Quite often, church officials, when told by parishioners about something that is not in-line with ecclesial norms (even if they agree with it), will say: “Please, don’t tell me…”  The issue might center around what they’ve chosen to do with the ashes of a spouse or loved one, that their child is cohabitating with a […]

First responders are role models and heroes.  When approaching national holidays, we sometimes pause to think of first responders in times of crisis or first responders in the revolution that gave birth to our country.  Here, I reflect upon the first responders of Christendom.  Made known in Gospel infancy narratives, they include Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, […]

Next to Danny Boy, undertakers report that Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit in the Sky is the most requested funeral song for services marking the end of life.  When the Jesus Rebellion was overtaking America in the late 60s and early 70s, the Jewish lyricist invoked the Son of God to advance his message of life after […]

Nearly a year ago, I was transferred from Saint Charles Borromeo Parish in Kansas City’s northland to Rockhurst University in midtown, along with some neighboring parishes.  Returning to my alma mater after forty years and to inner city ministry after twenty-two, I more thoughtfully contemplate my pastoral mission and time on earth.  As best I […]

When Bella Baumfree changed her name to Sojourner Truth in 1843 after being sold and bought four times, suffering decades of enslavement, beatings, rapes, whippings, harsh physical labor, and violent punishment, she was inscribed with a new identity as a gifted speaker, abolitionist, and activist for civil rights.  It was about the same year that […]

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is initiating a three-year Eucharistic revival this month to encourage Catholics and others to grow closer to Jesus through holy communion.  The effort is a response, in part, to data showing that less than one third of Catholics believe that the elements of bread and wine change […]

As May turns to June, schools close and pools open, baseball diamonds promise fields of dreams, lake activity multiplies and amplifies, summer vacations begin, and children frolic in an age of innocence.  As George and Ira Gershwin wrote, “Summertime and the livin’ is easy, fish are jump’n and the cotton is high.  Your daddy’s rich […]

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.  Enkindle in us the fire of your love!”  Approaching the annual Feast of Pentecost, we reflect upon the promise of Christ and gift of love that is the Holy Spirit.  John Wesley, co-founder of the Methodist Church, is sometimes credited with speaking about the passion of […]

On Saturday morning, June 3, 9:00-12, Saint Francis Xavier Parish will host a retreat entitled, “Violence in Our City.”  All are invited to come and participate.  The retreat, which will take place in the church sanctuary at 1001 East 52nd Street, will bring together people of goodwill and great hope who desire a more wholesome […]

The late Catholic author and historian, Thomas Cahill, once said, “Just as banks can make people poor, hospitals make them sick, and schools make them ignorant, so can churches make people evil—and the history of our church is embarrassingly full of examples.” A book club that I facilitate recently read and discussed David Kertzer’s The […]