Uncategorized
Knowing there are a number of new people reading my blog in the last couple of months I just want to take a moment to let people know that if you post a comment, it is important that you make…
Read MoreI am not one to like change but I also believe change is a necessary part of life. There can be no growth without change. Change has been a regular part of my life since I left my job with…
Read MoreI attended a presentation presented by our diocesan tribunal entitled “Where Do Laws Come From?” by Emmett G. Wells, Lay Director of the Tribunal. As the title indicates, the presentation examined the origin of “law” in general. Today, many might…
Read MoreI present my homily for today (May 20, 2012 – 7th Sunday in Easter, Year B) here because, building from the first reading, I talk about how we select leaders in the church and government. If you have never heard…
Read MoreHere is the article I wrote for the cover of today’s (Mother’s Day) bulletin. In the Church today we celebrate the Sixth Sunday of Easter but we also recognize today as Mother’s Day. We take time each year on the…
Read MoreI put the title of this article in quotations because it is not actually my title. It is the title of a talk I heard today by John L. Allen, Jr. and it is also the title of his book…
Read MoreIn this Sunday’s (May 6, 2012) Gospel, Jesus proclaims “I am the vine, you are the branches” and He calls us to “remain in him.” What do we do to remain in Jesus? It begins with coming to Mass but…
Read MoreYesterday I spent time both at Immaculate Conception Church and Our Lady of the Lakes at St. Januarius’ Church. I went to Immaculate Conception where I will become the pastor on June 26th to met with the current pastor and…
Read MoreWell, it has been almost a month now since I received the phone call from Bishop Clark appointing me as the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Ithaca on June 26th. The response expressed from my current assignment at Our…
Read MoreThe news has been covering the continuing controversy over the issue of religious liberty as it pertains to the new rules issued by the Federal Department of Health & Human Services requiring insurance to cover contraceptives. Our bishops have been…
Read MoreWell, if you have been reading my blog for a while, you may know that I was ordained a priest in June 2007. My first assignment was St. Mary’s on the south side of Elmira. I served there for three…
Read MoreOne of the common devotions of the Catholic Church, especially in Lent, is the Stations of the Cross. In praying the Stations of the Cross, we remember what Jesus went through during his final hours for us. Some of the…
Read MoreThere seems to be an attitude today among some people that the government should fix all the problems. Does the government serve a key role in solutions to many problems? Yes, but that doesn’t mean it is the government’s job…
Read MoreJust finished a long but a good weekend. It was a long weekend because in addition to the regular Sunday Masses, I had three other events going on. It was a good weekend because all three events went well and…
Read MoreWe began our yearly celebration of the season of Lent this week on February 22nd. During Lent, we abstain from meat on Fridays and Ash Wednesday. We give up something for Lent. We fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. …
Read MoreOn February 22nd, we will begin our season of Lent for 2012. Lent is a time of preparation to help us prepare for the celebration of the Easter Triduum. Lent has origins in a retreat period for the catechumens in the…
Read MoreIf you follow the Catholic News in America, then by now you have probably heard about the new federal mandate to require all health insurance plans to cover sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients as preventative health care. Here in the Diocese…
Read MoreHere is my homily for today (Sunday, January 22, 2012) 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (Click here to see the readings) Jonah 3:1-5, 10 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20 January 22, 2012 We see a pretty lofty example…
Read MoreThe message that we are called to give is clear. It is the message of Jesus Christ that we are given in the Bible. It is not just a message that we should receive and keep to ourselves. The message…
Read MoreToday is a national holiday here in the United States. Today we celebrate Thanksgiving. It is a holiday celebrated by many people, religious and atheist alike. We have much to give thanks for. While Thanksgiving is considered a secular holiday,…
Read MoreI titled this article “What Does It Mean to Trust in God?” but the thought behind it really is ‘why doesn’t God answer my prayers?’ In my own life, I very much strive to trust in God, knowing that he…
Read MoreToday (November 2nd) is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. That’s its official title.  It is more commonly called All Souls’ Day. Yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints honoring all those who are now saints dwelling in…
Read MoreFor some faith seems to part of their lives just for an hour on Sunday. The rest of the week they seem to forget about how our faith calls us to live. God is present among us at all times…
Read MoreOne of the few things that is certain in life is that everyone will die at some point. Recently, we had a funeral for a 96-year-old woman who had been very active in the church. Her death had been coming for a…
Read MoreDid you see the story about the teacher who disciplined his students for saying “God Bless You”? I read the story on MSNBC at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44722587/ns/us_news-weird_news/. The teacher said he believed the students were being disruptive to the class by saying…
Read More