Ever since I arrived to Warner Robins (two years ago this upcoming Friday), a Mexican gentleman has coordinated home visits of parishioners for me. About once every two months (sometimes more often) we visit six to eight homes on a Monday evening blessing the homes and allowing for some personal contact with the families. This gentleman recently moved to Macon and this last Monday, after I picked him up from his house, he asked me if it was OK to... Read more

[from my parish bulletin] On the First Sunday of Advent of 2011, the Catholic Church in the United States will take a step towards praying in unison with the whole English-speaking Catholic world. A new worldwide English translation of the texts of the Mass has been approved by Rome and will be implemented this upcoming Advent in the United States. This will not entail radical changes in the structure and flow of the Mass. It is a new English translation... Read more

A press conference was held this morning at Lafayette Square outside the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist where Bishop-elect Hartmayer of Savannah was officially introduced. Below is a link to one of Savannah’s local TV stations with a report. Bishop-elect Hartmayer states during the report, “[I will] spend some time traveling throughout the 90 counties of Georgia in South Georgia and get to know the priests of the diocese; get to know how I can serve them and be... Read more

This morning I was awakened at 7am with the news that the new bishop had been announced. He is Bishop-elect Gregory J. Hartmayer, a Franciscan Conventual previously the pastor of Saint John Vianney Parish in Lithia Springs, Douglas County, Georgia. Originally from Buffalo, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1979. He spent the first 16 years of his priesthood in Catholic high school education and the past 16 in parish ministry. Bishop Boland will remain as Apostolic Administrator until... Read more

[Homily for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, year A] “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the... Read more

One of the most sacred duties of a priest is to keep the seal of confession. The seal obliges a priest to keep complete silence about all things confessed and discussed during the sacrament of confession. Under no circumstances can a priest speak up, even if it’s to defend himself or to prevent a crime or catastrophe. The seal also forbids the priest from changing behaviors due to what he learns in the confessional. A classic example: A kid confesses... Read more

I came across this rendition of Humpty Dumpty written in King James English and found it funny. I hope you enjoy it too. [An excerpt from “Mother Goose:The King James Version”, a work in progress by Meryl Arbing & Lorne Brown ([email protected]) sponsored by The Storytellers School of Toronto. Feel free to distribute it as long as you let people know where it came from.] 1. And lo, There was in the same country a wall both great and strong.... Read more

Today’s Macon Telegraph ran a story on immigration on the front page with this picture of my back side as I prayed before my parishioners went to Atlanta to an immigration reform rally. The article is very well written. Read the comments at your own risk. At the time I read them, there were only two that directly spoke poorly of the Church. One of them alludes that I am a left-wing, post-Vatican II liberation theology priest. I just love... Read more

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Benedict, one of the great saints of Western Christianity. Born in the late 400s, Benedict is most remembered for writing the first monastic rule of life for the Church of Western Europe. Benedict renounced his noble background and chose to live in a cave as a hermit near the Italian town of Subiaco. After spending three years in the cave with very little human contact, he was asked to lead a group of... Read more

Growing up in Augusta, Georgia all I knew of the city of Madison was that it was about the half-way point to Atlanta. Today I exited the highway at exit 114 and drove a few miles north into downtown Madison, a city founded in 1809 that today proudly showcases over 100 antebellum homes. It is said Sherman did not burn Madison during his march to the sea after capturing Atlanta because Madison was too beautiful to burn. The truth is... Read more