Community
Called to Community
Father Vincent G. Chirichella Comments Off on Called to Community
Each human person was made to be in relationship with other people. From infancy we need others just to survive. But meaningful relationships are not only necessary for survival, they are necessary for human beings to flourish — and that includes priests, of course. Happy people have happy relationships. When these interpersonal commitments are missing Read More
Tending the Shepherd
Deacon Steven DeMartino Comments Off on Tending the Shepherd
“Are you exercising the care of souls? Do not thereby neglect yourself. Do not give yourself to others to such an extent that nothing is left of yourself for yourself. You should certainly keep in mind the souls whose pastor you are, but without forgetting yourself.” — St. Charles Borromeo, Acta Ecclesiae Mediolanensis, 1599 We Read More
Welcoming Missionaries
Father Julian Peters Comments Off on Welcoming Missionaries
When I was growing up in the 1960s, a missionary was someone who went off to a distant, primitive, disadvantaged place to teach about Jesus. We parochial school children heard about brave priests and sisters who needed our help and support with fervent prayers and the sales of Holy Childhood Christmas seals. But in my Read More
Gathering in Community
Bishop David J. Bonnar Comments Off on Gathering in Community
In “The Joy of the Gospel” Pope Francis speaks about what he calls “the informal preaching which takes place in the middle of a conversation, something along the lines of what a missionary does when visiting a home” (No. 127). Inside every conversation, there is the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel and to teach as Read More
Cardinal Newman’s Pursuit of the Truth
Father J. Patrick Manning Comments Off on Cardinal Newman’s Pursuit of the Truth
One of the great truths of Catholicism is that we are a “both-and” community, as opposed to “either-or.” This inclusivity is a hallmark of the Roman Tradition: we are saved, yet we are sinners; the Kingdom is here and is yet to come; Jesus is human and divine; we worship in word and in sacrament; Read More
Forming Intentional Communities
Father Nicholas S. Vaskov Comments Off on Forming Intentional Communities
“How good and how pleasant it is, / when brothers dwell together as one!” (Ps 133:1). While the psalmist was likely describing how good it was for the people of Israel to come together in unity, this verse can be used as a source of encouragement in any number of instances. Recently, I have chosen Read More
From two communities, one
Father Maciej Mankowski Comments Off on From two communities, one
It has been well over a decade since an official merger had taken place between two ethnic parishes somewhere in the Midwest of our beautiful country. I was a newly appointed pastor, and the expectation was to accomplish a merger that had been talked about for over 30 years and had never been finalized. However, Read More
Building and Nourishing Community
Bishop David J. Bonnar Comments Off on Building and Nourishing Community
A few months ago, I was speaking to someone affiliated with a school. They were rejoicing in the good news of their annual auction. Because of COVID-19, this one-day event was transformed into a four-day online auction. The financial outcome was so profitable that the school official suggested that the online auction become the norm. Read More