“I’m still converting!”
Years ago, my pastor took a group of men from my parish on a pilgrimage down to Mexico City, to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Tepeyac Hill—where Our Lady appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531—and...
Tagged: conversion
St. Maximilian Kolbe: Imperfect Martyr
Today, August 14th, brings us the feast day of St. Maximilian Kolbe, one of the two “martyrs of Auschwitz” along with St. Edith Stein. Kolbe was a Polish Franciscan who was interned in the infamous death camp for publishing anti-Nazi...
We must address the structural issues that plague the Church
In Pope Francis’s 2013 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, he expressed his desire for a renewed missionary impulse throughout the entire Church. Francis called for the Church to become more mission-oriented by making “ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive...
Don’t let holiness intimidate you
A reflection on the readings for Sunday, July 11, 2021 — the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time In my office hangs a large framed print of one of my favorite saints, Ignatius of Loyola. He’s dressed in a red chasuble and...
The Insanity of Unbelief
It is when we are most beset that God makes Himself closest to us for the simple reason that we are then most like Him. The Cross shows Him at His most beset, and also yet at His most triumphing....
Postcard #8: Chartres—pilgrimage, pandemic, and Pentecost
This is part eight in “Postcards from the Camino” by Gareth Thomas, a series of reflections on the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage route leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela...
When catechesis fails young Catholics
The Church often asks, “Why are young people leaving?” But it usually comes up with the wrong answers. “They left because they did not take the trouble to learn about their faith,” or, “secular society drew them away.” However, one...
From Cancellation to Transformation
Cancel Culture, a term of recent origin often possessing a negative connotation, usually occurs after a person’s offensive words or harmful actions become public. The outcry from the public can lead to the person’s loss of employment, status, and/or reputation—thereby...
Advent and the Pandemic: Similar Challenges, Similar Call
A reflection on the Sunday readings for November 29, 2020 — the First Sunday of Advent This is the first Advent we have observed during a pandemic and this will be our first pandemic Christmas. What if I told you that...
Dubious Suspicions: My Journey Back to Pope Francis
I offer here a sketch of someone caught in the eddies of our time. A sketch because it is not complete; I am still in the midst of confusion and uncertainty. But something of an outline is taking shape, and...
Jose Rodriguez on faith, podcasting, and teaching junior high
Where Peter Is · Jose Rodriguez on faith, podcasting, and teaching junior high I’m very excited to share this episode of Peter’s Field Hospital! David Lafferty and I were joined by our good friend Jose Rodriguez, host of the podcast...
Race and Catholicism in America: A Coat of Many Colors
I was recently asked to give a presentation on Black Catholicism and social justice for the California Chinese Catholic Living Camp (CACCLC) 2020 retreat. It, like everything else for now, was virtual, which gave me the opportunity to present from...
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