Pope Leo’s Prayer Intention for April
Pope Leo XIV has asked that we pray for priests in crisis during the month of April, 2026. As we celebrate the “birthday” of the priesthood this month (on Holy Thursday), Pope Leo has asked us to pause and to...
Tagged: Priesthood
The love of a father
Saturday was an incredibly joyful day here in the Archdiocese of Washington. Sixteen – sixteen! – men were ordained to the priesthood at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The beauty of the early summer day outside...
We are a kingdom of priests
The Word is living, being, spirit, all verdant greening, all creativity. This Word manifests itself in every creature. St. Hildegard of Bingen I’d like to begin this reflection on the royal priesthood of the faithful with Paul’s letter to the...
The Myth of the Ontological Superiority of the Priest
The priest is not an angel sent from heaven. He is a man, a member of the Church, a Christian. Remaining man and Christian, he begins to speak to you the word of God. This word is not his own....
Humble Service: The Antidote to Spiritual Worldliness and Clericalism
A reflection on the scripture readings of November 5, 2023, the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. The audio, when available, will be posted here. It is not the easiest of times to be a Catholic priest. On the one hand,...
Pope Francis Warns Priests against Being “Traders of the Spirit”
Yesterday Pope Francis released a remarkable letter to the priests of the Diocese of Rome, of which he is the diocesan bishop in addition to his numerous other responsibilities and powers over the Church outside central Italy. He warns against...
A priest’s plea for unity and love for the pope
On June 23, I will celebrate twenty-two years of ordination to the priesthood. Born in 1974, I belong to what Catholics fondly call the John Paul II generation. In this brief essay, I will reflect on how the experience of...
Wholly Sacrifice
The preparation for the Synod on Synodality is enabling the Church to take a deeper look at her own reality. What constitutes the Church? What makes us the Church? How do the members of the Church fit and work together?...
Catholic Media and the Circus of Homophobia
Certain sectors of the Church are once again going through a panic over gay clergy. The situation feels anachronistic, with the closest point of comparison in the secular world being the Cold War-era purges of gay people from civil service...
Good Shepherds: Always with the people of God
Today is “Good Shepherd Sunday,” and it is also the Church’s annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations. This morning, Pope Francis ordained nine men to the priesthood for the diocese of Rome, telling them in his homily, that they...
Exercise the Priesthood This Holy Week
Public health precautions in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic have meant that Catholics around the globe are unable to be physically present at our Holy Week and Easter liturgies. Our dismay is completely justified. A confluence of factors has...
Pope Francis’s true message to priests
Following up on yesterday’s post about saturnos and rigidity, especially after reviewing the comments, I’d like to address a narrative that’s been advanced through much of his papacy: that he likes to “insult” priests, especially those who embrace orthodoxy, tradition,...
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