Father James Altman of the Diocese of La Crosse, who was raised to the national spotlight last year for releasing a video titled “You cannot be a Catholic and a Democrat”, has been asked by his Bishop to resign as Pastor of Saint James the Less Catholic Church in La Crosse. He announced this during his Sunday homily on May 23, 2021. His Pentecost homily includes a blasting of bishops for having denied the sacraments during the past 15 months.... Read more
The Irwin County ICE Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia will close. This is a privately run Immigration Detention Center in South Georgia operated by LaSalle Corrections. Last year, horrifying reports of the involuntary sterilization of female inmates hit the news. A nurse who worked at the facility was the whistleblower. Before last year’s incident, the facility in Ocilla already had a bad reputation in the treatment of inmates. A priest of my Diocese used to be a chaplain there and... Read more
I recently read an article stating that the Diocese of Burlington in Vermont will soon lose four priests due to delays in the immigration system. The renewal process for the Religious Worker Visa for these priests has taken so long, that they will soon lose their authorization to work in the United States. The paperwork was filed on time, but between COVID closures and an overburdened (and inefficient) system, time has run out for the priests. Three are Filipino and... Read more
On a day like today, thirty years ago, my family boarded an American Airlines flight bound for Miami. As a nine-year-old boy, I could not grasp how significantly my life was irreversibly changing by the second as the plane flew farther away from Peru and closer to the United States. On April 20, 1991, I made my First Communion with my classmates. We had a beautiful family gathering at our house that afternoon. I recall attending Mass the next morning... Read more
U.S. Catholic circles have been speaking and writing recently about the Franciscan University friar David Morrier. Yesterday evening I watched him enter a courtroom in Steubenville, Ohio dressed in a shirt and tie, quite different from when I would see him enter Christ the King Chapel at Franciscan University in his black Franciscan habit. Morrier has been accused of raping a student in the past and was arraigned yesterday morning. He entered a not guilty plea to rape and sexual... Read more
Recuerdo bien una mañana de Pascua temprano mientras estaba en el seminario montar mi bicicleta con un grupo de amigos hacia la hermosa iglesia que se encuentra en lo alto de la famosa Plaza de España de Roma. Los religiosos y religiosas asignados a Trinità dei Monti entonaron una alegre melodía en francés varias veces a lo largo de la liturgia pascual: Il est vraiment ressuscité: Pourquoi chercher parmi les morts? Il est vivant comme il l’a promis, ¡Aleluya! Traducido al... Read more
I follow several Catholic organizations on social media. Many times I have come very close to unfollow all of them (and have already unfollowed several) – why? Because I get sickened by the comments people write on the posted articles. An example is the Facebook page of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB). The comment section usually descends into an embarrassing darkness that any secular person would be justified to question everything we profess to believe. No matter... Read more
Father Sergio Muñoz Fita, a priest currently serving at Saint Anne Parish in Gilbert, Arizona has issued a public apology in his name and in the name of the Church for having denied the Eucharist to God’s people last year during the peak of the pandemic. His words began with great sincerity, recognizing that when people see him, he represents the Church. His two minute address however takes a turn that I find difficult to understand based on my own... Read more
I recall an early Easter morning while I was in the seminary riding my bicycle with a group of friends to the beautiful church that sits atop the famous Spanish Steps of Rome. The women and men religious assigned to Trinità dei Monti chanted a joyful tune in French several times throughout the Easter liturgy: Il est vraiment ressuscité: Pourquoi chercher parmi les morts? Il est vivant comme il l’a promis, Alleluia! Translated into English: He is truly risen, why do you search among the dead? He... Read more
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Diocese of La Crosse Statement on Father James Altman
Yesterday, the Diocese of La Crosse, led by Bishop William Callahan, released a statement on the recent request made by the Bishop to Father James Altman to resign as Pastor of Saint James the Less Parish. In my previous post, I mistakenly stated that Father Altman had already resigned. I listened to the whole homily, and wrongly concluded he had resigned in response to the request. It has now become abundantly clear that he has not resigned and will fight... Read more