"Several dozen clergy members marched toward a federal building in Newark in support of a man facing possible deportation. "Clergy including Cardinal Joseph Tobin, leader of New Jersey's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese, led a rally for supporters of Catalino Guerrero on Friday morning along with U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez." Read more in the America article.
Those who know me will not be surprised that my reaction to Pope Francis' qualified remarks about married (male, of course) priests was less enthusiastic than that of many of my friends in ministry. As reported in America magazine: "Describing the vocation crisis as an 'enormous problem,' Pope Francis suggested he sympathizes with Catholics who… Continue reading Pope Francis on Married Priests, More…
From A Letter to a Young Activist Do not depend on the hope of results. When you are doing the sort of work you have taken on, essentially an apostolic work, you may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results… Continue reading From Merton’s “Letter to a Young Activist”
My spiritual director shared this with me today; now I offer it to you. Blessing the Dust A Blessing for Ash Wednesday All those days you felt like dust, like dirt, as if all you had to do was turn your face toward the wind and be scattered to the four corners or swept away… Continue reading Blessing the Dust
Return to me with all your heart… return to the Lord” (Jl 2:12, 13). The prophet Joel makes this plea to the people in the Lord’s name. No one should feel excluded: “Assemble the aged, gather the children, even infants at the breast, the bridegroom… and the bride” (v. 16). All the faithful people are… Continue reading “Lent is a path…” Pope Francis
My friend Nicole Sotelo, who is an astute observe of life in the Roman Catholic Church, wrote an article worth reading. "Where are the young people? It's a common question at Catholic parishes across the country, and soon church officials may understand why so many have left. The Vatican has invited bishops to fill out… Continue reading A Church that Young Adult Catholics Can Believe In
I have the funniest, smartest friends. Like Paul Greene, who is singlehandedly advancing the English lexicon, a word or phrase at a time. I particularly like wAsh Thursday, which greeted me this morning. I wanted to start Lent by reflecting on the meaning of Ash Wednesday, but life got the best of me and I… Continue reading wAsh Thursday
I had the joy of praying with the Immanuel Lutheran community for Ash Wednesday. Here is Pastor Paul Nelson's reflection on the Gospel and the day. Tonight, we begin our journey of reflection and repentance called Lent, a time to contemplate our daily discipleship more deeply, be honest about how we fall in sin and selfishness,… Continue reading Jesus, the Center of It All
Bishop Robert McElroy. Don't miss this Commonweal Magazine coverage of his recent remarks. Disrupting Donald will take more than a village. (Photo from Commonweal) "I want you to sit back in your chair for a moment. And close your eyes, and I want you to think of someone you have known that our economy has… Continue reading TSV’s Voice in the Wilderness Award Goes to…
I have seen more than one wounded church in my travels. I found this article very interesting, and so share it with you here. Register for her talk on Tuesday, 2/28 here. Healing Spiritual Wounds by Carol Howard Merritt I was working with a congregation in the Midwest that seemed to go about every conflict… Continue reading Wounded Churches
