Live, learn, work, retire, die. So goes the rhythm of earthly existence for many of us. Included in there, of course, is engagement with the world, participation in needful endeavors, faithfulness to our beliefs, love for those we cherish, and leaving behind a legacy. I never thought that I would one day retire as a […]
There are a few annual events this month that you may want to join and one big project to which I will dedicate the remainder of my active priesthood. The events include a parish picnic at Saint Francis Xavier on September 13, an “angel fund” watch party on September 21, and a Mass in Swope […]
Some people think that priests who get assigned to inner-city ministries are being punished. Their comments give them away: “You must have done something awfully bad to get sent to the ghetto” or “The bishop must really have something against you to send you back there.” Though I have done some bad things in life […]
Among the numerous contributions that the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) has given to our nation and world is the simple yet profound message that we, by our mere existence, have an obligation—and simultaneous privilege—to make our community a better place to live, learn, work, and worship. As children of the earth and children […]
Hamilton W. Mabee once said: “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” It’s a wondrous scene in urban parishes each December as numerous inner-city residents line up at churches to receive cart loads of groceries and/or gifts to share with loved ones in their humble dwellings during the […]
I love the Catholic Church and am blessed to have been shaped by it. It has anchored my life and kept me oriented toward the good. It has educated me, inspired me, employed me, ordained me, and helped me through difficult times. Like many other things that I love—my family, my country, my home—I always […]
After a tornado, cyclone, hurricane, or other storm hits us, we can feel both relieved and devastated at the same time: relief that we survived yet devastated by the destruction. After a grueling game or sport season, team members can feel both exhilarated and exhausted. Feelings can be similar on the day after a general […]
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. […]
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 […]
Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of the American rock band, Green Day, wrote a famous song called Wake Me Up When September Ends. It is a lament about his father who died when the boy was only ten. Released in 2005, it was adopted by the citizens of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast after […]
UPON THIS ROCK 