Pastor’s Thoughts

When I was a kid growing up in New England, I’d occasionally go on a whale watch. Once we went out with calm waters and clear skies. But on the way back in, the sea got rough. I was just a kid, and I remember thinking we should turn left or right toward the shoreline...

Pastor’s Thoughts

The month of November has traditionally been a month of prayer for the deceased. It begins November 1st, All Saints Day, praying to the faithful who have already reached heaven (Church Triumphant). The Church also remembers the faithfully departed who are still...

Pastor’s Thoughts

This weekend the diocese asks us to pray for vocations to the priesthood. It’s called, Priesthood Sunday. As you are all well aware, we are approaching a crisis in staffing parishes. In the years since World War II there has been a substantial reduction in the number...

Pastor’s Thoughts

A woman in my parish has an adult son who has rejected his faith. She prays for him every day. She lights candles, says rosaries, and asks God again and again to bring him back. But nothing changes. Is God listening? Is He delaying? She told me once that she feels...

Pastor’s Thoughts

Dorothy Day, the great Catholic activist, doubted God’s existence. At least in her early adult years. But something changed when after giving birth to her daughter, she experienced an overwhelming gratitude. She later described how, as she held her daughter, the only...