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
Please allow me to share with you a letter that I have asked to be read at all Masses throughout the Archdiocese of Anchorage this weekend. Note that this Wednesday, on the Queenship of Mary, is declared a Day of Prayer and Penance for Healing of victims of sexual abuse Read more
Most of you have heard about the recent news of one of our US Cardinals, Theodore McCarrick being removed from public ministry following a credible, substantiated accusation that he sexually abused a minor as a priest, and a subsequent allegation that he had abused another child for nearly two decades. Read more
Last week, one of the committees I serve on within the USCCB met in Washington, DC. Knowing this meeting would coincide with the visit of Cardinal Quevedo of the Archdiocese of Cotabato in the Philippines, staff of Catholic Relief Services worked with the Catholic Conference Executive Directors from both Wyoming Read more