Introduction As a very young priest, I served under a good pastor. Yet in his kindness, he made a serious mistake. He allowed me to plan and celebrate the Easter Vigil when I had been a priest less than a year. It turned out to be a rainy evening but I was undeterred. I gathered...Read More

A Unique Day There is no other day like this in the Church’s year of faith. This is the only day in the liturgical year when Mass is not celebrated. It is a uniquely somber day that Saint Ambrose once called “a day of bitterness”. Yet we call this day, at least in English, “Good...Read More

A First Mass Homily? Dear seminarians: Suppose that on the day after your priestly ordination, you went to your home parish to celebrate your first Mass, stood in the pulpit, and proclaimed yourself to be the Messiah. No doubt the eyes of the entire congregation would be upon you! This must be one of the reasons...Read More

Introduction: Passionate Love Recently I visited St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Severna Park. I asked a second-grader, “What do you get when you go to Church on Palm Sunday?” He answered, “A long reading!” In fact we listened to two readings. The first described Jesus triumphal entry in Jerusalem. The second described Jesus...Read More

Much has been said and written about the latest national educational standards known as the Common Core State Standards or, more simply, Common Core. As those affiliated with the public school systems publicly debate the merits and shortcomings of Common Core, I thought it may be helpful to discuss the relationship between archdiocesan schools and...Read More

Introduction It is a pleasure to be with you this afternoon and I want to thank Governor Ehrlich for inviting me to offer a few words on the notion of mercy according to Blessed John Paul II. As you know, John Paul II will be canonized later this month and I will be traveling to...Read More

Formed and inspired by faithful men, Karol Wojtyła became a powerful father figure for many. Years ago, while serving as Cardinal James A. Hickey’s priest-secretary, I had the privilege of joining a small number of priests who concelebrated an early morning Mass in Pope John Paul II’s private chapel. Afterward, the Holy Father greeted each...Read More

Fish Stories We have to admit it: sometimes we like to tell fish stories. When we get back from a fishing trip and tell our buddies how it went, we may find ourselves exaggerating the size of the fish we actually caught, not to mention the one that got away when no one was looking....Read More