I. Introduction A. Well, dear sisters and dear friends, it’s been quite the day. If you attended the oral arguments in the chambers of the Supreme Court, you heard high level argumentation and questioning. For those of us who are non-lawyers, it is glimpse at the complexities of the law. I can only imagine the...Read More

I. Introduction: A Year of Favor from the Lord A. When people have lost their way or feel downtrodden, they look for a word of encouragement. They seek something or someone they can put their hopes in. So it was that, as the people of Israel were nearing the end of their exile in Babylon,...Read More

I. Introduction When he announced the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis also asked bishops and religious superiors to nominate priests whom he could commission as “missionaries of mercy” – priests who are good confessors, good preachers of the message of mercy who could travel the globe proclaiming the mercies of the Lord. On Ash Wednesday,...Read More

I. Introduction I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult to open these plastic containers in which things like razor blades are packaged. They are sealed very tight and it’s hard to find an opening. What’s more, the sharp edges on the hard plastic cuts my fingers. I mention this not to elicit...Read More

I. Introduction A. I want to begin by thanking Father DeAscanis and his staff here at St. Philip Neri Parish for hosting our Catholic Men’s Fellowship Annual Conference! We appreciate the support and leadership you give to this ministry! B. I also want to join with you in thanking Charlie Hawkins and the entire leadership...Read More

A. In these days we are focusing not merely on a project but rather on how we collaborate to carry forward evangelization-based parish & school planning. We are aiming not merely to reduce the number of outlets or mere to place them where our “customers” are – instead we are seeking to rebuild, renovate, and...Read More

Introduction Years ago, I served as the priest-secretary to Cardinal Hickey who was formerly the Archbishop of Washington. As a result, I often accompanied His Eminence to Rome. More often than not the Cardinal would be invited to concelebrate an early morning Mass in the private chapel of the Pope. Happily, that also meant that...Read More

Introduction Your Eminence, Cardinal Rivera, Worthy Supreme Knight, fellow members of the family of the Knights of Columbus: It is a joy and honor to be in this venerable Metropolitan Cathedral. Your Eminence, we thank you for offering Holy Mass for us; we express our warmest gratitude for your loving support of the Knights of...Read More