Life in the middle of the Atlantic
Recently Denise and I were blessed to be able to take a trip to Bermuda for my 60th birthday. In nearly 40 years together, we have never had the opportunity to take such a trip, …
Weather or not?
Wednesday 21 September 2016 — Port-O-Call: Westport Harbor — Anniversary 1938 Hurricane
Once, while visiting Ireland, I asked an old farmer if he had heard the weather forecast. …
Saints of mercy
By far one of the most helpful resources for the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is a series of nine short books prepared by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization — …
Catechists
When the school year gets underway it is soon time to start up Religious Education programs throughout the diocese. By now most of the programs have their catechists in place, but …
Leaving our values at the door of the strip club
I was recently talking to a Massachusetts family with a 21-year-old son on the autism spectrum. Because of the Asperger syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder that have affected him since childhood, he is only about 13 or 14 in his understanding and behaviors. …
Reading the fine print: Some gifts are non-transferrable
One of the beautiful things about aging is the wealth of experiences that become available, as they accumulate over the years — beyond our control, and sometimes far beyond our wildest …
Relegating the first of our freedoms to the back of the bus
On September 7, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights issued a report on reconciling nondiscrimination principles with civil liberties. The summary stated, “Civil rights protections ensuring nondiscrimination are of preeminent importance in American jurisprudence. …
He’s my brother ...
Living in today’s world, we are so aware of our surroundings, what is happening in our neighborhoods, towns, states and countries; with the help of social media, we are kept in the know. …
Fanning the flames in Kalaupapa
I awoke to the jarring blare of the settlement alarm siren. I got out of bed saying to myself, “Oh no! Not a tsunami!” Then as I quickly got into some clothing and shoes, I thought, if this is not a…
Living out loud
Friends, happy September!
This is the first year in many that I’m not amongst the hordes of children and teens purchasing their new backpacks, pencil cases — yes, I used one in graduate school — or 17-cent notebooks.
…
We never know where or when
Where have you seen the Face of Christ? We are taught to look for God in everyone. The lowly and the mighty are each bestowed with a God given dignity that compels us to act with charity to all and mercy to those who suffer. …
All of God’s children
It was a glorious summer morning. I was enjoying watching the birds on my morning walk. I glanced over at a newspaper kiosk. There was a picture of a young boy on the front. Assuming …
Transitions — Developing a personal creed of faith
Several weeks ago, Diocesan Campus Ministry sponsored a retreat for those students heading off to college. The EMBARK Retreat is designed to help our young people navigate the transition …
Allowing our interior conversion to take place
In a couple of weeks, Pope Francis will celebrate a Mass that will include the canonization of seven new saints for the Church. One of them, José Sanchez del Rio, was martyred by the Mexican government for refusing to renounce his Catholic faith. …
Go for the gold
I do not know if anyone else has been addicted to the Olympics this year but I totally have been watching endlessly. As you know, I love sports so this is obviously something I would be drawn too. I cannot help but watch as records are broken. …
Potatoes, eggs and coffee beans
Be honest and ask yourself, “Do I complain or criticize more often than I praise or commend?” Sadly, more often than not, we tend to focus on the negative things in our lives that eventually lead us to feeling down and out and we just can’t seem to get ourselves out of that mindset. …
Environmental justice begins with each of us
One of Pope Francis’s recurring themes in his encyclical, Laudato Sí, is that the poor suffer the most as a result of environmental degradation. He points out that, “human beings, too, are creatures of the world, enjoying a right to life and happiness and endowed with a special dignity,” and “we cannot fail to consider the effects on people’s lives of environmental deterioration, current models of development and the throwaway culture.” …
The Culture of Life begins in our hearts and our hands
Each October we observe Respect Life Month in dioceses throughout the United States. Although ending abortion remains a priority of the utmost importance, threats to the disabled and those at the end of life deserve our attention as well. …
