The Bride’s Response to the Bridegroom

Understanding the Call to Repent

  How should one consider the question, “Should the Church repent”? It is a complex question when being considered in both the light of the holiness of the Church and in the darkness of the sinfulness of her members through pre … [Read more...]

Ars Praedicandi

Originally delivered as an address to the Theological College in Washington D.C. AMDG JMJ Ars Praedicandi Theological College 12.XI.22 Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever! Father Dominic, faculty, staff, and students … [Read more...]

To Be Transformed by God and Others

The mission statement of the St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center in Tucson, Arizona, which is affiliated with the University of Arizona, is “To be transformed through an encounter with the Spirit of Truth and the Love of God.” Having bee … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – September 2019

Love in Context of Abusive Relationships Question: Am I wrong and sinning if I do not like family members who mistreat me? Answer: This question actually has two prongs to it. The one has to do with the relationship of volitional to … [Read more...]

Reform Requires Holiness of All the Faithful

The wounds of the Church’s sex-abuse scandals have been reopened by the revelations of abuse by Cardinal McCarrick, the former Washington D.C. archbishop; by the Chilean scandal, the Pennsylvania grand jury report, and more recently perhaps … [Read more...]

Renewal and the Penitential Life

Wherever we may look for solutions to the present tension and confusion, we must realize that the solution will begin with the Eucharist, return to the Eucharist, and be formed by the Eucharist. Whatever secular processes may be deemed … [Read more...]

Reflections on the Crisis in the Church

Every weekday morning, I pray the rosary in my car on the way to work. It’s not the most ideal time to do it; I’m often distracted by traffic events and inclement weather, but I suppose it’s better than not praying it at all. On Tuesdays … [Read more...]

“Lord, to Whom Shall We Go?”

We are deeply saddened by the news that comes in daily about the sexual abuse involving the hierarchy (cardinals, bishops, and priests) in the Catholic Church. We certainly believe that those found guilty should be punished and live out … [Read more...]

Dear Troubled Catholics,

I have never seen so many "ordinary Catholics" — who usually never follow or hear about Church news — as deeply troubled as I have seen them in response to the recent revelations about the retired archbishop of Washington, D.C. Cardinal T … [Read more...]

Prayer as Turning Point Toward Christ

The good news is that even though we sin, God loves us and wants us to return to him. With God’s grace, bad habits can be unlearned. Ecclesia semper reformanda: The Church forever in need of reform. Because we are the Church, we are the o … [Read more...]