Last night I arrived in Superior, Wisconsin. Today, the Diocese of Superior will ordain their 11th Bishop, the Most Reverend James P. Powers. Jim and I were college seminary classmates at St. John Vianney College Seminary, at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. I am honored to Read more…
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that the Church is celebrating a Jubilee Year of Mercy. Here is a brief description of the Year from the decree of Pope Francis: The Jubilee Year of Mercy We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is Read more…
Today’s Gospel from St. Luke (4:1-13) recalls Jesus’ temptations in the desert for forty days. One practical consideration for us is this temptation follows immediately upon the heals of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan. At the Baptism, Jesus is revealed as God’s Son. Jesus receives the Holy Spirit. In this Read more…
As people in Wyoming already know, during the Budget Session of the Wyoming Legislature, (every other year) the session time is reduced, and the great majority of energy is devoted to fiscal issues. Thus, for bills to be introduced for consideration, they must first pass a two thirds majority vote for Read more…
As I prayed last night and again this morning in preparation for this Lenten journey, the phrase came to mind: “Less consumption, more production.” I doubt that mantra would fly for long on the lips of present presidential candidates, but it is not an economic formula, but rather has Read more…
For well over a year, a group within the Diocese of Cheyenne has been planning for the next round of discernment and formation of a new group of men to serve the Diocese of Cheyenne as Permanent Deacons. I am very grateful to Deacon Joe Sandrini for taking the lead Read more…
For the second year in a row, the Diocese of Cheyenne invited legislators and other government officials to gather at the Cathedral of St. Mary with faith community leaders for an interfaith prayer service. Our crowd grew from last year to this year, and once again a tremendous amount of Read more…
“The crowd was pressing in on Jesus…” In today’s Gospel (Luke 5:1-11), Jesus is seen preaching along the Lake of Gennesaret, or perhaps better known as the Sea of Galilee. Our initial focus is not so much on the crowd as it is upon the person of Jesus. Even though Read more…
I mentioned recently in a previous blog that Sherry Weddell gave a great series of presentations to our clergy for this year’s clergy institute. One of the astounding statistics she provided indicates that many Catholics do not believe it is possible to have a personal relationship with God. This statistic Read more…
As I sat in my chapel praying early this morning, I could hear the snow plows clearing the snow from the two major streets that run along my house. Yesterday and last night we had one of the heaviest snows of recent years. Two thoughts crossed my mind. First of Read more…