Though I don’t suppose most churches have a designated parish bar, many of those that I served happened to. Down the street from my first assignment, Visitation Parish, was the (original) Peanut; members of Vis often shuffled there after meetings, games, prayer, or community gatherings. Teachers periodically assembled there on Friday afternoons for happy hour. […]
October begins with the Feast of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus (aka The Little Flower or Therese of Lisieux). The middle day of the month is dedicated to Saint Teresa of Jesus (aka Teresa of Avila). I have the privilege of serving as priest for Saint Therese Little Flower (STLF) Parish in urban KC […]
The Greek word “metanoia” is sometimes used in church jargon. It means an about-face or one-eighty-degree change—a total turn-around conversion. This week in Kansas City many sports fans marveled over how our major league baseball team fared last year with a 56-106 record (tied for worst in their history) compared to where they ended up […]
Across the deep blue ocean, church leaders have gathered at the Vatican for a continuation of the ecclesial synod as the pope prays that the church will be welcoming to all people and that governments throughout the globe will promote the dignity of every human person. Pope Francis recently commented that the American presidential election […]
An angel is a spiritual being that acts according to the will of God, is a messenger of God, and an agent of God’s goodness. An angel can also be a person of exemplary virtue or conduct. You and I have been blessed to encounter angels in our lives. About twelve years ago, a few […]
When Patrick Mahomes gets asked about political viewpoints of people close to him like his wife, or teammates like Harrison Butker, or friends like Taylor Swift, he responds by stating that he hangs out with friends because he likes them and doesn’t pay attention to their politics, that he enjoys teammates because they share the […]
“This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it, or I can use it for good. What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes this day will be gone […]
From the late 1940s till her death fifty years later, Mother Teresa of Calcutta inspired people all around the globe to take part in making their area of the earth a better place. Responding to Jesus’ call for her to go into the darkest holes of the poor and act in faith to bring them […]
An Irish friend recently sent me a newspaper article about Father Michael O’Connor who died a year ago this month in Limerick at the ripe ole age of ninety-four. Father O’Connor was from Tralee in County Kerry and joined the Redemptorist religious order there, being ordained as the Second Vatican Council was getting underway in […]
When Queen Elizabeth II of England was asked about allegations from her grandson and his wife of racist statements made by members of the royal family, she responded by saying “Recollections may vary.” As I age and hear numerous stories from siblings about growing up in our family, or from classmates about events when we […]
UPON THIS ROCK 