As the month of November approaches, cardinals, archbishops and bishops from around the United States are preparing to travel to Baltimore for our plenary business meeting. This meeting will more than likely be one of the most historic moments in the life of the Church in this country. I ask Read more
Yesterday evening, this letter was emailed to all clergy, religious, chancery staff, parish ministers and members of all Archdiocesan boards and committees. This morning, I share the same with you. At the bottom of this post you will find a copy of the official decree establishing this independent commission and Read more
When I made the decision to return to the seminary in 1988, I was assigned for six months to a parish on the north side of Indianapolis, St. Pius X. That was a great parish experience. They had a wonderful pastor and many great people, and it was a great Read more
When I was a college seminarian at the University of St. Thomas (1984-1986), then known as the College of St. Thomas, I was introduced to the writings of the early Church Fathers. Today, we celebrate the feast of one of those early Church Fathers, St. Ignatius of Antioch. I remember Read more
At St. Peter’s in Rome today, Pope Francis created several new saints, among them Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Oscar Romero. In his homily, the Holy Father, with great insight, expounds upon Mark’s Gospel story of the Rich Young Man (10: 17-22). Following Jesus is above all a matter of Read more
After three months of painful revelations of sexual misconduct of priests and bishops, along with allegations that some bishops covered up these criminal behaviors, this weekend we are seeing some positive developments. Before I spell out these new developments, it bears saying once again, that as Church, and as an Read more