Diocese of Duluth

Pope Francis appeals for the ecumenical "One Minute for Peace" initiative, urging others to join in praying for an end to the wars devastating the world, especially in Ukraine.

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At his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis extols Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and her 'little way.' He praises the Doctor of the Church, who, despite illness and early death, illustrated how to do even the littlest of things with extraordinary love, and who now is "spending time in heaven doing good on earth.'

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The Northern Cross 

Deacon Jacob Toma will be ordained to the priesthood at 4 p.m. Friday, June 23, in a liturgy at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Deacon Jacob Toma, with Bishop Daniel Felton, was ordained a transitional deacon on Oct. 7, 2022, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary. After his ordination to the priesthood June 23, he will be assigned to the Cathedral and to St. Mary Star of the Sea. (File photo)

Deacon Toma, the son of Deacon Grant and Deborah Toma, is from Hibbing and was ordained a deacon last year, on Oct. 7, with his father, a permanent deacon for the diocese, assisting. Deacon Toma also has a brother and two sisters. Deacon Jacob has been serving at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Mary Star of the Sea as a deacon, and effective July 1, that is where he will have his first assignment as a priest, as parochial vicar of those parishes. 

The ordination Mass is open to the public. 

By Deacon Kyle Eller 
The Northern Cross 

Bishop Daniel Felton ordained Anthony Stone the newest permanent deacon for the Diocese of Duluth in an ordination Mass May 5 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth, before a large crowd, including a bus from St. Thomas Aquinas in International Falls, where Deacon Stone and his wife Teresa are members. 

Deacon Stone, a physician, is the fifth of eight children and was born and raised in northern California, served in the U.S. Air Force, and settled in International Falls in 2004. 

Bishop Felton, in his homily, noted that the ordination and its sacrament of Holy Orders was part of the Easter season and its outpouring of sacramental graces, in baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and the Eucharist.

Bishop Daniel Felton prays over Anthony Stone as part of his ordination as a permanent deacon for the diocese in a liturgy May 5. (Photo by Susan Dunkerley Maguire)

“I’m telling you, the coronation of King Charles III this weekend pales by comparison to the ancient ritual of ordination that we are about to celebrate,” the bishop said. 

Highlighting the nature of a vocation to the diaconate, with its call to proclaim the Gospel, assist at the altar, lead public prayer, and perform works on mercy in the name of his bishop and his pastor, he said that’s the call Deacon Stone has received. 

“With the help of God, he is to live out all these duties in such a way that you will recognize in him a disciple of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve,” he said. 

But, citing Deacon Stone’s service in the military, as a physician, and in ministries within his parish, he noted that the call to serve was not entirely new to him, “only the vocational manner in which you will celebrate it, embrace it, embody it, and express it now as a deacon.” 

“So, diaconia is not new to you. Or is it?” he added. “Today, as you advance to the order of deacon, it is not about a something that you are now going to do in life as much as it is about a someone that you want to be like in life. That someone is Jesus Christ, who came into this world not to be served but to serve.” 

Joining in the liturgy were two pastors the bishop said had served as “bookends” of Deacon Stone’s discernment and formation as a deacon: Father Ben Hadrich, who first suggested he consider the vocation, and Father Thomas Galarneault, his current pastor, who vested Deacon Stone with stole and dalmatic as part of the liturgy. 

Deacon Stone is assigned to serve at St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Columban in Littlefork. 

By Deacon Kyle Eller 
The Northern Cross 

Local police officers, firefighters, EMTs, first responders, and their support staff gathered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary May 17 for a Blue Mass celebrated by Bishop Daniel Felton and sponsored by Stella Maris Academy. 

The event, which also brought together students from all the school’s campuses for a celebration at the end of the year, included a special blessing on emergency workers and a blessing of their vehicles, which lined the cathedral’s parking lot.

Law enforcement officers process out with servers at the Blue Mass May 17 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, which was hosted by Stella Maris Academy and celebrated by Bishop Daniel Felton. The Mass also brought together all of the Stella Maris students near the end of the school year. (Deacon Kyle Eller / The Northern Cross)

In his homily, Bishop Felton cited the example of Jesus washing his feet at the Last Supper and his words that he came to serve, not to be served, commanding his disciples to do likewise. 

“Today, we lift up in a very special way our police officers and the civilian support staff that is with them and around them,” the bishop said. “And as we lift them up today, we see in them that they are living the command of Jesus, ‘As I have done, so you must do.’” 

He noted that their lives of service were an inspiration, and when he asked the assembled students how many of them wanted to grow up to be police officers, about 100 hands went up. 

Bishop Felton said that as the church celebrated emergency workers, it also thanked them for their service. 

“We offer our hearts of gratitude to you, hearts of thanksgiving, thanking you for the great sacrifices that you make, thanking you for being there when we need you, thanking you for coming to our aid when there are emergencies,” he said. “Thank you for sharing your lives in service to all those who are in need. From our hearts today we have this opportunity in a very special way to say ‘thank you.’” 

In addition to expressing gratitude and admiration, the bishop promised the emergency workers present that the church was praying for them, too, for their protection and that “no harm would ever come to you in any way.” 

Vatican Media presents a story by Dale Recinella, a former Wall Street finance lawyer who, along with his wife Susan, acts as a chaplain for prisoners in Florida.

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Pope Francis‘ special peace envoy to Ukraine concludes his 2-day mission to the war-ravaged nation.

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Pope Francis visits Gemelli hospital on Tuesday and returns to the Vatican before noon.

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