“The Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone.”[1] Nor should he be. Yet the Church asks her priests to live a life of celibacy that they may be wholly devoted to God and the sheep of their flock. An essential question remains, how can the celibate priest, in light of what God has said in Genesis, live a full life? Is what God has said true and, if it is, how do we square that with celibacy? A common misconception about the celibate priesthood is the notion of the priest as someone who is “lonely.” Of course, there is “an essential felt loneliness in the priesthood because there is an ..read more

And so we have come, Lady, Our day’s work done, Our love, our hopes, ourselves, We give to your Son. This is the final stanza of The Shepherd’s Carol, by Bob Chilcott, which I first heard sung last Christmas by a schola choir.  It is a beautiful hymn, so I recommend it to you. All of the lyrics are worth contemplating, but that stanza has particular significance as we think about ourselves and our call to live great and holy lives.  The words are being sung by the shepherds to Mary as they arrive at the side of the infant Jesus. The shepherds came to offer all they had.  Their o ..read more

I tried to come up with some stylish or sophisticated introduction to this reflection, at least something witty or clever, but all I came up with was too overly theatrical or even approaching haughtiness so I’ll just say it straight (it would be harmful to sugarcoat these matters): the Catholic priesthood is in good need of courage. The fact of the matter is that everyone needs courage but in a particular way the priest needs courage on account of his particular role and duties (which are of supernatural profundity and liability). The priest is entrusted by God  with the care of souls and ..read more

“White founts falling in the courts of the sun, And the Soldan of Byzantium is smiling as they run; There is laughter like the fountains in that face of all men feared, It stirs the forest darkness, the darkness of his beard, It curls the blood-red crescent, the crescent of his lips, For the inmost sea of all the earth is shaken with his ships. They have dared the white republics up the capes of Italy, They have dashed the Adriatic round the Lion of the Sea, And the Pope has cast his arms abroad for agony and loss, And called the kings of Christendom for swords about the Cross, The cold queen ..read more

In 1849, the English priest Fr. Frederick William Faber wrote a now famous hymn entitled “Faith of our Fathers” of the English Martyrs. The first verse and the refrain go as follows: Faith of our Fathers! living still In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword: Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy Whene’er we hear that glorious word. Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith! We will be true to thee till death. I often think of these words whenever I think of any of the many scores of martyrs who have died across the world and through the ages in defense of the Faith and in beautiful imitation of our Lord ..read more

Jesus is true God and true man.  November 10th, is the feast of St. Leo the Great, who lived in the 400s and served the Church as a deacon and as Bishop of Rome, Pope Leo I.  He had many important contributions to the Church, but today I want to focus on a message from something I read recently—a letter commonly called “The Tome” that St. Leo wrote to Flavian, the Bishop of Constantinople.  In it, he defends the Church against a heresy that claimed Jesus to not be fully human.  He staunchly and beautifully describes the humanity and divinity of Jesus, united in one person y ..read more

“I feel my mission is soon to begin, to make others love God as I do, to teach others my ‘little way.’ I will spend my Heaven doing good upon earth.” ~ Saint Thérèse of Lisieux   My Story about the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux: When I arrived at St. John Paul II Seminary in 2018 many of my brother seminarians had a devotion to this little saint whom we celebrate today, St. Therese of Lisieux. At first, I didn’t know what to make of her. I figured that I already had a devotion to saints like Francis, Philomena, John Paul II, and others, so what need was there to get to know anothe ..read more

“Because zeal for your house has consumed me, I am scorned by those who scorn you.” Psalm 69:10   On September 10th, 1570, decades before the English established Jamestown, the first bearers of the Christian faith, the Spanish Jesuit Martyrs of Virginia, arrived in the land then known as Ajacán. This brief and largely unknown episode may appear as little more than a footnote in history but for us Catholic Virginians it stands as so much more for it marks the beginning of the ancient faith in Virginia. Through their sweat, tears, and indeed blood these long unheeded martyrs, whom we ough ..read more

This weekend of August 8, the Church celebrated the feast of St. Dominic and the 800th anniversary of this Spanish saint’s entry into eternal life.  St. Dominic is known for, amongst other things, founding the Order of Friars Preachers (the Dominicans) and spreading the praying of the rosary, sourced from our Blessed Mother.  As we reflect on his holiness, it is a fitting time to think about our own call to sanctity so that we can live our lives beautifully in the way God intends. Dominicans sometimes refer to their order’s founder as lumen ecclesiae, the light of the Church.  W ..read more

“Do you resolve to conform your way of life always to the example of Christ, of whose Body and Blood you are a minister at the altar?” This was one of the last questions that Bishop Knestout asked me at my diaconate ordination on May 22. To which I promised God and His Church, “I do, with the help of God.” The “Big Three” promises of the transitional diaconate is the promise to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the promise of permanent celibacy, and the promise of obedience and respect to the bishop and his successors. However, I found that this promise, to conform my life always to the example o ..read more