The Leadership Void; we need St. Benedict – UPDATED

Deacon Greg sent this my way, noting, “this is extraordinary, and the piece mentions you, too!” Such a star, I am! What is “extraordinary” is the lengthy post Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley put up in his blog, addressing the criticism he has received for presiding (in a very minimalist way, it must be said) at [...]

"The stuff priests are made of…" UPDATED

Wow, a great photo via the Crescat, who recounts the story she found here and marvels at “the stuff priests are made of”: 4 June 1962. Navy chaplain Luis Padillo was giving last rites to dying soldiers as sniper fire surrounded him. A wounded soldier pulled himself up by clinging to the priest’s cassock, as [...]

"A pure gift…not a trophy."

A truly terrific video I especially love the words of Archbishop Timothy Dolan, “This is a pure gift from God, and not an earned trophy. . .His grace lifts up our nature.” A simple-sounding yet profound mystery. And what he says about the priestly vocation is true for all of our vocations, including the vocation [...]

St. Catherine’s Sons and Daughters

“If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire” – St. Catherine of Siena St. Catherine of Siena – one of my all-time favorite saints. She was not -as many believe- a professed nun of the Order of St. Dominic (Order of Preachers) but rather what we would today call [...]

Technical Difficulties…The Rosary Podcasts

I am getting the oddest variety of emails. Many, many good wishes from people who appreciate First Things and agree with me that I’m privileged to be part of it; a few people who liked me better as a lone wolf and don’t know if they’ll come around too often, and a lot of really [...]

New York; We have a Pastor in Tim Dolan!

Yes, he is larger-than-life; gregarious, accessible, open, friendly, warm, charming, engaging…Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan is all those things. Dolan kisses his crosier, signaling his acceptance of the Shepherd’s burden But as he showed us in his barnburner of a homily just now, Dolan is afire with the love of Christ. When the time for jokes [...]

Archbishop Dolan talks to the NY Press

Video here First question from the press – predictably – “are you going to be an agent of “change” for the people of New York?” Sheesh. They really don’t get it. The video is well-worth watching. Take your measure of the man who will be the Bishop of “the capital of the world.” He dares [...]