Many of you already know that the US Catholic bishops gathered in Baltimore this week for three days of meetings. Upper most in our prayer and hearts, as well as our agenda – taking concrete actions to hold bishops accountable for sexual misconduct and irresponsible governance. Before getting to those Read more…
Vos estis lux mundi: You Are The Light Of The World, is the title of a motu proprio issued today by Pope Francis. With this document, the Holy Father demonstrates that he is taking decisive action to put in place universal norms to address the scourge of sexual abuse of Read more…
As this new day dawns on the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena, I share with you the news that I am in Seattle for the announcement that Pope Francis has named me Coadjutor Archbishop of Seattle. The press conference will be 11:00 PT. While I am excited and surprised Read more…
Holy Week and the great Paschal celebration draws near. In fact, the Chrism Mass is traditionally celebrated on the morning of Holy Thursday. “This Mass is a clear expression of the unity of the priesthood and the sacrifice of Christ, which continues to be present in the Church today.” (Ceremonial Read more…
On Thursday this past week, our strategic planning process received some renewed energy. After Listening Sessions held around the Archdiocese last spring, the Leadership Team (Department Heads of Archdiocesan Staff) spent several months studying and summarizing the results and developed from them the Mission, Vision, Values and a set of Read more…
Just a few days ago, our USCCB Retreat concluded. We gathered at the request of Pope Francis, and enjoyed the direction and wisdom of the Preacher of the Papal Household, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM. With nearly 280 bishops registered, which is a similar number of those who are present for Read more…
For various reasons, I have been slow to share my own thoughts with you about our USCCB meeting in Baltimore earlier this month. I needed time to sit and pray with all the events and input of the week. I am sure about two things, one; the People of God 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…
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, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Fatih released a document entitled Placuit Deo, On Certain Aspects of Christian Salvation. The focus is on the gift of Salvation that is ours through Jesus Christ. Likewise, the document draws attention to some of the errors in today’s concept of the Read more…