An Imperative to Be Healers
Father Kenneth W. Schmidt Comments Off on An Imperative to Be Healers
Twenty years after the Catholic Church in the United States self-imploded due to a heightened and appalled awareness of the extent of child sexual abuse at the hands of clergy, we know more: • It’s not just a problem in the United States. • It’s not just children who have been harmed. Read More
Allowing Christ to Heal Us from Worry
James Keating Comments Off on Allowing Christ to Heal Us from Worry
It is common to let the demands of ministry and personal life take a toll on our interior peace. Many clergy are surprised to admit that much of the “noise” in their heads is content and a volume of their own making. We forget that we are in control of what we think about. Not Read More
The Eucharist in the Life of the Priest
Father Royce Gregerson Comments Off on The Eucharist in the Life of the Priest
At the very heart of the life of every priest is the celebration of the Eucharist. There is nothing more essential to our identity as Christ’s priests than the celebration of the mystery of his body and blood. It is in the context — the celebration of the Eucharist — that we received the Sacrament Read More
An Oxymoronic Church?
Father Patrick Manning Comments Off on An Oxymoronic Church?
St. John Henry Newman is often attributed to the quote, “To live is to change, and to live well is to have changed often.” Despite our almost innate resistance to change (which we often experience as disruptive, at best), change is the only constant and trustworthy sign of life. Every living organism testifies to change Read More
Combating Burnout and Compassion Fatigue
Dr. Gregory Popcak Comments Off on Combating Burnout and Compassion Fatigue
The summer months can present an important opportunity for pastors to rediscover their passion for ministry. Burnout and compassion fatigue are constant threats to people in any helping profession, especially pastors, who regularly express frustration caused by the need to be available 24/7, the difficulty making and sustaining appropriate supportive relationships, and, most recently, the Read More
Responding to Current Events at Church
Father Michael White Comments Off on Responding to Current Events at Church
More than ever before, we experience major world events collectively. Raw footage and intensely personal stories of victims are immediately available to us through the news media. Local events and tragedies take on increased significance, too, in local communities where more and more is communicated over widely distributed social networks. These major events are defined Read More
‘Read the Experiences of Life’
Bishop David J. Bonnar Comments Off on ‘Read the Experiences of Life’
When I was a Catholic high school student, I vividly remember our morality teacher saying, almost like a daily mantra, “Read the experiences of life.” What he was telling us students was to prayerfully take time and consider how God was speaking to us in our everyday lives. The point was that God is always Read More