Many parental figures teach their children and others to always leave a place better than they found it.  We were fortunate if we had those kind of parents or guides; they encourage us to spend our lives improving our surroundings and those we encounter along the way.  In Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si, written […]

In the aftermath of recent shootings and ongoing violence in our nation, we return to debates about gun laws and mental illness.  This time, it seems that evil’s presence is also central to our conversations as we acknowledge that various earthly enterprises contribute to the insanity that allows terrorizing acts to pervade.  As a Catholic […]

I will be going back to college this summer.  And not just any college—but the one I attended forty years ago, where I was formed in faith and received a solid education, where I heard about other famous rocks: the Rock of Gibraltar, Plymouth Rock, Knute Rockne, Rocky Balboa, Rock-n-Roll, and Peter-the rock upon which […]

The normal term for a pastor according to the Roman Catholic Code of Canon Law is six years.  I have completed my term at Saint Charles Borromeo and will commence a new charge in about five weeks.  I have never served a six-year term as pastor before this one: twice for around ten years and […]

I was informed yesterday that there are lots of conversations around the parish that I am being transferred: someone heard it from a chancery employee, someone else heard it from another priest, still someone else heard it at the beauty parlor.  I will share with you what I know from inside the transfer portal with […]

The winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike, a last-minute qualifier at eighty-to-one, was a long shot.  The colt is the focal point of the greatest upset at Churchill Downs in over 100 years.  His owner found out that he qualified for the race only thirty seconds before the deadline.  His final soaring strides […]

When I was a young priest my mom sent me a short story about motherhood by twentieth century author Temple Bailey.  It had helped her find comfort and feel gratitude after her own mom’s death and she thought that it might help me help others when bidding farewell to their mothers.  It is a classic […]

When Jesus rose from the dead, and later ascended to a greater place beyond this world, He gave us an Easter challenge to also rise above the things of earth.  While great leaders, from President Zelensky to Pope Francis, guide us to rise above overwhelming issues of international proportion, we are also summoned to rise […]

On the original Easter morning, it was women who went to the tomb where Jesus’ body had been buried and discovered it empty.  It was to Mary Magdalene that Christ first appeared in resurrected form; and it was she who was initially sent forth to announce the Good News of salvation.  But in that time […]

Norman Vincent Peale was a twentieth century Methodist minister, author, media personality, and motivational speaker known for his positive outlook.  He is among those who are sometimes referred to as “Easter People.”  They spend their life improving their little speck of the world and bringing hope to those who seek it.  Among his stories is […]