Remember last year when we wanted nothing more than to celebrate with family and friends like usual? Now we’re on the brink of a holiday season with hopes as bright as Christmas lights. But with the return of traditions, travel and time together, we may also encounter the gripes, grudges and jostles of family gatherings.
Servant of God, Sister Thea Bowman, taught us we can be truly Catholic and authentically black. I bring my blackness, songs, dancing, time, talents, and love to a Church that hasn’t always loved me.
Violence against Catholic churches, statues, and religious objects, in particular, has increased greatly during the past year. Since May 2020, there have been more than 81 confirmed attacks on Catholic churches in 25 states, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Vandals have toppled, defaced, destroyed, and set fire to Catholic schools, churches, offices, convents, monasteries, statues, and devotional objects.
Haiti never stops dying. It’s the sad truth. The people in the streets say this, and according to my little experience in Haiti as a Catholic priest, Haiti is dying.
As a recent college graduate and now as a seminarian, I cannot help but reflect on the importance of Catholic campus ministries, Newman Centers, and Newman Clubs serving students around the country.
What if we were to meet Jesus here in Brooklyn or Queens and he asked us: Do you also want to leave? (John 6:60-69) What would our answer be?
Starting another academic year ushers in a myriad of emotions: sadness in watching summer fade, the excitement of being reunited with friends, the stress of finding all the right school supplies. Each member of our school community prepares for the beginning of school in their own way with a unique perspective on re- turning to the classroom.
For many parishes, this past year was a challenging and unnerving one, one that radically shattered our routines, stalled our ministries, and brought a steep decline in Mass attendance and collections. Many pastors, as a result, can’t wait for the “new normal” to look a little more like the old normal.
When I was a child, summer seemed to last forever. The summer highlight was a family road trip — a week or two, all together in the family station wagon or on my dad’s beloved long-distance trains.
We Christian soldiers must faithfully come out every second Saturday of the month to St. Paul Church and then prayerfully proceed to the abortion facility on Court Street to save lives, to stop the violence, and most importantly, to defend our heritage — which is nothing less than the Truth of Jesus Christ, and the Gospel of Life, in this weary world where so many individuals are confused, broken, and sadly, deceived.
