Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Beautiful Portland Oregon Rose Garden



These photos were taken on my visit to Portland this past June.

The Journey of the Lord to Jerusalem

TWENTY-SIXTH WEEK OF THE YEAR


MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-SIXTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 9:46-50) The quest for power in all its various forms seems to be deeply imbedded in human nature. Our Lord gives us an example of powerlessness. He tells us about His powerlessness towards His enemies. Not only that He gives us the example of being a child if we are really going to follow Him. How different would be the history of the Church and our own following of the Lord if we had followed this command. With power comes arrogance. Power by its nature breeds a sense of complete independence. Power misused lords it over people and eventually leads to a disrespect for people. Power can become a slave master before whom we kneel.

TUESDAY OF THE TWENTY- SIXTH WEEK OF THE YEAR ( Luke 9:51-5 The great journey has begun. Jesus looks to Jerusalem the place where He will die. In one translation Jesus "sets His face like flint". Determined to fulfill what His Father wants.....the Cross is before Him He does not take this journey alone. He brings His disciples. Hidden within this is the profound meaning, which will become clear later on, that the disciples of Christ must also have. To walk with Christ is not only to listen to his words but to remember that this walk is the exodus walked with the Cross. I would ask you that in your faith filled imagination we take this walk with the Lord. He will teach us about being a disciple. This journey which Jesus begins is the great teaching journey. It is His last chance to tell the followers what it means to walk with Him. We must listen very attentively to His words...make them our own, and remember to have the Cross before our eyes as we listen. Jesus first meets rejection. The Samaritans refuse to give Him hospitality. James and John are outraged...Jesus reprimands them for their desire for revenge. Things change. These very Samaritans, who James and John wanted to do away with, are those who will become open listeners to the Word after the Resurrection. If rejection had been responded to in the way James and John wanted the Samaritans would not have been given the chance to listen to and respond to the word.
Jesus was patient. He did not like rejection any more than we do. Because He bore it great things happened.

WEDNESDAY OF THE TWENTY- SIXTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 9:57-62) The radical change Jesus wants from his disciples. Even the ordinary things of life, burying the dead, saying good-bye become challenges to show that we follow Him. Some are called to live these words heroically. But there are the lesser heroes. Those who have not been given the grace to live these words to the highest. They have a home, bury the dead and take care of the ordinary things of life. But they do these things with love, and faith and hope. These lesser heroes will find their sanctity in the daily lives which they are called upon to live.

THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY- SIXTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 10:1-12"I am sending you as lambs in the midst of wolves". To understand these words we have to go to the prophet Isaiah. In the days of the Messiah a great reconciliation will take place. The lions, lambs, wolves and children will no longer be at odds with one another but will be at peace. When Jesus uses these words in describing how the disciples will go about the world He is saying that they will, in their lives, make present the great reconciliation which will happen in the fullness of time. The mission of the disciple is to bring peace, healing, reconciliation to the broken world with which they come into contact.

FRIDAY OF THE TWENTY- SIXTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 10: 13-16) There two parts to this passage. The first part has to do with being thankful and the second part with identification with Christ.
The first part is a call to reflection. To reflect on the good things, the miracles which the Lord has worked within us. Sometimes these miracles are hidden under the things which we take for granted.
Is there a greater miracle than life itself. Just to say: I am alive professes a faith in God. To look at the world around us, the moon, sun, stars and be overwhelmed at what we see. I think that the call of this passage is to see in the ordinary things of life the extraordinary.
My life is made up of a million moments of grace. The sunshine, the rain, the cold the heat....it is made up of smiles and tears, hopes and disappointments it is made up of moments of high exhilaration and times of emotional blanks...inside of these ordinary things, these things which I encounter every day I have to see the power and hand of God.
The second part of the passage tells us that the disciple does not speak on his own but with the presence of Christ. When we read and re-read this passage what Christ is telling us is truly an amazing thing. He is saying that the disciple is Christ's presence to the world. He is saying that as disciples we not only do the work of Christ but at that moment are Christ. There is an identification with Christ to such an extent that the acceptance or rejection of the disciple is also the rejection or acceptance of the Lord.

