December 2017 Four County Catholic “Till He appear’d and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices” My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On this my fifteenth Christmas as your Bishop, I pray that the blessings and peace of the newborn Savior be yours in abundance and that you may k...

Read more...

November 2017 Four County Catholic My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As we approach the traditional season of Thanksgiving, so close to its place of origin, we find ourselves  facing persistent social justice challenges and troubling threats to personal and national security. By any measure, these are severely trying...

Read more...

October 2017 Four County Catholic My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:  The devastating storms that struck Texas, Louisiana, the Caribbean, Florida, Puerto Rico, and most recently the wildfires in California have impacted all our lives. We mourn the loss of precious life. We feel the pain of displaced families. We are s...

Read more...

September 2017 Four County Catholic My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:  The Holy Father’s message further explains that, “Unity grows along the way. It never stands still.” In these few plainly spoken words of wisdom, His Holiness, Pope Francis, captures the challenge and opportunity of our time. How...

Read more...

August 2017 Four County Catholic My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: A unifying theme this year in our charitable outreach to the most vulnerable among us has been “Our faith calls us to action.” That call draws us to the intensifying immigration crisis many families in our communities are facing. Let us take a ...

Read more...

June/July 2017 Four County Catholic My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Four days after the horrific act of terror in Manchester, England, that took the precious lives of twenty-two innocent victims, I was with the senior class of St. Bernard School at their graduation exercise. There, I found myself face to face with stude...

Read more...

May 2017 Four County Catholic My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Although it has now been several weeks since Easter Sunday, we are still very much in the middle of the continuing season of Eastertide.  Easter is such a joyous celebration of the foundation of the Christian faith, we sometimes need reminding that the celebr...

Read more...

April 2017 Four County Catholic My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Just recently, I happened to hear of a lecture to be given at a Catholic University, not that far from our Diocese, on the topic of "The Divided States of America." I have not had an opportunity to learn more about the speaker or the context of the lec...

Read more...

March 2017 Four County Catholic My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: It is hard to imagine a time of more intense public division over issues of national governance, morality, social justice, personal freedom, the sanctity of life and even the preservation of the earth our common home. These are times that bring us to a deep real...

Read more...

February 2017 Four County Catholic My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:  As we enter a new year together, we take pause to recognize, embrace and celebrate the increasingly diverse family that the Church has become. This is true across the Nation, and in our home diocese and parishes. We are blessed with an increasingly dive...

Read more...

January 2017 Four County Catholic My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: The blessing of the Christmas season remains very closely with us as we prepare ourselves for a new year in an anxious world. As we gather ourselves for what may lie ahead, we reflect with love and profound gratitude on the gift of salvation given to each of u...

Read more...