Some Reflections on the Recent Grand Jury Report
As we continue to reel from the repercussions of the Grand Jury Report on the sexual abuse by priests and the cover-up by bishops in six dioceses throughout the state of Pennsylvania, I would like to offer some heartfelt reflections. As I mentioned in my homily last Sunday, when I think of my fellow clergy who have done such terrible things, I think of what our Lord once said: “It would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the [...]
Erin Lively Memorial Bench
Many of you remember Erin Lively, who passed away recently after battling cancer with exemplary grace and faith. Many of you joined in praying the rosary on her behalf on Wednesday evenings in our grotto over the past several months. And, many of you contributed to provide a memorial bench in the grotto in her honor. The bench has been placed in the grotto and, like Erin, it is very inspirational. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the contributors and invite everyone to visit the grotto and [...]
Welcome Sister Theresa Ho Nguyen, LHC
As the academic year begins in schools throughout the region, I ask you to welcome a student who has come to live in our convent as she begins her studies at Villanova University. Sr. Theresa Ho Nguyen, a member of the Lovers of the Holy Cross community, arrived just last week and immediately began her studies in Christian Spirituality and Sacred Scriptures. Sr. Ho is originally from Son Tay, a suburb of Hanoi, Vietnam. She entered the Lovers of the Holy Cross community and was sent to study pastoral theology [...]
The Gospel of John “Bread of Life” Discourses
If you were paying attention to the recent Sundays’ Gospel accounts, you might have noticed that they have been taken from the Gospel of John. If you noticed that, you might have thought it odd since this year, when we are in Year B of the three-year liturgical cycle, the Sunday Gospel is ordinarily taken from the Gospel of Mark. Since Mark’s Gospel is rather short, however, we have more Sundays than we have Marcan pericopes so periodically throughout the year, readings are taken from other Gospels, and especially from [...]
Catholic University of America Collection
We all know how important it is to grow in our knowledge of God; after all, we are all preparing to spend eternity with him! God has blessed us by revealing himself to us down through the ages, especially through the prophets and in person through his son, Jesus Christ. We are blessed here in America with many fine Catholic colleges and universities that help our children continue to learn about God as they prepare for their careers and adult lives. Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., is the only [...]
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On Wednesday, we will join with the universal Church in celebrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, into heaven. It is a Holy Day of Obligation and the principal feast day of the Blessed Mother, so would like to offer you some reflections on it. The commemoration of the death of Mary is known as the Assumption because of the tradition that, shortly after her death, Mary was raised up, body and soul, into heaven. In the Eastern Church, it is called the Dormition, [...]