October/November 2022 Four County Catholic Go into the Whole World and Proclaim the Gospel   My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, We are fortunate to live in New England. One of the highlights of living in New England is the change of seasons. Each season offers us something unique and different for which to look forwa...

Read more...

September 2022 Four County Catholic I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Maintaining the dignity of life through its entire earthly journey is one of the essential callings of our beliefs. At the core, it defines our Catholic faith and who we are –– sons and daughters of a lovin...

Read more...

August 2022 Four County Catholic Sowing Seeds “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11   My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Many people have influence on the direction o...

Read more...

June/July 2022 Four County Catholic The Catholic School Tradition My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,    As another school year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting with deep concern and hope. Concern, because there is an assault on education around the world. Hope, because I have witnessed the jo...

Read more...

May 2022 Four County Catholic "Peace be with You" My dear brothers and sisters in the risen Lord: One of the greatest and most meaningful signs of Jesus’ Resurrection is His empty tomb.  Tombs are meant for the dead; they are not places where the living reside. However, Jesus’ tomb is very different. ...

Read more...

April 2022 Four County Catholic Model of Compassion My dear brothers and sisters in Christ: As our Lenten preparation continues, we contemplate Jesus’s overwhelming compassion in the ultimate act of divine love – laying down His life for our salvation. His actions throughout scripture provide us with a model of how to...

Read more...

March 2022 Four County Catholic You Are the Light of the World My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, The Holy Season of Lent invites us to extend ourselves in preparation for Easter through prayer, fasting, and charity – The Three Pillars of Lent. These pillars, or practices, help us contemplate God’s overwhelmin...

Read more...

February 2022 Four County Catholic Called to the Joy of Love My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, A faithful marriage is a re-creation in time and space of Jesus’ love for His people, the Church. Selfless love, which is the core of the Gospel message, is truly the very heart of marriage.  World Marriage Day, obse...

Read more...

January 2022 Four County Catholic 'What the World Needs Now...' Those of you who were around in the 1960s may recognize the above as the opening line of a popular song and may easily be able to complete the lyric. “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of...

Read more...

December 2021 Four County Catholic Christmas Message 2021 “And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, These words speak to us, in a beautifully po...

Read more...

November 2021 Four County Catholic Lord of Love “They will fight with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” Revelation 17:14 My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, You can tell that it is Autumn in New England by...

Read more...

October 2021 Four County Catholic Respect Life, Always My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, October is Respect Life Month. The theme this year is Saint Joseph, Defender of Life. In this year of Saint Joseph, we recall how Joseph protected the infant Jesus and His mother Mary. In his apostolic letter, “With a Father&rsquo...

Read more...

September 2021 Four County Catholic Confident in Our Faith My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Inspiration can come to us in many ways. Sometimes the source of inspiration can surprise us. I had such a moment recently. While Storm Ida was rattling the windows of my office and I was praying for the people of New Orleans, I rec...

Read more...

August 2021 Four County Catholic Be Not Afraid My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Fear is often the default state of human nature, especially when it comes to the unknown. Whether spoken by angels, or the Lord Himself, God, through His Word, assures us countless times to not be afraid. It has been echoed throughout the hi...

Read more...

June/July 2021 Four County Catholic United in Hope My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Recently I was thinking of my dear friend, Monsignor Brown, who only a few short years ago was suddenly called from us to eternal rest. He believed that through the strength of faith “we live in hope.” His words were never more ...

Read more...

May 2021 Four County Catholic Behold, Your Mother   Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Risen Lord, Spring is here. A time for us to witness rebirth in the blossoming flowers and trees. Another form of rebirth occurred at Easter Vigil Masses in churches across the world. I pray that everyone who entered into our spiritual...

Read more...

February 2021 Four County Catholic The Humility of Dust My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Lent is nearly upon us. It begins with a simple mark of ashes on our forehead and a reminder of our own mortality. “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) Lent 2021 is a severely challe...

Read more...

January 2021 Four County Catholic A Beauty in Broken Things My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,   I recently saw a photograph of a broken piece of pottery that had been repaired by filling in the cracks with a mixture of lacquer and powdered gold. The process is called Kintsugi or “golden joinery”. The...

Read more...

December 2020 Four County Catholic Christmas Message 2020 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone. ” Isaiah 9:1 My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,   These words of the prophet Isaiah, taken from the first reading proclai...

Read more...

November 2020 Four County Catholic A Christian is a Missionary of Hope   My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, As we approach this Thanksgiving, we find ourselves challenged on many fronts.  Political and social unrest is in our streets and in the media. We are hindered in our normal way of life by a pandemic t...

Read more...