Deacon Donald Cox

REVEREND MR. DONALD COX is a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of Detroit. On June 9, 1979, Deacon Don was ordained to the diaconate by His Eminence John Cardinal Dearden, an important American Father of the Second Vatican Council. Married and the father of three children and grandfather to four children, Deacon Don was born and raised in Detroit, and educated at St. Brigid Elementary School, Mackenzie High School, and Lawrence Technological University. His theological training was taken at Detroit's Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

How I Met My Guardian Angel

Many years ago, I helped arrange a retreat for the men of the parish that I was serving in at that time. The retreat was to begin on a Friday evening and conclude on Sunday morning. Twenty-five men signed up for the retreat. On Thursday afternoon...

Are There Animals in Heaven?

We could start a theological debate on what is required for a soul to gain eternal life in heaven; and do animals have a soul. Some will say that yes, all animals do have a soul, and therefore animals can go to heaven. Others will contend that...

Why Have Our Prayers Gone Unanswered?

Right now, I am rather stunned. For the last four years we have had the most pro-life president this country has ever had, Donald J. Trump. On the other hand, Joe Biden, a professed “practicing Catholic,” has stated that, “If...

We Are Known By Our Fruit

The last line in our first reading for the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time says, “Praise no one before he speaks, for it is then that people are tested.” (Sirach 27:7) And the last line in our Gospel says, “From the fullness of the heart the mouth...

Our Ability to Love

For the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear that beautiful letter from St. Paul (1 Cor 12:31-13:13) in which he speaks of spiritual gifts, the greatest of which is love. Scripture tells us that God is love and that God is the Creator of all...

Why Jesus Was Baptized

One week following our celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord, we celebrate His baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “By Baptism all sins are forgiven, Original Sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin.” (CCC...

Following the Star

The Star of Bethlehem: We can never know for certain what it was that the Magi saw and were following. But I did some research on Astronomical History and was fascinated by what I found. For example, astronomers over the years have identified the...

Do We Hear the Voice of the Good Shepherd?

In the Book of Exodus, we read of the Israelites departure from Egypt and of their miraculous deliverance by God through Moses. As part of that story, we read of the time when Moses went up on Mount Sinai and was given the Ten Commandments. He...