Today at noon time in Rome, the Holy Father named Father Jacques Fabre, CS the 14th Bishop of Charleston. The Diocese was established by Pope Pius VII on July 11, 1820, and it covered 142,000 square miles across the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Today, that same territory is comprised of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Dioceses of Savannah, Raleigh and Charlotte. Bishop-elect Fabre was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In the early 1990s, he was a chaplain... Read more
Whenever we give a gift, deep down, we always expect something in return, don’t we? It is difficult to be a completely detached giver. Perhaps we don’t expect a gift in return or some kind of favor, but at least a thank you note, or a verbal thank you, or at least some acknowledgement that the gift was received. In everyday experience, the person who receives a gift is automatically beholden to the person who gives a gift. Something is... Read more
Over the past twelve years, I have witnessed many couples exchange wedding vows in front of me and their loved ones. Some are visibly nervous, others speak with great conviction, while a few can hardly pronounce the words due to tears of joy. It is impossible to remain indifferent while in attendance at a wedding: some miss their spouse who has died, others renew their personal commitment to each other, others still wonder when his or her true love will... Read more
I recall that in 1993, my dad bought over 100 pecan trees from a farm in Monticello, Florida, and we planted them in our farm outside Washington, Georgia. The trees, still very young, looked great along the road that ran along the side of our property, which by the way, is the same road where I learned how to drive. Unfortunately, the summer of ‘93 brought a tremendous drought to Georgia. One hundred fifty-six counties were declared disaster areas by... Read more
Durante los últimos doce años he sido testigo de muchas parejas que intercambian votos matrimoniales ante mí y sus seres queridos. Algunos están visiblemente nerviosos, otros se expresan con gran convicción, mientras que unos pocos apenas pueden pronunciar las palabras debido a sus lágrimas de emoción. Es imposible permanecer indiferente cuando se asiste a una boda: algunos extrañan a su cónyuge fallecido, otros renuevan su compromiso matrimonial, otros se preguntan cuándo llegará su verdadero amor, y para otros lamentablemente es... Read more
One of my seminary professors who is now Bishop of Geneva, Switzerland, started class one day saying, “I hope that one day, all of you will lose your faith. And your hope.” He had his familiar grin on his face, so we knew he was up to something, but we didn’t know how to take the statement. He continued in his French accent, “that is the best thing I can wish you, no faith and no hope. You see, when... Read more
Hace algún tiempo visité la ciudad de Greccio en las Colinas de Sabina al norte de Roma, Italia, cerca de donde se ensambló el primer Pesebre tal como lo conocemos en nuestras iglesias y hogares. Un santuario cuesta arriba desde la hermosa ciudad enclaustra la cueva donde San Francisco de Asís recreó la escena familiar de Belén con un buey, un burro y un pesebre para la Noche Buena de 1224. Los habitantes de Greccio se reunieron fuera de la... Read more
Many years ago, I met an elderly priest in North Augusta, South Carolina, who dedicated years of his Priesthood working with Irish Travelers. If you have never heard of Irish Travelers, they are a nomadic group of people from Ireland, and many of them immigrated to the US during the Potato Famine in the 1850s. They remained nomadic in the US until the 1950 when Father Murphy, the Pastor of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in North Augusta, SC,... Read more
Some time ago, I visited the town of Greccio on the Sabine Hills north of Rome, Italy, close to where the very first Nativity Scene as we have come to know it, was assembled. A sanctuary uphill from the beautiful town encases the cave where Saint Francis of Assisi recreated the familiar scene of Bethlehem with an ox, a donkey and a manger on Christmas Eve of 1224. Villagers from town gathered outside the cave to admire it. A few... Read more
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War in Ukraine, Pope Francis Prays for Peace
It appears that war is inevitable in Ukraine. When I spent time in that beautiful country, I quickly learned that Ukrainians overwhelmingly wished to affiliate with Western Europe rather than with Russia, but that this desire was not unanimous. I spent time in Western Ukraine which suffered greatly during Soviet times, is predominantly Catholic, and where there is a great desire to renew Ukrainian culture. Eastern Ukraine, closer to Russia, benefited greatly from industrialization during Soviet times (that is where... Read more