Tag Archives: Travel

Eleven Years

Posted on June 7, 2019 by

Today — June 7, 2019 — is my eleventh anniversary of ordination. Spare a prayer for me today, if you will. Thank you! And thanks be to God. This past year has been a big one… First, there was the … Continue reading →

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A (Simplistic?) Thought on Medjugorje

Posted on May 28, 2019 by

It was recently reported that Pope Francis had authorized pilgrimages to Medjugorje (they had formerly been forbidden — and that directive was widely and flagrantly disobeyed). There is a proviso (which will likely be ignored by many), that these approved … Continue reading →

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Unique Inscriptions

Posted on May 2, 2019 by

When in Europe — especially, in my experience, in Eastern Europe — it isn’t uncommon to see this or that glorious monument with an inscription on it that has this interesting combination of differently-sized capital letters. The above photo is … Continue reading →

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Other Things Priests Say

Posted on May 1, 2019 by

One of the most popular posts on this blog is entitled, The Sort of Things Priests Say, and has to do with some of the “shop talk” that a priest may encounter in conjunction with celebrating Mass. Back when there was … Continue reading →

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Where do the candles go in a procession?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by

Worship is not a DIY affair; we can all come up with ways to make it more interesting or “meaningful”, but that is not our place, for we receive it from the Church and her tradition. In recent years, of course, … Continue reading →

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Wayside Chapels

Posted on February 21, 2019 by

During my recent trip to Wisconsin I was delighted to learn of a wayside chapel near to where I was staying, which was, itself, amidst the rolling farmland — not far from a big city, but very rural. Now usually, … Continue reading →

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More Good Cloistered Nuns

Posted on February 19, 2019 by

Last week I made a retreat at the monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Holy Name of Jesus in Denmark, Wisconsin. This was not my first time there, but it was the first retreat I’ve made with them. … Continue reading →

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A Meditation on One of the Requiem Chants

Posted on November 2, 2018 by

Our mid-day Mass for All Souls here at the Cathedral of St. Paul will have a simple musical accompaniment: a chant schola singing the Church’s beautiful requiem propers. In my homily, which I copy below, I reflect on a surprising … Continue reading →

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Working on Holy Days of Obligation

Posted on November 1, 2018 by

There are five [or six] Holy Days of Obligation each year in the United States: Immaculate Conception (December 8), Christmas (December 25), Mary, Mother of God (January 1), Assumption (August 15), and All Saints (November 1). [In a few regions … Continue reading →

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Images above Altars

Posted on November 8, 2017 by

I’ve been on my annual retreat this week, which I am making in a beloved city in Mexico. During this time I have been sharing some photos on social media. One, in particular, generated some comment: Some have wondered not … Continue reading →

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Something You (Sometimes) See in Seminary Chapels

Posted on October 28, 2017 by

I’m visiting Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans at present, and noticed an interesting detail in their chapel. It is surely not an accident that there are four steps leading up to the main sanctuary level, then three steps from … Continue reading →

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Walking the Road to God

Posted on September 16, 2017 by

A kind reader sent me a book called Walking the Road to God that I had had on my wish list. The author, Father Lawrence Carney, went to the same seminary as me, a year ahead of me. I remember … Continue reading →

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