PERSPECTIVES
SEMINARIAN'S DIARY
Priests who inspire more vocations
In my third year of theology at Mundelein Seminary, I'm taking an introductory course in canon (Church) law, part of which deals with the duty we all have in promoting vocations to the priesthood.
BLOG ENTRY
New York, state of saints
New Yorkers may seem hardened and cynical, but they can still take notice of miracles within their borders. Hence, their pride in having two new saints to their claim.
YEAR OF FAITH
Explaining the creed, part IV: 'I believe in the Holy Spirit...'
We continue our reflections on the creed by looking at what we say about the Holy Spirit. We know that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, manifest at Pentecost, and that the Spirit is given in baptism or confirmation.
YEAR OF FAITH
Explaining the creed, part V: the Church, baptism, life, death and resurrection
In our final reflection on the creed, we explore the last few lines of our profession of faith. They speak first of our faith in the Church and use four words to describe the Church: one, holy, catholic and apostolic.
REFLECTION
Stories from the soup kitchen
When I first began serving at the Sister Maureen Joyce Center's soup kitchen in Albany, there was a short, stocky man with a ruddy complexion and receding hairline who would come in every Monday.
PERSPECTIVE
Keeping your parish open is up to you
We know that everyone has a busy lifestyle, but are we really too busy to come and worship God for approximately an hour a week? Is it that someone has offended or upset us while we attended Mass? Only you know why you may or may not attend Mass regularly.
PERSPECTIVE
Changing our Christmas
About 23 years ago, our oldest was six and we were expecting our fourth son. The holidays were approaching and I was thinking back to the previous four Christmases, when Santa and Jesus got just about equal billing in our home.
PERSPECTIVE
'Lord, to whom shall we go?' Why I haven't really retired
"How does it feel to be retired, Father?" The answer is, "I don't know." According to the dictionary, "retire" means "to withdraw from one's position or occupation; to conclude one's working or professional career." I don't believe that priests do that.
STAMFORD
Heavenly reports
For All Saints' Day, seventh- and eighth-grade faith formation students at Sacred Heart parish in Stamford wrote about saints who inspire them. Ellen Marando, director of religious education for the parish, shared some:
REFLECTION
Why a Year of Faith?
The first question I asked when I heard that Pope Benedict had announced the "Year of Faith" was, "Why?" It seemed to be too general a theme and didn't excite me.
AMAZING GOD REFLECTION
Healing ourselves in Advent
Church is due to the denial that each of us is grieving.Is it not easier to lash out, to place blame, to build an icy emotional fortress of personal surety around ourselves, than to acknowledge that someone, something is being taken away from us?
AMAZING GOD REFLECTION
An Advent message: Rejoice!
After years of Church scandal and corruption, during a time of distrust of the Church, a saint came along who would help change minds and hearts. This saint had a great desire to counter feelings of anger, suspicion or a lack of trust, and replace them with a love of …
REFLECTION
How priests have touched my life
My family was blessed with the many gifts of our parish priests throughout my life. These priests accompanied us on our faith journey.
VOCATIONS HOMILY
Call them by name
We have begun the "Called by Name" program to promote vocations to the priesthood. Right now, we focus on priestly vocations because the need is so great, but a future program will seek to identify potential candidates for lay ministry, the diaconate and religious life, as well.
REFLECTION
Traditions, uncles and saviors
Every Christmas morning, we open our presents, make a big breakfast and then drive four hours to Rochester to visit my in-laws. We've been doing this since our children were born. People have commented that their kids would never agree to leave Santa's toys so soon after opening them, but …
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Events
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