“25,000 Young Witnesses”
Have you ever heard 25,000 Catholic youth and their adult leaders praising God? Or bathed in the silence as they all kneel before the Most Holy Eucharist in Adoration? Read more
Posts
When Prayers Go Up, Blessings Come Down
On July 24, 1990 the Black Clergy Caucus of the United States designated November as Black Catholic History Month. In November, we celebrate the long and storied history and heritage of Black Catholics. There is one Black Catholic in particular whom we pray will be declared a saint. Her name is Mother Mary Lange. Read more
Psalm Tones
One of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had since moving to Baltimore from Indiana has been chanting Morning Prayer with a group from St. John the Evangelist in Long Green Valley (Hydes). Last winter, Msgr. Richard Cramblitt shared with me that he had a group of parishioners who prayed Morning Prayer daily in the chapel. For Lent, they hoped to begin chanting the Office. I was intrigued. Read more
Building a Culture of Life: It’s Essential to Who We Are
Five things you can (and should) do during Respect Life Month: Read more
“Be kind to your neighbor as yourself” … Said Jesus Never
With the work of the new evangelization, we hear over and over the invitation to be a more welcoming Church. So we are updating our websites, putting up campus maps and signs, recruiting greeters… and yet our Holy Father and Archbishop Lori continue to challenge us to be even more welcoming. Read more
Just One Step to a More Generous Community
Step 1 of 1: Gratitude
I could end the blog with that one word. But I’ll continue and hit a higher word count so I get invited back to write again. Read more
What If Every Weekend Were Like Christmas?
So you just completed your Christmas liturgies, one of the two biggest and busiest times of the year at your parish. It was special to be sure, putting your best foot forward to make a great experience both for your regulars and for the hundreds of people you might only see once or twice a year. Hopefully, you saw it as a way to get those twice-a-year folks back next week and God willing, all year long. A superb opportunity for evangelization! Read more
Christmas: A Welcome Opportunity for All
It is finally Christmas! The day we have been preparing for since the first day of Advent. For many of us in Church ministry, Christmas celebrations are bustling and busy, full of extra Masses and duties that may make us forget the first quiet Christmas when our Lord came into the world so intimately as the baby Jesus. Often our faithful parishioners look at the Christmas Masses with frustration, having to arrive much earlier for a seat with pues overflowing with those “flower Catholics.” But what an opportunity Christmas is! Read more