I. Introduction It is a great joy to visit St. Luke Parish and to celebrate with you its 125th anniversary! So let me begin by wishing you a happy anniversary and by asking God’s abundant blessings upon you and your families. Let me add that, while this is my first visit to St. Luke’s, it...Read More

Last Sunday, our Church celebrated Catechetical Sunday, a time for all Catholics to acknowledge the importance of the Church’s teaching ministry and to honor all who serve the Catholic faithful in a teaching role. The Church began this special observance in 1935 and now it is celebrated each year on the third Sunday in September. This...Read More

I. Introduction I’ve decided to speak this evening for a time on Pope Francis’ new encyclical on faith called, “Lumen Fidei”, “The Light of Faith.” As you may know, it was largely completed by Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Francis, without hesitation, made it his own and issued it under his own name. In a sense,...Read More

I. Introduction What a joy it is for me to return here to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which holds so many wonderful memories for me, and I’m grateful to you, Msgr. Rossi, for the kind invitation to celebrate this Mass. On a personal note, Saint Robert Bellarmine, whose feast...Read More

I. Introduction: Permitting Everything, Forgiving Nothing In his book of essays entitled, The Difference God Makes, Cardinal Francis George offers an incisive statement: “The world,” he wrote, “permits everything and forgives nothing. God and the Church do not permit everything but forgive everything.” Simple observation of our culture confirms the truth of this statement. The culture of...Read More

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” These words come from the Prayer of St. Francis. Many of us are familiar with them and the rest of the words of this commonly-prayed and sung petition for God’s peace. These immediately came to mind when I learned two weeks ago Sunday of Pope Francis’ call...Read More

I. Introduction The Gospel just proclaimed is tailor-made for this occasion, when, during the Year of Faith, the family of the Knights of Columbus comes on pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the “Knights Tower” with its 56 bell carillon. This is what...Read More

I. Introduction I welcome all of you here to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. As you know, this Mass was originally scheduled especially for our homeschooling families, but last Sunday, at his noon-day Angelus, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, appealed to the Church and to the world that today be designated a Day of...Read More