SATURDAY OF THE TWENTY- SIXTH WEEK OF THE YEAR( Luke 10, 17-24)
Sometimes we can be intimidated by "big things". Today's gospel is at once a joy and something to be cautious of. The "big things", casting out devils, treading on snakes, which the disciples did may give rise to the temptation of either looking for the amazing or worse yet, because I do not accomplish these big things my ministry is not fruitful.
Everyone sent by the Lord and working in His name brings about a change in the world. This is what the message of today is. The power of the word of God. For most of us it will be manifested in many little things, at times when we are least aware of it.
Once a young lady asked me a question about prayer. It was one of those situations where many things were happening and I did not have the time nor did she expect a lot of time. My answer was almost shot out of my mouth: be quiet and listen. Her eyes lit up. "That is the answer" she said. No devils were cast out, no "amazing thing" thing happened...but a life changed. My point is that the Lord will use us to bring His kingdom into the world. We have to be patient, accept our vocation as disciples with hope and most importantly to realize it is not our work but the Lord's.
Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit. The image of the Lord singing a song to His Father....a song of joy, thanksgiving and yes even amazement. In His human nature Jesus must have been surprised sometimes at how the Father worked. Under the words of Our Lord's beautiful hymn is hidden His sense of not only thanksgiving but also surprise. Isn't surprise part and parcel of thanksgiving? Children love surprises, adults love surprises...to be open to the overwhelming surprise of God's love in our lives.
A disciple is one who is open to be being surprised. A world so tightly ordered, planned gives no room for God's intrusion. The protection which we seek in having everything well mapped out can be a roadblock to what the Lord wants us to do. Someone once said: if I want to make God laugh just tell Him my plans.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

This Week on the Blog

The slide show of St. Francis may still be seen. Just scroll down to the end of the scripture reflections for week 25.
Social Justice...this week we change the focus from health care to immigration. The articles are rather lengthy so I will give you the google addresses. They are very informative . This is really an important issue.You can get some real good information by going to Google and asking for:
Welcoming the Stranger among us; unity and diversity
Comprehensive Immigration reform.
Both are very good.
the reason for the posting being early this week is that I am going out of town tomorrow ...have a nice weekend.

The Twenty Fifth Week of the Year



MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke
8:16-18) Hearing is such an important part of our life with the Lord. So important, so difficult. Hearing is not passive but active. We absorb the Word, it lights up our hearts. The light has to shared, it is not our own possession but belongs to all with whom we come into contact. Hearing breaks through selfishness. Every time we hear we have to give something up. Real listening to the Word can be a painful experience because it penetrates our comfort zone, and makes us uncomfortable. This is the beginning of joy.

TUESDAY OF THE TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 8: 19-21 The words sound so harsh, almost a rejection. The apparent is not the real. He is opening up a new family, one based not on blood lines but on faith in Him. He is saying that Mary was His mother before the physical birth, she was His mother when she said “yes.” We through faith and baptism become the “mothers” of the Lord. He is alive within us. He comes into the world by us living that great reality. In this sense we celebrate Christmas everyday simply because everyday the Lord is born in our hearts and in the world.

WEDNESDAY OF THE TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 9:1-6) We have been called, we have been sent. Through the gift of faith and Baptism God has called us by name. In calling us He has also sent us into the world. We share in the very ministry of the Lord. There is an identification between the Lord and us. We are asked to do, in our own way and inside the place God has planted us, the work of the Lord. It seems the central point of ministry is that we are wrapped up in the Lord, and that real ministry is nothing more than making the Lord present.

THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 9:7-9) Strange that Herod gives us an example of a part of our relationship with the Lord. Curiosity. He wanted to know more about the man. Who was He? Where did He come from? As Herod asked those questions we can ask deeper questions: how the Lord works in my life? when were the moments of grace when I felt His presence? We all know that the Lord is with us, curiosity is that virtue which makes this reality a force. We are curious over things which interest us, things we find important. Curiosity is a means to deepen our relationship. Without at least a minimum the Lord will remain on the periphery of our conscience.

