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 way to the sexual molestation of children and even rape. Many of those accused have admitted some truth to the allegations and resigned their position
Back in the 80’s I visited many Micronesian communities conducting planning workshops with grants from the Department of Justice, Juvenile Justice Program. The idea was to gather representatives of the local community in each locality and have them identify their core values, gaps in the community, vision for the future and how to achieve that
(This is a continuation of a series of reflections drawing on the core values mentioned in the Diocese of CK pastoral plan) Promoting Catholic culture is not directed only inward toward the members of the Catholic Church but has an external component as well. During the 11th and 12th centuries Europe underwent a significant transformation. The politics
(This is a continuation of a series of reflections drawing on the core values mentioned in the Diocese of CK pastoral plan) This brings us to another critical question. How do we go about fostering a meaningful Catholic culture for the 21st century in these islands? This is a challenge around the world and people of
(This is a continuation of a series of reflections drawing on the core values mentioned in the Diocese of CK pastoral plan) So, what is involved when we apply these meanings of culture to the concept of Catholic culture? When I was a child I lived in a neighborhood that was comprised primarily of German
(This is beginning of a series of reflections drawing on the core values mentioned in the Diocese of CK pastoral plan) One of the core values listed in the pastoral plan is Catholic culture. This is a broad term and has several meanings that we can explore. It is probably best to begin with the
If there is a conflict between the Catholic understanding of how the world operates and that of some people in the scientific community, it is not a conflict over science per se but over the assumptions that people bring to scientific thought. A basic element of the scientific method is parsimony. This means that one
The Church affirms that Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit but written through the means of human authors. While the human authors put in writing what God wanted preserved in Scripture, the human authors made use of the literary forms available to them; among these forms were historical, poetical and prophetical. Due attention must
A guilty pleasure of mine is reading Dan Brown novels. You might remember that he is the author who wrote “The DaVinci Code”. That controversial novel played up the conspiracy theory that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus. His novels are usually controversial, as religion always has a role to play in the unfolding
Peter’s dreams of glory and power were shattered. The hope that Israel might experience freedom from the Roman yoke was destroyed. Peter came to realize that he wasn’t some powerful hero who would defend his Lord. Rather, he was a weak fisherman, who was so cowardly that he was afraid to acknowledge Jesus before a