Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It’s official; I can’t wait to have you all back in person for Mass. And yet at the same time, I have experienced in my own prayer a constant reminder from the Lord of the value of every single Mass, even those offered without a congregation. As concerns about containing the spread of this virus keep us home and separated by at least 6 feet, we also experience a real separation from the Eucharist. Though we can see Mass on TV or online and can unite our prayers in a very real way with…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The news of late has been dominated by coverage of the novel coronavirus and the various responses to the public health threat by government, schools, churches, and other institutions, especially those where people congregate in larger numbers. In our own Diocese of Bridgeport, Bishop Caggiano has issued some simple guidelines. Our bulletin last weekend contained a summary of those guidelines, and they are available in full on the diocesan website (www.bridgeportdiocese.org). For our purposes today, I would like to focus on three elements of contagion prevention and health preservation that are included in those…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Habits form us throughout our lives. Good habits, developed over the years, take root and positively influence much about our mentality, daily routine, life goals, and interpersonal relationships. Bad habits, by definition, wield a negative influence and are often very difficult to break. The spiritual life is as influenced by habit as any other aspect of human existence. Habit is formed by practice. Musicians learn at a young age to repeat scales, to sing or play in a particular way, and to do these things over and over again until they become second nature.…read more