According to statistics provided by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), in the United States there were 19,620 Catholic parishes and 52,124 priests (diocesan and religious) in 1990. In 2014 the numbers had dropped to 17,483 parishes and 38,275 priests. Regardless of…
Category: Advancing the Kingdom
The risk of encounter
Today I lunched with a good friend whose disquisitions on matters ecclesiological are always illuminating. As usual, I emerged from this delightful reunion edified by the possession of new insight. In a religious context, the word ‘faithful’ has different connotations. For some it is a…
Vigil lamps
Have you ever entered a Catholic church and, upon discovering an extinguished vigil lamp, immediately felt immersed in emptiness? The usually beckoning flame was not there to reassure and promote your awareness of the presence of the Divine. This is what vigil lamps do. People…
Making disciples of all people
When asked what is the greatest commandment Jesus replied that it is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind (Mt: 22) and that the second greatest is to love our neighbor as our self. Many of us who call ourselves Christians too…
The challenge of liberty
The coincidence of the recently released Papal Encyclical Laudato Si and the Supreme Court’s decision on same sex marriage prompts this reflection on the challenge of liberty. The Court’s decision is indicative of our society’s tolerance for the disregard of natural law and the abandonment…
Do as I say, not as I do?
On Tuesday, May 12, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, met with several dozen lay Catholic men and women in Washington, D.C., to hear their thoughts on the situation of “the family” in the United States and on how the…
Boiling Frogs
In his book “My Battle Against Hitler” (translated by John Henry Crosby and his father), Dietrich Von Hildebrand writes about habit being a ‘sort of beneficial adaptability’ in human beings that can either make their lives more bearable or diminish their spiritual alertness. In the…
Crying "Uncle"
My first car was a Volkswagen Squareback. Marcus, my good friend (he still is), and I named her ‘Leo’ after a girl who brought a lot of pizzazz into our lives (she still does). Leo – the one with four doors and stick shift –…
Pivotal Factor
“In the end, it’s the beginning that counts.” These are the words that conclude the “Reflections from the Principal” in this year’s annual report of Sisters Academy of Baltimore. Sister Debbie Liesen’s comment captures and confirms the compelling truth that so brightly shines in this…
Being human: risk or promise?
“What do you expect? He’s human!” Isn’t it curious how more often than not we associate ‘being human’ with moral lapses or flawed character? Our human nature, one might conclude, places us at risk because it becomes an excuse for our failures and imperfections. Theologically,…