Pastor’s Thoughts

This Sunday is the second to last Sunday of our liturgical year. As we approach the end of the Church year, our Gospel invites us to consider Jesus’ predictions and teaching about the end of the world. In the context of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ words about this are...

Pastor’s Thoughts

On Nov. 6, 1789, just a few years after our country was founded, Bishop John Carroll was appointed the first bishop of Baltimore one of the first 13 colonies. Baltimore was the only diocese in the entire new found world where many Catholics escaped from religious...

Pastor’s Thoughts

Americans have long been fascinated with public debates. Farmers stood in muddy fields for hours to hear Lincoln and Douglas dispute each other in the 1860 presidential runup. The televised debate between Kennedy and Nixon in 1960 fascinated the nation. These days,...

Pastor’s Thoughts

This Friday, November 1st, is the feast of All Saints. It IS a holy day of obligation. Catholics are required to attend Mass to celebrate and to honor all the church’s saints and martyrs (known and unknown). I like to think of All Saints as the Church’s Hall of Fame...

Pastor’s Thoughts

From a young age, I loved winning at sports. I confess that winning was a bit of an addiction. It was probably coming from a deep desire for attention and affirmation from others. Nevertheless, it was a driving motivation for me. Baseball, soccer, track, table tennis,...