Dear Leaders: Over the last three years the Archdiocese of Detroit has undergone a radical change in how it assigns priests to parishes.  ..read more

I have not been as active in publishing this blog as I had hoped, since entering “senior priest” status about a year ago.  I was planning ..read more

[This post is a bit late in coming but I hope it still opens up some thoughtful ideas for people.] Still seems odd not to say “Ascension Thursday,” doesn’t it? Most bishops, when given the option, chose to move the feast of the Ascension from Thursday to Sunday, to give an opportunity for the greatest number of people to both interact with the Scripture readings for the day and to reflect more deeply on this doctrine/dogma of our faith. It also helps us appreciate that the Ascension is not simply some past event but is an always present reality, in terms of how we experience the risen Lord in ..read more

In Catholic moral theology, a huge amount of attention has been given to analyzing specific, concrete actions.  There has been a recognition that one cannot morally evaluate a person’s action apart from the end intended and the circumstances surrounding the action that help to qualify the action.  But in practice there is a tendency to focus mostly on the objective description of the action itself, relegating the person’s intention and the circumstances into separate categories and to secondary levels.  This, in turn, leads to the tendency to categorize some actions as “intri ..read more

[NB: This is a revision to an article I wrote for the diocese of Saginaw a number of years ago. I think it still holds value.] One perceived strength in our present discipline for Lent is its call to maturity.  The minimal penance we are invited to do (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as the two days of fasting, Fridays as weekly abstinence from meat products), leaves the type of fasting and penance in between up to the mature Catholic.  The focus is on conversion of heart, not the strenuousness of the penance. That approach can be very meaningful and creative to a person or a commun ..read more

In the previous blog I shared some of the ways I wrote as a pastor about the theological mystery at the heart of Christmas.  But probably my favorite way to express this mystery has been in a more poetic way.  Thus, part two of my Christmas thoughts.   I. A Tribute to the Cappadocians Humanity—yearning, striving, laboring, wondering—duality never escapable. Divinity—Unbegotten Origin, ecstatic and emptied Word, responsive and profligate Spirit—tri-personally enfolding creation, life, humanity. Holy and blessed Christmas. Jesus is born. To be is to become God.     ..read more

Some ask why I chant what is called the “Christmas Proclamation” before the start of Christmas Masses or as part of the homily.  The core of the text I use comes from what is called the Roman Martyrology, a compilation of all the officially recognized saints, listing them on the day of the year on which their feast is celebrated.  On December 25th, given the significance of that date, the Roman Martyrology includes not just the names of saints and martyrs for that date, but this special tribute to “The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”  In that proclamation there is ..read more

About three decades ago, as the term “chaos theory” became popularized, one of the images used was that of a butterfly beating its wings on one side of the world and a storm eventually erupting on the other side. In practice not really that simple, but as an image, it captured the idea that a small perturbation—in mathematical terms, a non-linear factor—can have non-predictable and significant consequences. I suggest that this image can be helpful for how priests might think about one practice that I believe is essential for the community’s active participation in the Eucharist, but which ver ..read more

A preliminary note. When I was a pastor, I would often use the weekly bulletin articles I wrote as a way to comment on the Sunday readings. When I retired from being a pastor and created this blog, I thought I would no longer do that, partly because I knew I could not commit to writing something each week. However, with my recent temporary assignment back to pastoring several parishes, I will do a little more of that type of reflection in these blogs, if I am able.   The Lectionary for Lent during Year B (our current year) chooses gospel passages that come from Mark or John.  And, i ..read more

[This post would be more understandable, if you first read Part One.] This brings me to a third pastoral concern.  Does the term “intrinsically” attached to a negative like “evil, wrong, illicit, dishonest, disordered” undercut our pastoral response to people who are truly in need of our wisdom and care?  When we attach the term “intrinsic” to a negative and see someone doing what we believe to be an intrinsically wrong action, we can all too easily judge their whole lives to be without God's grace. Pope Francis has been consistent in his exhortation not to do this. Although Pope ..read more