I. Introduction Two weeks ago, I was lining up with all the other bishops to enter St. Theresa Church in Trumbull, Connecticut, for the installation of my successor as Bishop of Bridgeport when I received an urgent email. It was from my communications director in Baltimore. He said the Pope had given an interview to...Read More

I. Introduction It is a great joy to visit St. Luke Parish and to celebrate with you its 125th anniversary! So let me begin by wishing you a happy anniversary and by asking God’s abundant blessings upon you and your families. Let me add that, while this is my first visit to St. Luke’s, it...Read More

I. Introduction I’ve decided to speak this evening for a time on Pope Francis’ new encyclical on faith called, “Lumen Fidei”, “The Light of Faith.” As you may know, it was largely completed by Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Francis, without hesitation, made it his own and issued it under his own name. In a sense,...Read More

I. Introduction: Permitting Everything, Forgiving Nothing In his book of essays entitled, The Difference God Makes, Cardinal Francis George offers an incisive statement: “The world,” he wrote, “permits everything and forgives nothing. God and the Church do not permit everything but forgive everything.” Simple observation of our culture confirms the truth of this statement. The culture of...Read More