VATICAN CITY -- Being a priest is not a job or fulfilling an employment contract but is a gift from God that should be contemplated and treasured as such, Pope Francis said.

It wasn’t an easy path to the priesthood for newly ordained Resurrectionist Fr. Raphael Ma.

BALTIMORE -- The U.S. bishops are set to consider an updating of texts last changed in 2003 for the ordination of clergy.

Father General Arturo Sosa, leader of over 16,000 Jesuit priests worldwide, attended the ordinations at St. Paul’s Basilica in Toronto, May 19, during his Canada visit. “This moment in the life of the Society, but even more in the life of the Church, is an opening,” he said.

Canadian Jesuits Arthur Suski and Edmund Lo were presented to Archbishop Terry Prendergast for ordination into the priesthood. The archbishop handed each of them a book of the Gospels and said, “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are.  Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” 

For Mark Neugebauer, his journey to the permanent diaconate is something he says he just “fell into.” A look at his story would beg to differ.

Our small English-language parish in a borough of Montreal is hardly a hot bed of serious surprises. Recently, though, we received some rather hard news.

EDINBURGH, Scotland – Twelve men are set to be ordained priests in Scotland this year, a 20-year high that Catholic leaders credited to prayers and other work to encourage vocations.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung Coadjutor Bishop of the diocese of Hong Kong, the Vatican announced Sunday.

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM SWEDEN – The Catholic Church insistence that it cannot ordain women to the priesthood and episcopacy is a teaching likely to last forever, Pope Francis said.

REGINA – Two days after the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood, Donald Bolen was installed as Archbishop of the Regina Archdiocese.

VATICAN CITY – The sacredness of human life is so absolute that performing or helping procure an abortion or attempting suicide is an obstacle to ordination as a Catholic priest, even if the man was not Catholic at the time the events occurred, said a new Vatican ruling.

Does anybody today believe men are intellectually superior to women because of their gender? The question is not about the intelligence of an individual man or woman, but collectively. Simply put: if you have the Y chromosome does it make you smarter?

HAMILTON, ONT. – A visitor to the Kitchener-Waterloo area, looking for “Fr. Reitzel,” might get this reply to their query: “Which one?”

What we cease to celebrate we will soon cease to cherish. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of the religious congregation to which I belong, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. We have a proud history, 200 years now, of ministering to the poor around the world. This merits celebrating.  

PULASKI, Wis. – When David Parker informed his eldest child, Legionary Brother David Parker Jr., that he was pursuing the diaconate again, the son had a question for his father: "How many years do you have in formation?"