La semana pasada asistí a una conferencia sobre la predicación y la lección mas importante que recibí es la necesidad del silencio.  Parece contradictorio, asistir a una conferencia de predicación y que varios conferencistas hablen sobre la necesidad del silencio.  ¿Cómo puede ser esto? Las primeras palabras del primer conferencista, el Arzobispo mexicano de San Antonio, fueron prestadas de San Juan de la Cruz: “Una palabra, habló el Padre y fue su Hijo, y esta Palabra habla siempre en el... Read more

[written for The Southern Cross, newspaper of the Diocese of Savannah] The parish of our magnificent Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Savannah has been under the patronage of this great saint since the late 18th century.  When the Baptist roamed Judea he wore clothes made of camel’s hair with a leather belt, ate locusts and wild honey while spending his time by the river preaching repentance and baptizing those willing.  His description does not sound very appealing, yet Jesus... Read more

La parroquia de nuestra magnifica Catedral de San Juan Bautista en Savannah ha estado bajo el patronato de este gran santo desde fines del siglo XVIII.  Cuando San Juan caminó en región de Judea, vestía pelo de camello con un cinturón de cuero y comía insectos y miel silvestre.  Predicaba en el desierto bautizando en el rio Jordán a quienes lo deseaban.  Su descripción no suena muy atractiva, sin embargo, Jesús dijo de él, “entre los hijos de mujer no... Read more

I recently came across the conversion of a young man from a Southern Baptist seminarian to a Catholic.  His story is well worth giving a few minutes to read. His story reminded me of Cardinal Newman’s quote, “To be deep in history, is to cease to be Protestant.” Below is an excerpt to wet your appetite, but click on the link below to read the whole story. “At some point during my employment I had stumbled onto a Christianity Today... Read more

My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Earlier this year, I wrote you to express my deep concerns about a grave moral matter – one that I perceive to be a direct threat to our constitutional freedom to exercise our religion and religious conscience without governmental interference. On February 15, 2012, the United States government enacted a Federal Mandate requiring Catholic organizations to provide access to abortion inducing drugs, sterilization services and contraceptives for all employees, in direct contravention of... Read more

Finally some good news for the Catholic Church in the USA, especially after months of things heating up in regards to religious freedom.  I know too many people personally, many fellow young faithful Catholics, who will sleep much better tonight after this change of policy.  Below is a news release from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. WASHINGTON—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops welcomed the action of President Barack Obama today to defer action to all young people eligible... Read more

Saint Anthony of Padua, or as the Portuguese accurately call him, Saint Anthony of Lisbon, was born in Lisbon Portugal in 1195 and died on June 13th, 1231 in Padova (Padua), Italy. He is well known today as the patron of lost things, thousands invoking his prayers and assistance when something goes missing, yet for his contemporaries, he was known for his greatly gifted preaching. Soon after his death the small chapel of Santa Maria Mater Domini in Padua where he... Read more

A mediados del siglo XIII, un sacerdote llamado Pedro de Praga tenía muchas dudas sobre su fe, en particular sobre la presencia real de Cristo en la Eucaristía. Pedro hizo una peregrinación a Roma en el año 1263 para rezar ante la tumba de San Pedro pidiendo que su fe se fortalezca. Después de su estancia en Roma se sintió fortalecido en su vocación como sacerdote, e inició su viaje de regreso a Praga. En el camino se detuvo en la localidad de Bolsena... Read more

In the mid 13th century, a priest in Prague named Peter was having serious doubts about his faith, in particular about the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  During the summer of 1263, Peter went on pilgrimage to Rome to pray at the tomb of Saint Peter asking for his faith to be strengthened. After his time in Rome and feeling strengthened in his vocation as a priest, he began his journey back to Prague.  On the way back,... Read more

La semana pasada hablé por teléfono con un amigo sacerdote quien también será transferido de parroquia por primera vez.  Después de compartir nuestro entusiasmo y nuestras angustias le dije en broma, “Supongo que vamos a aprender lo que es ser sacerdote en otro lugar por primera vez.” Al prepararme para partir de Sacred Heart en Warner Robins, he estado considerando todas mis experiencias como sacerdote recién ordenado al igual que las muchas lecciones aprendidas, en particular aquellas del sacerdocio.  Varias... Read more