Articles
Agents of Hope
Gigi Duncan Comments Off on Agents of Hope
The Jubilee Year continues to unfold. During this grace-filled time, Pope Francis invited us to be “pilgrims of hope.” Hopefully, excuse the pun, we are aspiring every day to exude a hope that does not disappoint. For us priests, it is not just a matter of being “pilgrims” in this movement of hope, but also Read More
Preacher of Joy
Gigi Duncan Comments Off on Preacher of Joy
In this Octave of Easter, we hear the stories of those first encounters with the Risen Lord. One of my favorites is the famous Road to Emmaus story, in which the two weary and grief-stricken disciples encounter a stranger along the way who listens to their concerns and breaks open the Scriptures to them. These Read More
Sowing Faith
Gigi Duncan Comments Off on Sowing Faith
The needs in rural America are significant and run through the human heart. The landscape has changed dramatically over the past 40 years for the Catholic Church, as well as for other Christian faith denominations. What once was considered a rich soil for vocations to the Catholic priesthood and thriving Catholic congregations has now become Read More
Mothers Most Admirable
Gigi Duncan Comments Off on Mothers Most Admirable
The month of May typically engenders thoughts of motherhood, no doubt because it is our custom to celebrate mothers, living and deceased, on the second Sunday of the month. Bringing this secular observance into the context of the holy Mass demands some savvy so as not to diminish or dismiss the liturgical celebration of that Read More
‘Behold, Your Mother’
Gigi Duncan Comments Off on ‘Behold, Your Mother’
The ordination rite does not specifically address the Blessed Virgin Mary nor her role in the life and ministry of the priest. During the Litany of Saints, she is invoked, and as the mother of believers she prays for her priest son(s) ordained to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Because the priest participates in the Read More
Hard Questions
Gigi Duncan Comments Off on Hard Questions
Thirty years ago, on the solemnity of the Ascension in 1995, Pope St. John Paul II issued Ut Unum Sint (“That They May Be One”), his 12th encyclical. In it he confirmed that the commitment made by the Catholic Church at the Second Vatican Council “to following the path of the ecumenical venture” is irrevocable Read More
The Audacity of Holiness
Gigi Duncan Comments Off on The Audacity of Holiness
In the Easter season, we celebrate our faith lives in many ways. Our children are drawn to the altar for first Communion after months of preparation. Many adults, born again in baptism, unfold the beauty of their commitment in the weeks of Easter. We entrust our parishes, our people and our future to the Holy Read More
The Pursuit of Beauty
Gigi Duncan Comments Off on The Pursuit of Beauty
“How lovely your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord” (Ps 84:1-2). There are many things an architect must do to have a successful building, including keeping out the elements, meeting the budget and serving the client’s needs. But if the architect Read More