James D. Conley, the Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, is in many respects a pretty typical example of the conservative-to-traditionalist flank of the American episcopate. He was critical of the Obama administration in its day; he inherited his see from the...
Editor’s Note: This week, John Bellocchio, a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of the late Theodore McCarrick as a young teenager in Hackensack, New Jersey, forwarded me an email he received from the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey....
This is the third article in the series “Spiritual Challenges.” In the first article, “Lessons From a Bowl of Jello,” I presented my opinion that one cause of the turmoil after Vatican II is that we had not let ourselves...
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). You can find more resources from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention here. He died of an incurable disease. That’s how I normally respond to...
Have you ever felt so let down by God that you considered abstaining from the Eucharist as a form of protest, as a way of telling Him, “Fix this!” “Change them!” “Do something!”? I never thought I would get to...
A reflection on the readings for March 19, 2023, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Click here for the audio version. “Just because we have eyes does not mean we see.” On this the fourth Sunday of Lent, we hear a...
[Yesterday, during the meeting of the US Catholic Bishops in Baltimore, clerical abuse survivor Mark Joseph Williams and Cardinal Joseph Tobin spoke to the assembly about the journey of accompaniment and healing from the trauma and horror of the sexual...
Editors’ note: This episode speaks on sexual abuse, trauma, and healing, and contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. In this new episode of Field Hospital, Jeannie Gaffigan and I had the privilege of speaking to Mark Joseph...
On Tuesday of next week, February 22, 2022, I will be taking part in an online event sponsored by the Cenacle Sisters and moderated by Mark Piper, their director for Ministry and Mission Advancement. I will be joined on the...
A reflection on the readings for Sunday, October 3, 2021 — The Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time There are two important aspects of Church teaching that relate to today’s readings. The first is the beauty and indissolubility of marriage, and the second...
I recently sang at the funeral of a much beloved parishioner who led a full, rich, purpose-driven life. “Celebration” and “Resurrection” were true and meaningful words to the 300 or 400 people who filled the church at noon the funeral...
In August of last year, I wrote a reflection on chronic illness, chronic pain, and the way world leaders, including Pope Francis and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, deal with these afflictions. Since I wrote this reflection, the subject...
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