While going through papers at my mother’s house I came across a small, worn down notebook.  I recognized it immediately. It was my second grade writing book from when I attended Markham College in Lima, Peru.  My second grade teacher was Mrs. Jean Samaniego, she was English, and at the end of second grade she moved to Mozambique due to her husband’s work. I read a few of the stories.  I share with you the very first story in the... Read more

La otra noche estaba leyendo un libro que elegí al azar a la entrada de una capilla del Santísimo Sacramento. Empecé a leerlo y después de sólo pasar unas pocas páginas encontré escondido entre las páginas una pequeña hojita blanca de papel con una oración. Había una frase escrita sobre la oración que proclamaba: “esta novena nunca ha fallado”. Arrugué el papelito sin siquiera haber leído la oración.  Revisé todo el libro y encontré dos hojitas más con la misma... Read more

The other night I was reading a book I randomly chose from a bookcase at the entrance of an adoration chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.  I began reading it and after turning just a few pages I found tucked in between the pages a white, square sheet of paper with a prayer on it.  A phrase over the prayer read: “This novena has never failed.”  I crumpled it up without even reading the prayer.  I sifted through the book and... Read more

The opening lines of the Acts of the Apostles summarizes the last few weeks Jesus spent on Earth from the resurrection to his ascension into heaven.  The book narrates the exact moment Jesus had prepared his disciples for – the moment they would have to let go of him.  Sad and confused, they must have found hope in the words of the two men dressed in white, “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return... Read more

At least three times during my time in seminary, I received mail from you, seniors.  It’s common for seminarians to get mail from students in Catholic schools of the diocese.  We get pictures, letters, art projects, all kinds of things.  The teacher chooses a seminarian from the poster, gets his address, assigns a task to the students and mails it off. Your teachers for some reason liked choosing me.  Perhaps it’s the same reason I chose to celebrate this Mass... Read more

Una vez escuché la historia de una niña que recibió un hermoso collar de perlas como regalo de parte de su papá el día que cumplió doce años.  Las perlas no eran de verdad, pero de imitación.  A la niña le gustó tanto el regalo que se lo ponía cada noche para irse a dormir. Cuando su padre llegaba a decir buenas noches, siempre encontraba a una princesa. Esto continuó durante varios años. Cuando la joven cumplió quince años, su... Read more

I once heard the story of a twelve year old girl who received a beautiful pearl necklace as a birthday gift from her dad.  These pearls were not real ones though, they were imitation pearls.  The young girl loved the gift so much she would put on the necklace every single night before going to bed.  When her dad came to say goodnight she was always looking like a princess. This continued for several years.  When she turned fifteen, her... Read more

There has been an uproar over the last few days about a student group hosting a “reenactment” of a Black Mass at Harvard University.  Though the group sponsoring it may not identify itself as satanist but more as atheist, the happening of a Black Mass at Harvard, with or without a consecrated host, is very troubling. Harvard president Drew Faust issued a statement today.  She finds the happening of the Black Mass on campus “abhorrent” and states she will attend... Read more

Today I visited the Thomson, Georgia house of Tom Watson, an influential Georgia statesman, journalist and politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  I remember studying the impact he had in Georgia politics while I was in college, but most notably I remember reading some of his venomous anti-Catholic writings. Watson was a member of the Georgia General Assembly, the US House of Representatives and for the last two years of his life a member of the US... Read more

Written for The Southern Cross Earlier this month a group of Catholic bishops led by Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston celebrated a Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona.  Mass attendees were at both sides of the border fence.  Pictures of the distribution of communion show hands in between steel bars stretched out to receive the Eucharist from a priest standing on the opposite side of the border. During his homily, Cardinal O’Malley stated he was inspired and emboldened... Read more