COLORADO SPRINGS. A group of parishioners from St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish recently participated in a mission trip to Boquete, Panama to provide shoes and goods for orphaned children.

Es preferible, hermanos, que busquen entre ustedes a siete hombres de buena fama, llenos del Espíritu Santo y de sabiduría, y nosotros les encargaremos esta tarea . . .” (Hechos 6, 3)

El 25 de mayo, nuestra diócesis será bendecida con la ordenación de 12 hombres al diaconado permanente.  Estos hombres se unirán a 100 hermanos diáconos que sirven en nuestra diócesis, todos ellos configurados en la forma de Cristo Siervo.  De hecho, la palabra diácono viene de una palabra griega diakonos, que significa “siervo”.  La Iglesia pide a los diáconos que ejerzan su ministerio de servicio principalmente en tres partes:  palabra, altar y caridad.

Profiles of the 12 men who are being ordained permanent deacons on May 25, 10 a.m. at St. Peter Church, Monument.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:5

“Human kind cannot bear very much reality,” wrote the poet T.S. Eliot. While some might interpret this verse from the “Four Quartets” as a need to escape from the daily grind, this is not what Eliot is saying. Rather, he is referring to a deeper reality that underlies the world that we see. He is referring to a sacramental vision of the world.

"Mary is a garden of delights into which are sown all kinds of flowers and spice plants of the virtues.” — St. Jerome.

By now, we are all preparing our gardens in some way; planning, cleaning, pulling, sharpening, trimming, dumping, fixing and planting. Our reward, after our Colorado winter, is a rich, healthy glow of green. All we have to do is look around and feel the excitement of a new season. Here are a few suggestions to keep the garden in tip-top shape and at the same time honor Mary, Our Blessed Mother.