FRIDAY OF THE TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 9:18-22) The question which the Lord poses in the Gospel is the question which all disciples must constantly ask themselves. He comes into our lives in many ways, and each of those will in some way answer the question: who do you say I am? Peter’s answer was based on the experience of the Lord. He saw the needy being taken care, the blind given sight, he saw the signs of the Messiah. Our answer to the question should also be based on the experience which we have had with the Lord. Friend, Lord, savior, brother…all of these will answer the question: who do you say I am.?

SATURDAY OF THE TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 9:43-45) The Cross has overshadowed His life. Now the time is approaching when it will be fulfilled. The disciples are enthralled with the crowds, the wonders they do not want to hear about suffering. They do not ask questions because they may not like the answer. The values of the world are so easy. The Lord is warning them that His path is different. It will only end on the throne of the Cross.

Friday, September 11, 2009

New this week-

This week, we feature a slideshow of the Franciscan ministry to the poor in Philadelphia. St. Francis Inn is a ministry of the Franciscan Friars of the New York Province. For more on Saint Francis Inn, go to www.saintfrancisinn.org

The other feature is the Bishop's Statement on President Obama's talk on health care.

St. Francis Inn ... a slideshow

Catholic Bishops' statement on President Obama's speech

Click this link to see the Catholic Bishops' very optimistic response to the President's speech on Wednesday evening: http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-178.shtml

24th Week of the Year

TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR

MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR
(Luke 7: 1-10) Let God be God. That is the simple lesson for today. Everyone else demanded His physical presence, they were putting God into human structures. Only this “pagan” realized that you cannot capture God. We want so much to be in control, even to the extent of telling God how to do His job. Worse, telling Him what He can and cannot do. Look at the way we pray. So often they are controlling, or trying to control. As the soldier instinctively knew, things work out so much better when we let God be God.

TUESDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 7:11-17) Compassion is the one virtue that we are called upon to imitate. To suffer with, to endure with, all with the implication of being united. The Lord in his human nature is united to us, He was united to the widow. His compassion flowed from a sense of solidarity with her. Compassion is not only for the “tough times” it is the presence of God in our lives. Compassion implies this walking together. It is not something that is turned on and off, but is always present. The message of the Kingdom, is that God through the Lord is walking with His people.

WEDNESDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 7: 31-35) Children can be stubborn. It is their way or no way. Stubbornness by its nature is the inability to see other possibilities. More basic it is not being able to give something up, usually an idea or an attitude. Stubbornness is also a way of protecting our self image. To change would be a sign of weakness, we would admit that we were wrong or that there was a better idea. We can be stubborn with God. The difficulty with this is that His stubbornness far exceeds anything we can imagine. The reason being is that His love is so perfect so full that it already is complete.

THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 7:36-50) Generosity to the Lord is something we really do not think of that often. The woman in today’s Gospel displayed a great generosity. All her actions were focused in on the Lord. She was so focused that she did not even ask to have her sins forgiven. One aspect of generosity is use of time. Do I give the Lord a good chunk of my time? It is so easy to forget Him. Our lives do get cluttered. The prayers we had promised to say, those good deeds we wanted so much to do, are remembered late at night when we are tired. To be generous is to have the courage to do the inconvenient, the non-practical. If it is always convenient it is not generous.

FRIDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 8:1-3) The fact that women accompanied Jesus on His preaching journey must have caused people to wonder. It was not strange that women would gather around a rabbi but to travel with him was unheard of. Jesus was not afraid to do the right thing. Women as much as men had a right to share in His ministry. It was by doing things such as this that the Lord raised women to a new level. In showing the respect that was their due, He broke down the barriers of prejudice and the walls of marginalization. The family of God which He was going to bring into existence would not stand for inequality.

SATURDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 8:4-15) Two things come out of this passage. The one is the absolute generosity of God. He does not say: this is the good soil. He just merrily keeps throwing the seeds up in the air and letting them fall where they may. He is not afraid of rejection. This is the meaning of love. The other is the power of the seed. We look at our hearts and put them into the various categories. However, it must be remembered that the Word has a power to make the hard soft, to make roses out of the thorns. The Word touches and transforms. The Word will make its own.

Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development 3211 FOURTH STREET NE • WASHINGTON DC 20017-1194 • 202-541-3160 WEBSITE: WWW.USCCB.ORG/JPHD • FAX 202-541-3339 July 17, 2009
(Sent to all member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate)
cc: White House and Department of Health and Human Services
Dear Senator/Representative:
On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), I write to outline our policy priorities and to express hope that the serious efforts of the Congressional committees will bring genuine life-affirming reform to the nation’s health care system. The USCCB looks forward to working with you to reform health care successfully in a manner that offers accessible, affordable and quality health care that protects and respects the life and dignity of all people from conception until natural death.
For decades, the Catholic bishops of the United States have been and continue to be consistent advocates for comprehensive health care reform that leads to health care for all, including the weakest and most vulnerable. The bishops want to support health care reform. We have in the past and we always must insist that health care reform excludes abortion coverage or any other provisions that threaten the sanctity of life.
As Congress begins debate on health care reform the Catholic bishops of the United States offer the following criteria for fair and just health care reform. Health care reform needs to reflect basic ethical principles. We offer these as a guide:

a truly universal health policy with respect for human life and dignity;

access for all with a special concern for the poor and inclusion of legal immigrants;

pursuing the common good and preserving pluralism including freedom of conscience and variety of options; and

restraining costs and applying them equitably across the spectrum of payers.
Two of these criteria need special attention as Congress moves forward with health care reform.
Respect for life and dignity: As we renew our longstanding support for reforming our nation’s health care system, we must also be clear that we strongly oppose inclusion of abortion as part of a national health care benefit. We would also oppose inclusion of technologies that similarly fail to uphold the sanctity and dignity of life. No health care reform plan should compel us or others to pay for the destruction of human life, whether through government funding or mandatory coverage of abortion. Any such action would
Healthcare Letter to Congress July 17, 2009 Page 2
be morally wrong. It also would be politically unwise. No health care legislation that compels Americans to pay for or participate in abortion will find sufficient votes to pass.
For decades, Congress has respected the right of health care providers to decline involvement in abortion or abortion referrals, without exception, and has respected moral and religious objections in other contexts as well. The Weldon amendment to the Labor/HHS appropriations act, approved by Congress each year since 2004, forbids any federal agency or program (or state or local government receiving federal funds under the act) to discriminate against individual or institutional health care providers or insurers because they decline to provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortion. Programs, such as Medicaid, that provide funding for the rare "Hyde exception" abortions, also provide for participation in the program by health care providers who decline to provide any abortions at all. (For a compilation of such federal laws, see www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/abortion/crmay08.pdf.) Health care reform cannot be a vehicle for abandoning this consensus which respects freedom of conscience and honors our best American traditions. Any legislation should reflect longstanding and widely supported current policies on abortion funding, mandates and conscience protections because they represent sound morality, wise policy and political reality. Making the legislation "abortion- neutral" in this sense will be essential for widely accepted reform.
Access for all: Reform efforts must begin with the principle that decent health care is not a privilege, but a right and a requirement to protect the life and dignity of every person. All people need and should have access to comprehensive, quality health care that they can afford, and it should not depend on their stage of life, where or whether they or their parents work, how much they earn, where they live, or where they were born. The Bishops’ Conference believes health care reform should be truly universal and it should be genuinely affordable. Many lower-income families simply lack the resources to meet their health care expenses. For these families, significant premiums and cost-sharing charges can serve as barriers to obtaining coverage or seeing a doctor. Therefore, Medicaid cost-sharing protections should be maintained and new coverage options should protect the lowest income enrollees from burdensome cost sharing. We urge Congress to limit premiums or exempt families earning less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level from monthly premiums. We also recommend limiting co-payments and other costs which could discourage needed care. In order to move toward universal coverage, we urge increases in eligibility levels. For example, we urge Congress to maintain at least the proposed minimum national eligibility level for Medicaid at 150 percent and CHIP at 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level; to ensure comprehensive coverage; and to provide states with the resources to expand coverage.
After health care reform is implemented, some individuals and families, including immigrants, will still lack health insurance coverage. We have a responsibility to ensure that no one is left without the ability to see a doctor when he or she is sick or get emergency care when his or her health is at risk. Therefore, we urge Congress to ensure
Healthcare Letter to Congress July 17, 2009 Page 3
sufficient funding for safety-net clinics, hospitals and other providers serving those who will continue to fall through the cracks of a reformed system.
The Catholic bishops renew our appeal to provide equity for legal immigrants in access to health care. This can be accomplished, in part, by repealing the five-year ban for legal immigrants to access Medicaid; repealing the applicability of "sponsor-deeming" for Medicaid and CHIP; and ensuring that pregnant women in the United States, who will be giving birth to children who are United States citizens, are eligible along with their unborn children for health care regardless of their immigration status. Immigrants pay the same taxes as citizens and their health needs cannot be ignored. Leaving them outside a reformed system is both unfair and unwise.
Health care is not just another issue for the Church or for a healthy society. It is a fundamental issue of human life and dignity. Health care is a critical component of the Catholic Church’s ministry. The Church provides health care, purchases health care and picks up the pieces of a failing health care system. The Catholic community encounters and serves the sick and uninsured in our emergency rooms, shelters and on the doorsteps of our parishes. One out of six patients is cared for in Catholic hospitals. We bring both strong convictions and everyday experience to the issue of health care.
We look forward to working with you on these priorities as you make important choices on how to strengthen and improve health care, a most important national priority. Genuine health care reform that protects the life and dignity of all is a moral imperative and a vital national obligation.
Sincerely,
Bishop William F. Murphy
Diocese of Rockville Centre
Chairman, Committee Domestic Justice and Human Development

TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR

MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 7: 1-10) Let God be God. That is the simple lesson for today. Everyone else demanded His physical presence, they were putting God into human structures. Only this “pagan” realized that you cannot capture God. We want so much to be in control, even to the extent of telling God how to do His job. Worse, telling Him what He can and cannot do. Look at the way we pray. So often they are controlling, or trying to control. As the soldier instinctively knew, things work out so much better when we let God be God.

TUESDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 7:11-17) Compassion is the one virtue that we are called upon to imitate. To suffer with, to endure with, all with the implication of being united. The Lord in his human nature is united to us, He was united to the widow. His compassion flowed from a sense of solidarity with her. Compassion is not only for the “tough times” it is the presence of God in our lives. Compassion implies this walking together. It is not something that is turned on and off, but is always present. The message of the Kingdom, is that God through the Lord is walking with His people.

WEDNESDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 7: 31-35) Children can be stubborn. It is their way or no way. Stubbornness by its nature is the inability to see other possibilities. More basic it is not being able to give something up, usually an idea or an attitude. Stubbornness is also a way of protecting our self image. To change would be a sign of weakness, we would admit that we were wrong or that there was a better idea. We can be stubborn with God. The difficulty with this is that His stubbornness far exceeds anything we can imagine. The reason being is that His love is so perfect so full that it already is complete.

THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 7:36-50) Generosity to the Lord is something we really do not think of that often. The woman in today’s Gospel displayed a great generosity. All her actions were focused in on the Lord. She was so focused that she did not even ask to have her sins forgiven. One aspect of generosity is use of time. Do I give the Lord a good chunk of my time? It is so easy to forget Him. Our lives do get cluttered. The prayers we had promised to say, those good deeds we wanted so much to do, are remembered late at night when we are tired. To be generous is to have the courage to do the inconvenient, the non-practical. If it is always convenient it is not generous.

FRIDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 8:1-3) The fact that women accompanied Jesus on His preaching journey must have caused people to wonder. It was not strange that women would gather around a rabbi but to travel with him was unheard of. Jesus was not afraid to do the right thing. Women as much as men had a right to share in His ministry. It was by doing things such as this that the Lord raised women to a new level. In showing the respect that was their due, He broke down the barriers of prejudice and the walls of marginalization. The family of God which He was going to bring into existence would not stand for inequality.

SATURDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK OF THE YEAR (Luke 8:4-15) Two things come out of this passage. The one is the absolute generosity of God. He does not say: this is the good soil. He just merrily keeps throwing the seeds up in the air and letting them fall where they may. He is not afraid of rejection. This is the meaning of love. The other is the power of the seed. We look at our hearts and put them into the various categories. However, it must be remembered that the Word has a power to make the hard soft, to make roses out of the thorns. The Word touches and transforms. The Word will make its own.

Friday, September 4, 2009

WELCOME TO FRANCISCAN BLOGSPOT

We have added a couple of new features to our spot. Hopefully in the course of the next couple of months we will be adding some more.
We have an "index" that will permit you to go immediately to an article without scrolling. All you have to do is bring the cursor to the article and click left.
The page on the social teaching of the Church is a big addition. We will be using this just about every week with some news about contemporary issues.
In the future:
A slide show tour of Assisi
Young people who work at St. Francis Inn
A slide show of St. Francis Inn.

MAKE IT FUN

The Social Teaching of the Catholic Church


Catholic Social Teaching

The social teaching of the Catholic Church has been referred to, and rightly so, as the best kept secret of the Church. This is unfortunate because it contains a wealth of wisdom that if followed would have prevented a lot of pain in this world.

A quote from the Catholic bishops :Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions says it very nicely:
“Far too many Catholics are not familiar with the basic content of Catholic social teaching. More fundamentally, many Catholics do not adequately understand that the social teaching of the Church is an essential part of Catholic faith. This posses a serious challenge for all Catholics, since it weakens our capacity to be a Church that is true to the demands of the Gospel.”

The purpose of this category on our blog spot will be to give you an idea of what the Church, both universal and the U.S. Bishops’ Conference are saying about some of the more pressing social issues of the day.

Source of the social teaching.

The covenant which we have entered into with God is not only vertical, God and myself, but also horizontal God-myself-others. Seven of the Ten Commandments are directly related to how we deal with people. In the Book of Deuteronomy much more time is spent on this subject than on direct relation with God. The prophets, especially Amos and Isaiah are constantly castigating Jerusalem for its sins of injustice. The Gospel of Jesus is a Gospel of justice. Luke 6 and Matthew 25 are the two classic passages that point this out
The Church then as the preacher of the Gospel must also make this social dimension of the faith known.

Basic themes of the social teaching.

As Pope John Paul ll said the teaching of the Church is founded on three basic concepts: the dignity of the human person; solidarity (the common good); subsidiarity (respect of the person’s right to make decisions). These will constantly appear, in one way or another, in the writings.
The themes which permeate the documents are:
Life and dignity of the human person
Call to family, community and participation
Rights and responsibilities
Option for the poor
The dignity of work and the rights of workers
Solidarity
Care of God’s Creation

These themes will become obvious as the various issues are discussed.

Catholic Social Teaching

Welcome to the newest category on our blog spot.

Catholic Social teaching has been referred to as the best kept secret of the
Church.

"Far too many Catholics are not familiar with the bsic content of Catholic social teaching.More fundamentally, many Catholics do not adequately understand that the social teaching of the Church is an essential part of Catholic faith.this posses a serious challenge for all Catholics, since it weakens our capacity to be a Church that is true to the demands of the Gospel.

Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions

U.S. Catholic Bishops


What we hope to do with this addition to the blog is to make our readers aware of what the Church, both universal and national, are saying about contemporary issues