It is official. With the presentation of my Vision Statement to the clergy of the diocese this week, our strategic pastoral planning process is underway. To read the Vision Statement, click here. With this Vision Statement, I set forth what I believe are our priorities. This is our starting point. Read more…
After a very brief day of rest, I hit the road again on Monday. The Casper Catholic Community is celebrating the completion of a beautiful, new Catholic School these days. Monday evening, a very joyous crowd gathered to dedicate the chapel. For several years, a dedicated group of visionaries and Read more…
As most of this readership still sleeps, we are wrapping up our time in Rome. One more session this early afternoon, then the American Bishops will go to the North Amercian College for a welcome from the priests and seminarians there. Most of us will depart Rome to return to our Read more…
At this point, most of us new bishops are on overload with the amount of information received. Overall, the presentations are quite insightful and quite helpful. The real challenge of the week is the jet-lag complimented by the endless challenge of functioning in various languages. As in the days of Read more…
This past week, Luke’s Gospel spoke of the importance of the ¨heart¨, or the interior life. Luke, following his sermon on the mount, continues to instruct that “a good tree cannot bear rotten fruit no more than a bad tree can bear good fruit.” (cf Luke 6:43-45) He goes on Read more…
Today was another memorable one in the lives of these new bishops. After a morning session, we dawned our cassocks and headed to the hills to the summer residence of Pope Benedict XVI for a brief audience, and an opportunity to individually greet him. As in the lives of most Read more…
Today, Sunday, our day started early with breakfast, then bus transport to St. Peter for Mass in the Basilica at 8:30. It was a very moving experience as we celebrated Mass (fist time as a Bishop in St. Peter) at the same altar where I was ordained a Deacon 18 Read more…
Well, my friends, August was a busy month, and also very productive. In the coming weeks, we will “launch” several new initiatives. This month, we will convene a new Priest Council as well as a new Diocesan Pastoral Council. As you may guess by the name, the priest council is Read more…
Today’s Gospel from Luke (14:25-33) is a marvelous teaching on discipleship, with strong overtones on stewardship. Fundamentally, this passage is a continuation of the earlier part of Chapter 14 which is all about the invitation to the Kingdom. We see initially the righteous are invited. Though at first, they are Read more…
Tuesday, August 31 was an historic day for the Native American People on St. Stephen Indian Mission on the Wind River Indian Reservation. After 126 years of ministry and service to the Native American people at the St. Stephen Indian Mission, the Jesuits transferred the Mission to the Diocese of Read more…