Author: Deacon Richard D. Shewman

It is increasingly difficult to find anything worth watching on TV. Your choices seem to be limited to mindless comedies, intense cop shows, talent shows, and endless talking heads on…

Today I saw my first robin of the year. The little red-breasted bird is the traditional sign that spring has finally arrived in this part of the world (Erie, PA).…

The last of the pastoral plan core values is prayer. It seems strange that we need to specifically identify prayer as a core value but in this world of movements,…

When Paul described himself as a steward he was implying that God had given him a responsibility to proclaim the Gospel and to nurture new believers. God was the author…

Every now and then you will hear of someone having a “green thumb”. This doesn’t mean that their thumb is literally green but rather that they are exceptionally successful in…

One of the core values of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan is forgiveness.  Forgiveness is probably the most difficult thing Jesus asked of his disciples. It is not an easy thing…

Justice is an important element of any society. No society can survive for very long if its members don’t have a sense of being treated fairly. Justice helps to ensure…

The United States is a nation that may be on the extreme end of valuing the individual and independence. This value has been shaped by the colonial history of the…

When I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chuuk back in the mid 70’s every few feet someone would call out to me to come and join them. “Come, eat!”…

The headlines in recent weeks report one celebrity or government official after another being accused of sexual harassment. These allegations include groping, inappropriate sexual talk in the workplace, all the…