There’s no doubt about it, Pope Francis has captured the attention of the Church and the world. And he is doing this not only by a simplicity and humility that has earned him the nickname, “the world’s parish priest’, but also by taking the Church back to the basics. Through his humble actions and kind...Read More

Last Sunday, our Church celebrated Catechetical Sunday, a time for all Catholics to acknowledge the importance of the Church’s teaching ministry and to honor all who serve the Catholic faithful in a teaching role. The Church began this special observance in 1935 and now it is celebrated each year on the third Sunday in September. This...Read More

I. Introduction Father Hurst, brother priests, seminarians, and dear friends in Christ, in Rome, not far from the Pantheon, there is a church called San Luigi dei Francesi. There is always a crowd in there, converged in front of the side chapel closest to the sanctuary on the left-hand side of the church. That chapel...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 It is a joy to offer Holy Mass here at the Mother Seton House and to celebrate with you the 50th anniversary of its being opened to the public. We also recall that yesterday was the 38th anniversary of the canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. At the time, I was a seminarian...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

I. Introduction The Gospel just proclaimed is tailor-made for this occasion, when, during the Year of Faith, the family of the Knights of Columbus comes on pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the “Knights Tower” with its 56 bell carillon. This is what...Read More

I hope everyone enjoyed the long Labor Day weekend and that it proved especially restful for those families with children who had already begun school or were preparing to begin the new school year this past week. I was fortunate to be able to experience “back to school” once more as I recently visited three...Read More