PERSPECTIVES
REFLECTION
CCHS students and feeding the hungry
We hunger for so much more than just food! I had the awesome privilege of accompanying a group of students from Catholic Central High School in Troy on a service venture to St. John's/St. Ann's Outreach Center in Albany recently. We went to set up, clean up and serve delicious …
HOMILY
We forget that Jesus was Jewish
"(Let) his blood be upon us and upon our children" (Mt 27:25): For centuries, this cry from the Gospel of Matthew was used to justify the condemnation of the Jews as a people. How could it be otherwise, with the Gospel's sharp critique of the Pharisees, the Jewish lay leadership?
SEMINARIAN'S DIARY
Why I finally said yes
With less than two months before my ordination, I can't help but reflect on why I chose to become a priest. After someone decides to pursue the priesthood, the length of seminarian formation can vary, depending on age and prior education. I've spent six years in formation, but the discernment …
REFLECTION ON HISTORY
Father MacKenna, an 18th-century priest
A statute enacted by New York Governor Richard Bellamont around the year 1700 forbade Catholic priests from entering the Province of New York. Jesuits, priests and popish missionaries were outlawed, and were priced at $113 apiece for the Indians who would turn them in.
REFLECTION
Spirituality and mental illness
I attended the incredible lecture by Sister Nancy Kehoe. Sister Nancy offered eye-opening insights into the connection between spirituality and mental illness. She explored what spirituality means to those in the psychiatric and psychology worlds, and why it is often avoided when treating mental illness.
LITTLE FALLS
Corinthians verse inspires teen with cancer and entire community
Most 17-year-olds look forward with excitement as their senior year approaches. For Sarah Bruins of Holy Family parish in Little Falls, a diagnosis of Stage 3A Hodgkin's lymphoma last December stunned her and her family.
REFLECTION
How men can change violence toward women
He writes that "many parishioners and students who have walked with me for a long time have helped me put meaning into [a quote from Isaiah 58]: 'This rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke, setting free the oppressed.'"
REFLECTION
'O.B.' retires after 47 years
Dr. Paul O'Brien's vocation to Catholic education spans 47 years. When "O.B.," as he is affectionately known by students, posted about his retirement on Facebook, the message received almost 700 "likes" and close to 300 comments in two days. But perhaps his classroom, room six at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School …
REFLECTION
Can someone explain the Trinity?
This weekend, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that the Trinity is at the "central mystery of our faith," and each Sunday, we profess our belief in the Trinity when we say the creed together.
BISHOP'S MESSAGE
Education tax credit needs Catholic support
Last week, the bishops of New York State urged Catholics to contact Gov. Andrew Cuomo through the website of the New York State Catholic Conference (www.nys-catholic.org), asking the Governor to use his leadership to get the Education Tax Credit passed.
SEMINARIAN'S DIARY
My view from Rome
The seminary I attend organized a trip to Rome for the canonizations of our patron, Pope John XXIII, and that of Pope John Paul II. The first thing that came to mind when I waded into the crowd was the famous line from James Joyce's "Finnegan's Wake" that described Catholics: …
REFLECTION
Independence Day and religious liberty
This week, we celebrate Independence Day, commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which declared that 13 colonies ought to be free and independent states. The colonies did this in response to the government trampling over their God-given, inalienable rights, including those of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
PERSPECTIVE
Why I go to church
I have a friend who does not attend church. He believes in God and stands firm in his faith, but he says he doesn't like the ritual and doesn't see the need to attend regularly. He goes when his family makes him go.
REFLECTION
'Shoulda-woulda-coulda'
If you aren't a "shoulda-woulda-coulda-person," you probably won't relate to this, as you are probably good at looking forward in life.
REFLECTION
Pure joy
I pity anyone within earshot of my voice whenever I see our newborn grandson, Mason. He elicits pure joy in me and my voice elevates to such an annoying pitch that the dog barks.
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Events
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