Always a favorite feast of mine, today has been a special celebration of the Conversion of St. Paul. For more than any reason, from the very beginning of this day, I have been blessed with a sense of the nearness of Christ, and that grace has abided throughout the day. Read more…
This past week, the vast majority of our deacons and priests gathered in Casper for the annual clergy institute. This year, we had Sherry Weddell for our presenter. She is well known in the Church for her book, Forming Intentional Disciples and the follow-up book of Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples. Read more…
Finn and Betty McCarthy were honored at a special ceremony at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on Wednesday evening, January 20, 2016. Mr. & Mrs. McCarthy are the recipients of a distinguished service award known as the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (For the Church and Pope.) This is the highest medal Read more…
On today’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Christmas season reaches its conclusion. With the Baptism of Jesus, the so called ‘hidden years’ of Jesus come to an end as his public life and ministry commence. In many ways, the Baptism in the Jordan of Jesus by Read more…
For the past six years, the Hispanic community of Holy Spirit Catholic Community in Rock Springs has hosted a celebration in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In order to accommodate as many people as possible, they gather on the Sunday nearest the feast. This gives them one day to Read more…
One of the greatest privileges of being a bishop in a rural diocese has been my ability to witness the incredible sacrifices people make to ensure their family, their farm, and their community thrive. Wyoming is a great and beautiful state, but there are many factors here—from harsh weather to Read more…
Every two years, there is a national gathering of high school age youth, known as National Catholic Youth Conference, or NCYC. Once again this year, I’m in Indianapolis for this year’s gathering. I’m told around 21,000 youth are present, including approximately 25 from Wyoming. I missed last night’s opening session, Read more…
For some reason, these last few days have been a spiritual struggle for me. But, that is the reality of the spiritual life; it is a constant ebb and flow of ups and downs, of consolation and desolation, of fidelity and temptations. Through the course of every spiritual journey, God is Read more…
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we find Jesus and his disciples traveling in the northern section of Israel, near the Syrian border, at a place known as Caesarea Philippi. This area was known at the time for its worship of many different gods. No wonder Jesus chose this location to ask Read more…
On Sunday, I joined the parishioners of Our Lady of Fatima for their 60th anniversary celebration. Joining the parishioners for the celebration were their pastor, Fr. Thomas George, Deacon Ed McCarthy, and Msgr. James O’Neil, Fr. Michael Carr, Fr. John Savio, and the previous pastor, Fr. Bob Fox, who also Read more…