From April to August 2022, the relics of Saint Bernadette will tour the United States for the first time, bringing the grace of Lourdes to parishes across the country. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is organizing the pilgrimage of the relics in partnership with the Conference of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, North American Volunteers, Hospitalité of Miami and the Order of Malta. Last week, the Relics arrived to my Parish in Port Wentworth, Georgia. The... Read more
El 27 de marzo de 2020, el Papa Francisco ascendió lentamente y solitario la larga rampa de piedra que comunica la Plaza San Pedro con las majestuosas puertas de entrada a la Basílica Vaticana. Usualmente llena de miles de peregrinos cuando el Santo Padre está presente, esta noche atípica encontró a la Plaza San Pedro con solo un puñado de curiosos bajo paraguas mientras lluvia caía y empapaba no solo al Papa, sino también al histórico crucifijo de la Iglesia... Read more
On March 27th, 2020, Pope Francis ascended slowly and alone the long stone ramp that leads from Saint Peter Square to the majestic front doors of the Vatican Basilica. Usually filled with thousands of pilgrims whenever the Pope is present, this atypical night found Saint Peter Square with only a handful of curious bystanders under umbrellas as rain fell and soaked not only the Holy Father, but also the historic crucifix from the Church of Saint Marcellus which was carried... Read more
Father Tom Powers worked in Rome at one of the Congregations while I attended the Pontifical North American College in the 2010s. Today, he was named the 24th rector of my Alma Mater. Rome initially did not select one of the candidates presented by the Board of Governors of the College, and asked for the opinion of Cardinals and Archbishops of the United States. The process has now concluded with the selection of Monsignor Thomas Powers. The Seminary issued the... Read more
Cuando era niño, recuerdo preguntarle a mi mamá durante la Misa justo antes de la comunión, ¿“se le acaban las hostias al Padre?” Me respondió de manera rápida y bastante callada, “no, nunca se le acaban.” Mi mente de niño escuchó estas palabras con gran incredulidad y admiración. ¡Al sacerdote nunca se le acaban las hostias! ¡Dios debe colocarlas milagrosamente! En mi pensar, me imaginaba a ángeles depositando más hostias en el ciborio asegurándose de que haya siempre suficientes. Aunque... Read more
We are all familiar with the Parable of the Prodigal Son. There is a risk whenever we hear this Parable proclaimed, or any other well-known Parable, that we stop listening closely as soon as we recognize the passage. So I have a test question: At what moment was the younger son forgiven by the Father? Was it when he made the decision to return to his father’s house? Or was it when the Father embraced the son and kissed him? ... Read more
The Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, recently addressed the families of those killed in these past few weeks of war. The Ukrainian government last estimated that 1,300 soldiers have died along with 3,360 civilians – the actual numbers are significantly higher. “We want to be close to our suffering and hurting people. This is one of the ministries that the Church wants to give to her people today, assuring that we have been,... Read more
Pope Francis has formally invited every Bishop in the world to join him in an Act of Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary this upcoming March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation. This is a cry to heaven for peace in the world, in particular between these two countries. I understand some have criticized Pope Francis for various reasons, yet I firmly believe this is a beautiful and concrete act by the Church for the... Read more
On Thursday, March 17th, a statue of Our Lady of Fatima arrived from Portugal to the city of Lviv in Western Ukraine. It will remain there until April 15th. The official page of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church reported that the Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv, His Excellency Ihor Voznyak, C.SS.R., welcomed the statue along with many faithful and clergy at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “This is a big event for our city. We... Read more
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Pope Francis to travel to Ukraine?
Pope Francis has been invited to visit the nation of Ukraine by President Volodymyr Zelensky, the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, the Major Archbishop of the Greek Catholic Church, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, and Ukraine’s Ambassador to the Holy See, Andriy Yurash. While flying to Rome after his Apostolic Visit to the island nation of Malta recently, the Pope was asked by a reporter if he is considering these invitations. He replied, “Yes, it is on the table,” without providing any... Read more