On June 30, 2007, Pope Benedict released an important letter on the relationship of the universal Catholic Church to the Catholics of China with an important reflection on the Church’s stance towards the government of China. In 1951, the Chinese […]
Over the past decade or so, I have come to appreciate Psalm 55. In the first few lines of this Psalm we read, “with all my troubles I cannot rest”. I began to appreciate this prayer when I was provincial […]
May is the month of Mary. May is chosen for Mary’s month because it is considered the most beautiful month of the year. In May flowers bloom and the world becomes warm and full of light. We honor Mary in […]
Pope Leo’s calls for peace and President Trump’s criticisms of the Pope have been major news this week. In light of the controversy, I want to explain the Catholic Church’s teaching on war. First, the Church’s teaching on war is […]
I reported a few weeks ago in the bulletin that there were 28 adults receiving baptism or confirmation at Saint John’s and Holy Redeemer this Easter season. The number is now 29 because there is one additional adult in Holy […]
St. Faustina was born Helena Kowalska in 1905 to a poor, devout family in Poland. Christ chose Faustina to receive and share his message of divine mercy, and she experienced many mystical visions of Christ throughout her life. The first […]
I am alarmed and surprised that the United States is embroiled in another war in the Middle East. We attacked Iraq on March 29, 2003 and we were at war until 2011, 8 years. It is estimated that 150,000 people […]
Center City is an interesting place to live and an even more interesting place for a church community. Of the six Center City Catholic churches (Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Augustine, Saint Joseph, Saint Mary, Saint Patrick and the Cathedral […]
Two weeks ago, I told you in my bulletin column of a survey about “confidence in religion”. The study that I quoted in said that confidence in religion has declined among Americans. In 1973, 16% of Americans had “hardly any […]
We are well into Lent by now. On Ash Wednesday, the Gospel we read that day laid out for us the program for Lent. Jesus speaks of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as the path to conversion. So how are you […]