My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, In this week’s Tablet, you will find the first encyclical by Pope Francis entitled, Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith). This encyclical was begun by Pope Benedict XVI to complete the trilogy, which began as the Encyclical of Love, Hope, and now Faith – the three theological […]
More than 10 years ago, I wrote a summer column asking people to tell us who were their favorite saints. We received hundreds of responses from people throughout the diocese. There was an overwhelming favorite, although it somewhat surprised me. I’m not going to revive your memory by naming who “won” the survey because I […]
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, In his farewell to the Nation, President George Washington reminded our fledgling country, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” As we celebrated the Fourth of July, it is good to reflect on the words of our […]
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, This year on the Feast of SS. Peter and Paul, June 29, in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, I will ordain eight men to the priesthood. The ordination of priests has been one of the great joys of my Episcopal ministry, and I have had the […]
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, In one of my courses in social work administration, my professor gave a short line which was meant to guide us in our administration. He said, “Administration is a series of interruptions.” How often I remember these words of Dr. Mickey Liebowitz when in the course of […]
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, As we celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday, our knowledge of human fatherhood must take its understanding from our knowledge of God’s paternity. Perhaps one Gospel parable that best explains the Father’s love is Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son, or as it is sometimes called The Forgiving […]
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, I had the privilege to participate in the Plenary Meeting of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People held in Rome. The Council is responsible for the Church’s work in the field of migration and refugee protection. I have served on the […]
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, Just under a year ago, I petitioned the Holy See to name St. Joseph Church in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn as our Co-Cathedral. Some have asked me why do we need a new Co-Cathedral? Is not the Cathedral-Basilica of St. James suitable? Would we be […]
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, The issue of immigration reform has surfaced now in the 113th Congress as a priority of both President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner. It is important that we understand this issue from a Catholic perspective. The interest of the Church in the issue of immigration is […]
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, This week, as the Diocese celebrates its 22nd annual World Communications Day Conference, let me briefly reflect on the Second Vatican Council’s “The Decree on the Media of Social Communications.” The Latin title for this document, Inter Mirifica, means “Among the Wonderful.” It is one of the […]
