Last Sunday, about 2,000 people gathered at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland for the principal liturgy celebrating the 225th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. It was a wonderful celebration that brought together a cardinal, archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons, women and men in consecrated life, school presidents, principals, students, leaders of Catholic...Read More

Introduction: Looking Back and Looking Ahead When I announced that this celebration would take place on All Souls’ Day, a priest took me aside and said, “Archbishop, All Souls’ doesn’t seem like a very good day for a celebration. Don’t you think it’s kind of somber?” “You may have a point,” I responded, “It’s not a...Read More

Introduction What a joy to celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints with you, the family of the Knights of Columbus. How welcome you are here in this Basilica, the 1st of our nation’s Cathedrals, where, in December 1877, Michael J. McGivney, our beloved founder, was ordained to the priesthood by then-Archbishop James Gibbons of Baltimore....Read More

Our Need for the Holy Spirit’s Guidance I stand before you as the U.S. bishops’ point person on religious liberty; I lead a committee comprised of bishops & lay experts (including lawyers) that seeks to offer the Church’s teaching on religious freedom in the context of a nation where that freedom is constitutionally guaranteed, while...Read More

On its face, the feast of All Souls is a pretty somber day in the life of the church. It is the day when Catholics throughout the world pray for the sanctification of the souls of those who have died so that they might enjoy life everlasting with God in Heaven, the reward for a...Read More

Questions about the end of life have faced human beings for as long as we have walked the earth. When will it come? What is a “happy death?” Is there life after death? Thanks to modern medicine, we now live longer, and thankfully can prevent many premature deaths. But with these advances come many more...Read More

Introduction Many of you present in the Basilica may have thought you were just attending the Sunday evening Mass and now you find that a Confirmation is going on. You might be wondering how long this will go on; I have to be honest – it will take a bit longer than usual, but I...Read More

Introduction Allow me once again to welcome all of you to the annual White Mass sponsored by the Baltimore Guild of the Catholic Medical Association. In this Holy Mass we honor those who care for the sick and ask God’s blessings on their daily service to their brothers and sisters. And let me remind you...Read More