would visit them during Read more
The Archbishop of Suva, Petero Mataca, has ordained six deacons – four Fijian and two Solomon Islanders. The ordinations took place in Sacred Heart Cathedral in Suva on Sunday 22 April. The six men are studying to become priests. The Fijians are training for the Diocesan priesthood while the Solomon Islanders are to be priests Read more
In his Holy Thursday homily at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 5, Pope Benedict XVI denounced calls from some Catholics for optional celibacy among priests and for women’s ordination. The pope said that “true renewal” comes only through the “joy of faith” and “radicalism of obedience.” And renewal is coming. After the 2002 scandal about Read more
A recent US study of those who took their perpetual vows in 2011 shows that new religious are younger and more educated than in the past. “We are encouraged by the report’s findings that men and women are considering a vocation at a younger age,” said Mercy Sister Mary Joanna Ruhland, associate director of the Read more
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The average age of men ordained to the priesthood in 2011 is trending younger with the average age for the 2011 class at 34, with more than half between the ages of 25 and 34. This is slightly younger than in 2010, and follows the trend over the past five years of new priests getting Read more