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Priest Blog

The Lord Guards Our Coming and Going

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There is a beautiful line in the psalter found in the breviary that we pray as clergy that states, “The Lord guards our coming and going” (Ps 121:8). Our priestly life and ministry are filled with many comings and goings. Some of these are mundane and rather routine. For example, every day we come to Read More
outdoor Mass

Facing the Challenge of a Power Outage

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When I arrived at my new parish in July of this year, we put a plan together for having Mass during the pandemic. While we have been able to conduct holy Mass indoors during the week, we decided to have Mass outdoors on Sundays except for one virtual Mass. The rationale behind this decision was Read More

Ever Grateful for Home

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Every Advent season brings with it a special anticipation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. This anticipation always seems to engender all kinds of hopes, dreams and expectations. Many of those sentiments fill our greeting cards at this time. Among the many longings are things like peace, joy and love. No doubt, this year Read More
parish priest

Change by God’s Design

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In March of this year during the nascent stages of the pandemic, a conference call was convened by diocesan officials for the 16 of us pastors who were anticipating our respective grouping of parishes being merged on July 1, 2020. The purpose of the call was to solicit our feedback as to whether we should Read More

Take a Moment to Consider What Has Been Passed on to You

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“Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as … as … a fiddler on the roof!” — Tevye, “Fiddler on the Roof” Where would we be in life without our traditions? These symbolic rituals, passed on throughout time, give meaning and order to our lives. The holy season of Advent is marked with Read More
empty manger

Anticipate the future, but live in the present

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It happens. Yes, there are times in parish life when we receive phone calls to arrange a baptism. The only problem is that the baby is not yet born. The same thing happens with funerals. Families on occasion, without any malice, have called to arrange a funeral liturgy even though their loved one is still Read More

A Time of Humility and Grace

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When the pandemic unleashed itself on our nation back in March of this year, my superior at Our Sunday Visitor, Gretchen Crowe, encouraged me to write an occasional blog to speak about what was happening from the perspective of a parish priest. There is much that I have shared in this venue that I hope Read More

Slow Down, Stay Awake and Be Ready

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Many years ago, there used to be a highway in the Greater Pittsburgh area that was unfinished. About 15 miles outside of the city, there were signs posted informing drivers to slow down because the highway would end. Every year at this time, I think of that highway because the liturgical year is nearing an Read More