Scholars believe that the last Old Testament prophet was Malachi. He lived and preached after the return of Israel to Jerusalem from Babylon, perhaps around 400 BC. The people were discouraged and were falling away from faith, asking what was […]
May is the month of Mary. For those of us who grew up in Catholic schools, we remember that every classroom created a “May altar” where the statue of Mary was displayed prominently and decorated with flowers and colorful streamers. […]
By now, our parishioners and regular visitors know about our capital project and the capital campaign to raise the necessary money. Saint John’s is a beautiful old church and people who enter our church invariably comment on its beauty. We […]
Philadelphia’s Center City District recently issued its 2025 report on the state of Center City. Saint John’s is a Center City ministry, so the situation of Center City is of vital interest to us. The report presents a positive picture […]
On January 5, 2025, Archbishop Perez issued an important pastoral letter, Trust and Hope. This is the Archbishop’s major pastoral initiative and in this letter he offers his vision for the Archdiocese. As faithful Catholics, we should read and understand […]
The deadline for each bulletin column is usually Wednesday. That means that we submit the bulletin for the coming weekend (May 10-11) on Wednesday, May 7, the day of the opening of the Conclave to elect our new Pope. It […]
Pope Francis has designated 2025 as a jubilee year, a year of hope and forgiveness. I have spoken of the jubilee in this bulletin column and will say more of it later in the year. Archbishop Perez has issued an […]
If you have visited my office you have seen prominently displayed two photos of me with Pope Francis, one taken in 2018 and the other in August, 2024, just last year. Because I attended twice the Capuchin General Chapter, I […]
Earth Day, 2025 I was in high school when I first heard of Earth Day, an annual commemoration about caring for the environment, for the earth which is our common home. It is held each year on April 22. We […]
When I was a boy, our family went to church late on Easter Sunday morning. I think we went to the Easter Vigil once, found out how long it was and never went again, at least not until I was […]