Four men are scheduled to be ordained at a special Mass at 10 a.m. June 23 at St. Paul Cathedral. The three men to be ordained priests are Deacons Alan J. Martineau, from Spencer, and Javier Julio De Arco and Victor Sierra López, both from Colombia. One man – Juan-Sebastian Sanchez Guzman, also from Colombia – is to be ordained a transitional deacon, in preparation for priesthood

His grandmother’s example inspired his vocation – and his plan for how to live it out. And that resonates with what he’s heard from Pope Francis. Deacon Victor Alonso Sierra López shared these core aspects of his journey to the priesthood as he prepared for his June 23 ordination at St. Paul Cathedral.

Doing psychotherapy with victims of civil conflict in Colombia showed Deacon Javier De Jesus Julio De Arco the importance of priestly ministry.He is being ordained a priest for the Worcester Diocese. And he has a goal for his priesthood.

Permanent deacons were challenged to promote family life and go out into the world, fired by the examples of Jesus and local clergy. Father Warren Savage was speaking for the 40th anniversary of the permanent diaconate in the diocese Saturday at St. Joan of Arc Parish.

The permanent diaconate, restored to the Catholic Church on Sept. 29, 1964, by the Second Vatican Council, became a reality for the Diocese of Worcester on June 24, 1978, with the ordination of 20 permanent deacons at St. Paul Cathedral.

    A controversial papal encyclical, revisited for its 50th anniversary, generated talk about societal woes and how to respond Monday. Christopher Klofft, a theology professor at Assumption College, was giving a talk about Humanae Vitae at his parish, Immaculate Conception in Worcester.