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…
As I fly out of Anchorage this evening, the view from the window is spectacular! It is a gorgeous evening here, and as the plane climbs, we leave the Cook Inlet behind, and begin to enjoy the vista of the mountains, the snow caps, quickly revealing glaciers. In short order, Read more…
Today, Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement updating the public to recent actions taken by USCCB leaders to address the issues of abuse and accountability of bishops. It is important that the faithful people of God hear Read more…
Today was practically like celebrating the Easter Vigil. Yesterday I flew to Dillingham for the weekend. In addition to Holy Rosary Parish, there are numerous villages also served by the pastor, Fr. Scott Garrett. Today, in the face of minimum flying conditions, we had a pilot fly us out to Read more…
The Archdiocese of Anchorage dedicated Wednesday, the Feast of the Queenship of Mary as a Day of Prayer for Healing. The Co-Cathedral was nearly full for the 9:00 am Mass. Many people visited throughout the day to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, and the church began to fill again around Read more…