Because God is not ordinarily visible to our senses, there is always a danger in thinking that He is a mere abstraction and really doesn’t have much to do with our daily lives. So as we celebrate this Pentecost Sunday, celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostles and […]
How the Holy Spirit Works in Our Lives Read More »
Yesterday (May 15th) Archbishop Schnurr ordained seven men to the holy priesthood for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. That is a sign of great hope, as the twin gifts and mysteries of the priesthood and the Holy Eucharist are at the heart of our Christian faith. Please pray for them by name: Fathers Michael Kapolka, Aaron
Our New Priests and Gratitude Read More »
The Church is all about motherhood in many different senses of that term. We call her “Holy Mother Church” because in a real, even if spiritual sense she is our mother. That is, she gives us life at the baptismal font (in a way parallel to the way a biological mother gives birth); she feeds
The Blessed Virgin Mary, Motherhood, and Mothers’ Day Read More »
Over the last 40 to 50 years, we have seen a lot of changes in the Church as the world has changed so much, especially regarding our faith. Eventually, these changes impact our daily lives, where we live and where we worship. One of the statistics about how things have changed is startling: the percent
What to Expect with the Archdiocese’s Regional Planning Process Read More »
Terrifying visions of hell Gnawing worms, unquenchable fire, utter darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth. With these fearful words, Jesus warned that hell is real … and that we could end up there. Since the Early Church, Catholic saints and other visionaries have reported horrific scenes of eternal punishment. Dozens of saints throughout history have
Over a year into the Covid epidemic, it seems that it is still consuming much of the energy and attention of our nation. The latest is that it seems that you can’t go anywhere without people discussing their vaccinations. The media have pivoted (a little) from trumpeting fear and bombarding us non-stop with grim stories
Christian Perspectives on Covid and Vaccinations (Part I) Read More »
Back when I was young enough to ride roller coasters at amusement parks, I remember the thrill of that coaster car ratcheting up to the top of a long hill (click-click-click-click….click…. click) and the minute it crested over the top of the hill starting to fly down the hill, faster and faster until it seemed
The “Roller Coaster Ride” of Spring Read More »
The great mystery of Easter — the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus from the dead — is celebrated for eight days continuously in the Church, including today, the Second Sunday of Easter. About 20 years ago, Pope St, John Paul II renamed this capstone of the Easter Octave “Divine Mercy Sunday.” He was heavily influenced
What is Divine Mercy? Read More »
On this Easter Sunday, we reflect on the central mystery of our faith: the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead. This could not be more important. As St. Paul bluntly puts it, “If Christ be not risen, our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain … and
He has risen as He promised! Read More »
God has chosen for us an example of fatherhood and what it means to be a man, and that example is a man named Joseph. There is no better time than now to consecrate ourselves to him, inspiring the world with the example he set. Starting February 15, 2021, men of St. Mary and St.