Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Years ago, while looking for new music to listen to, I stumbled upon an album by a Catholic artist named Burke Ingraffia. It was an interesting recording, spanning a variety of styles and had been recorded in New Orleans shortly before Hurricane Katrina. By the time the album was released, many of the collaborating artists had been displaced by the storm and had not returned to their home city to perform or record. This seemed to give the songs an extra layer of meaning. One of Burke’s songs, called “Give it Away” was about…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, One of my summer assignments as a seminarian was in a city parish with a relatively large immigrant population. I distinctly remember being stopped after a morning Mass by one of the laywomen who volunteered to help count the Sunday offertory collection. She handed me an envelope and said, “You need to see this.” Written on the envelope in Spanish were the words “I thank God for everything. This is my tithe.” In Spanish, the word for tithe can be more literally translated as “tenth.” In the envelope, were ten one-dollar bills. At first,…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport this weekend, parishes are being visited by missionaries from around the world. The second collection taken in each parish goes to support the missionary efforts of these heroic men and women who proclaim and live the Gospel around the world, often in challenging circumstances. I pray that this Sunday will be a tangible reminder of the unity of the Church throughout the world, will give us insight into the needs of our fellow Catholics in different countries, and will help us to grow in our own apostolic zeal for…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters, The familiar parable of the Good Samaritan we hear this weekend reminds us of the true meaning of charity. The figure of the Samaritan is striking not only because of his genuine care for the robbers’ victim, the aid he renders, or the way he cares for the man out of his own means, but because none of the people to whom Jesus spoke would ever expect a Samaritan to live with any kind of righteousness, generosity, or justice. We know that between Jews and Samaritans, no love was lost, the two peoples had nothing to…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, With Independence Day celebrations just behind us, the idea of freedom has been very much on my mind. In the spiritual life, we know that true freedom is a gift with which we are endowed by our Creator. We lose our freedom through sin. Because sin is contrary to God’s plan for us, contrary to our very nature, it actually becomes a limit on our freedom. Through a lively, healthy relationship with God, we find freedom from sin and that the appeal of sin begins to fade. Furthermore, as our love for Jesus Christ…read more