I 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 about how pastors or bishops are selected you might enjoy reading this. If you are …
Here 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 second Sunday in May to honor our mothers. On the third Sunday in June we …
I 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 on the same subject. The talk was given at our annual diocesan Ministerium and was a …
In 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 it does not end there. To ‘remain in Jesus’ requires more than an hour a …
Yesterday 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 take a tour of the facilities. It began with lunch with Fr. Leo and Sr. …
Well, 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 Lady of the Lakes has been offering congratulations to me but sadness that I am …
The 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 attempting to dialogue with our government on this issue. It should be made clear that …
Well, 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 years but after two years the pastor’s term was up and a new pastor came. …
One 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 Stations have specific scriptural origins (click here for a table) and some come from tradition. Generally, …
There 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 to fix everything. I am reminded of a quote from President John F. Kennedy inaugural …
