As you may recall, I was the chancellor of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem before I was assigned here in 2011.  In that previous position, I had the privilege of working with this international Catholic organization that supports the Christians living in the Holy Land, most particularly in the West Bank and Gaza.  We would raise approximately $10 million annually to support parishes, schools, orphanages and hospitals operating in the West Bank and Gaza.  This support was essential for the Christians who are trapped there due […]

It’s not very often that we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent one day and Christmas the next.  The last time this occurred was six years ago in 2017 and it won’t happen again until 2028.  As I have heard from so many, it seems that Christmas has come much sooner, even though it’s on the 25^th of December, as it is every year.  As we end the Advent Season and jump right into Christmas, allow me to reflect on the significance this time has for all of us.

Last Sunday, […]

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.  As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way.” (Mark 1:1-2)

As we enter into this new liturgical year, we hear again today from the Gospel of Mark.  As I mentioned in last week’s article, we will be hearing almost all of Mark’s Gospel over the course of this year since it is year B in the liturgical calendar.  As we begin to hear from this, […]

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful!  Be alert!  You do not know when the time will come. …Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at the cockcrow, or in the morning.  May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.  What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” (Mk 13:33, 36-37).

With these words, our Lord calls us to prepare us for his coming; he comes to bring us to God’s kingdom. As […]

On this, the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, the Church calls us to reflect on the kingship of Jesus Christ.  It’s quite different from how we ordinarily think of a king.  Rather than a ruler who makes his power known over his subjects, our God is like a shepherd tending his flock.  As we hear in this Sunday’s first reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, God will look after his sheep “as a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep” (Ez […]

Did you know that there have been nine National Eucharistic Congresses here in the United States of America?  Many of us fondly recall the 41^st International Eucharistic Congress that our archdiocese hosted in August of 1976.  It was a great boost to our faith and followed a long line of Eucharistic Congresses held around the world since the first one in Lille, France in 1881!  But, there have also been National Eucharistic Congresses – nine in all – beginning in 1895; the last one was in 1941.  And, you will […]