I. Introduction A. Not long ago, I found myself on a plane seated next to a passenger who seemed agitated and anxious to talk. Seeing my Roman collar, she asked, “Are you a Catholic priest?” “Yes, and also a bishop,” I added parenthetically, bracing myself for turbulence. As it turned out, she was a very...Read More

I. Introduction: The Year of Mercy A. Pope Francis has set aside this year as a time of special grace, a Year of Mercy. It is not merely a special program meant to be implemented for twelve months and then forgotten. No, the Pope is using this Jubilee Year of Mercy to call our attention...Read More

I. Introduction A. If you or I were to walk into Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, our eye would be drawn to the enormous stained glass window at the far end of the basilica. It is the window of the Holy Spirit. In it, the Holy Spirit is pictured in the form of a...Read More

I. Introduction A. Your Eminence, Cardinal Caffarra, brother priests and deacons, Worthy Supreme Knight and Mrs. Anderson, Fr. Antonio Lopez and leaders of the faculties of the St. John Paul II Institute, Catholic University of America, and the Dominican House of Studies, students of the Institute, family members and friends of our graduates, and most...Read More