Not long ago I offered a reflection on the 35th anniversary of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa. However, it is important to remember that not only was the Diocese established and its first bishop ordained to the episcopacy, but Mount Carmel Cathedral was dedicated. While the building had existed for 35 years prior to January
While I was raised in a Catholic home, attended Catholic schools through 12th grade, had one cousin who was a Carmelite nun and another who was a Monsignor, when I was in college I wandered from the Church. It is a relatively common occurrence. In the past it was often part of the process of
Last month, we celebrated the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa. In creating the Diocese, the Universal Church gave the people of the CNMI a special gift. I have very clear memories of the events leading up to the establishment in 1984 and of the early years of the diocese,
Religion, for the most part, has made the bold claim that it can say something about the divinity that is hidden in the darkness beyond the finite/infinite boundary. It attempts to do so based on insight gained from the experience of a prophet or a people. Often this is gathered into a classic text. The
Every now and then in a movie or TV show one of the characters will attempt to pray. Usually it is a character with no religious affiliation, or at least has been away from religion for a long time and he doesn’t know what to do or say. He or she will begin, “Hello, I’m
Stephen Colbert is a well-known comedian, political satirist and host of the Tonight Show. He is also a devout Catholic (well as devout as a comedian can be), and even a religious education teacher in his home parish. A few weeks ago, CNN anchor, Anderson Cooper, interviewed Colbert. It was one of the best examples
When we apply the concept of evil to social policy things can become a bit murky. It is not easy to categorize all social policy into good and evil. Most social policy is neutral, simply a way of dealing with certain problems. Even social policy that is primarily good can have negative elements. Social policy
Not long-ago Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey gave a speech in which he said that to be silent in the face of evil is to be complicit with that evil. He was challenging his audience to oppose evil where they encounter it, rather than to ignore it and hopes it goes away. If we
Last May the Bishop of Erie ordained four men as permanent deacons. One was a theology teacher at a local Catholic high school. Another was a professional psychologist. The third as an insurance executive. The fourth was a correctional official recently retired from the prison system. All four were college graduates. Two of them were
While I always enjoy talking about the diaconate, the purpose of this series of ATW articles is to share some thoughts on the diaconate with my readers and to stir up a bit of interest in pursuing it as a vocation. I use the word “vocation” because it implies that the diaconate is a calling.