Deputy Headmaster Moystn, distinguished guests, members of the Board of Governors, dear faculty members and friends of Stonyhurst College, and, most of all, dear students: Introduction It is an honor for me to be with you today in this magnificent Church of St Peter, here at Stonyhurst College, to celebrate the Holy Mass with and...Read More

Dear friends, Introduction The Latin word “recuso,” or “I refuse,” is the origin of the word “recusant,” which is used to describe those Catholic families in England who steadfastly resisted, at the cost of property, liberty, and even life, the incursions of a government which sought forcibly to separate them from communion with the Vicar...Read More

Introduction Bishop Madden, Msgr. Valenzano, my brother priests and deacons, and dear friends in Christ: On this Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, I welcome all of you here to the Basilica of the Assumption. During this Mass, the honor will fall to me to solemnly inaugurate the new chapel which...Read More

Not Many Kings, A Lot of Despots When we speak about Christ as our King, it might not mean much. In the United States, we don’t have a King. Our rulers don’t wear gold crowns or wear fancy robes. But we get the idea not all kings were nice people. More than a few of...Read More

Next week we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. As we typically do this time of year, we reflect on the many things for which we have to be thankful, and offer our gratitude to God for these and so many other blessings. This year, however, is a special Thanksgiving, for it marks the 20th anniversary of the...Read More

Introduction Thank you for the joy of continuing our celebration of the 225th anniversary of the Premier See, the Archdiocese of Baltimore. I especially want to thank those who organized this wonderful event today, the Mass we are celebrating, the Black Catholic history exhibit, and the reception. How important that we gather to remember our...Read More

Introduction During the presentation of Mount seminarians to the University Board of Trustees I became distressed when the seminarians opined that weekday homilies should run no more than three minutes and that Sunday homilies should run no more than eight minutes, barely time enough to cook scrambled eggs. I hope you will understand that it...Read More

Introduction Suspended above the Basilica portico is an American flag with fifteen stars. It is there to commemorate the bicentennial of the Star Spangled Banner celebrated with much fanfare last summer  here in Baltimore, the birthplace of the National Anthem. When the Diocese of Baltimore was established on November 6th, 1789, that flag would have...Read More