I. Introduction: The Upper Room In this beautful Cathedral we may feel like a tiny flock yet we are here the friends of Christ. By taking part in this liturgy of Holy Thursday we enter the Upper Room where Christ gathered with his Apostles for the Last Supper. Here our eyes of faith see the...Read More

I. Introduction: A Warm Welcome to All It is truly my pleasure to celebrate the Chrism Mass for the first time with all of you in this Cathedral dedicated to Mary Our Queen. Our congregation this night really is a microcosm of the Archdiocese: brother bishops, priests, deacons, and seminarians, religious women and men, as...Read More

I. Introduction Less than two weeks ago, the College of Cardinals, with the help of the Holy Spirit, elected a new Holy Father to lead the Church, Pope Francis. And since then he’s taken the world by storm. He isn’t doing this by spending millions of dollars on a pubic relations campaign. He isn’t shaping...Read More

I. Introduction Last Wednesday, the eyes of the world were focused on the Vatican awaiting word of whom the College of Cardinals had chosen to be the 266th Successor of St. Peter and Vicar of Christ. Speculation in the media was rampant and even among informed observers had narrowed the likely candidates to a few,...Read More

Msgr. Jarboe, my brother priests [and deacons] and dear friends in Christ, I. Introduction: Laetare Sunday – Reasons for Rejoicing and Prayer I’d like to welcome all of you here to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, particularly those of you who will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in just a few moments. You are...Read More

I. Introduction Msgr. Farmer, dear brother priests [and deacon(s)], all dear friends in Christ: What a joy it is to be here for the first of what I hope will be many visits to St. John’s, one of the truly great parishes of the Archdiocese of Baltimore! II. Laetare Sunday It’s hard to believe we’ve...Read More

You may have seen, as I did, the footage of the departure from the Vatican of Benedict XVI, now Pope Emeritus. There was coverage of his farewell audiences, his farewells to the Cardinals, his helicopter lifting off from the Vatican heliport and then landing at Castel Gandolfo, his brief address on the balcony of the...Read More

The Holy Father’s recent announcement of his resignation from the Papacy due to reasons of advanced age and diminished strength was an act of selfless humility and great humanity. Shortly after his election in 2005, it was speculated that the new pope, Pope Benedict XVI, would be unlike his predecessor, who transformed the image of...Read More