Category: Church

The Catholic Church in Cambodia.

Care for Creation

Laudato Si’ challenges us to “hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” through ecological conversion, changes in lifestyle and society, and strong political action. What are Catholic Christians to do? I offer the following suggestions:

1. REFLECT on the miracle of the natural world and your place in it and PRAY that you might be intentional in her care.

Pope Leo and the U.S.

From the UCAN news service

Meeting reporters outside his villa in Castel Gandolfo Nov. 18, 2025, Pope Leo said, “No one has said that the United States should have open borders,” adding: “I think every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter.”

However, immigration policy should “look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have.”

Mary Queen of Peace Parish

Today I had mass at Mary Queen of Peace parish and it was delightful. First, I bicycled there, about 9 miles, partly to test how uncomfortable I would get in the really warm weather we’re having. I forced myself to go slower than usual and it turned out OK. Second, Mary Queen of Peace is in the area of Angela Merici High School where I taught and two sisters–twins–who were in my class there introduced themselves. Meeting the former Angela Merici High School girls, now grandmothers, has been one of the joys of my return. These sisters had learned sign language and rode with me to the Kentucky School for the Deaf.

AUSCP Conference

One of the best parts of the conference of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests last week was renewing old friendships and making new ones.

Bishop John Stowe, OFM, bishop of Lexington, Kentucky, and I became acquainted three or four years ago when I contacted him about some of his positions on major issues of social justice. He is one of the bright lights of the U.S. hierarchy, a real Pope Francis bishop.
A new friend I discovered at the conference is Anna Robertson, attending as a presenter for Discerning Deacons, a group advocating for women in ministry, especially as deacons. And she is more than a friend. I learned she is my first cousin twice removed!
Another previous friend at the conference was Sr. Kathy Duffy, SSJ, who presented a commentary on the theology of Fr. Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit whose thought is receiving new interest in the present day. Kathy and I first became acquainted years ago when she was a retreat leader for the Maryknollers who gathered in Hua Hin, Thailand each year.
Bishop Stowe was not the only member of the hierarchy at the conference. The bishop of Rome also made an appearance.

AUSCP Conference

Wednesday-Thursday

[There were Internet problems in St. Louis on Thursday and also in Louisville that night so I was not able to post. Sorry about that!]

Prayer and reflection were a big part of this conference.
Wednesday evening there was a final banquet in which four priests and bishops were honored for their really outstanding pronouncements and actions to promote the church envisioned by Vatican II.
After the banquet, the six of us from Louisville got together to discussion how we could continue advancing ideas that came from this conference.
Thursday morning was given to two colloquium sessions in which a topic or issue was presented and discussed. In my first session Fr. Joe Graffis (L) gave an overview of Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas which has an important message for our times. My second colloquium was with Ms. Anna Robertson, my first cousin twice-removed, who presented on the diaconate and ministry for women.

AUSCP Conference

Tuesday

This was the first full working day of this conference and the focus was on immigration. In the morning tge speaker was Fr. Dan Groody, CSC, a vice president and professor of immigration theology at Notre Dame. He has worked with the United Nations, the US Catholic Bishops conference, the Vatican, and the US.Congress. He gave a lot for the table groups to discuss.
On one of my elevator trips when I was alone, I tried capturing the effect of mirrors on the elevator walls.
In the evening we had a panel on immigration activity in St. Louis. While we were waiting to begin, we had a special visitor who stopped by.
The panel of four was composed of an immigration attorney, a representative of five parishes working together on immigration, a member of a rapid response team, and a minister for another church group. All are part of the Catholic Church’s immigration activity in St. Louis.

AUSCP Conference

Monday
Dr. Damian Zynda, a trainer of spiritual directors, had led prayers and a contemplative process each day. Really excellent!
The men who are at this conference are active priests who take issues of social justice seriously and have strong opinions.
Even in the breaks there is a lot of discussion and planning taking place.
The liturgies have been interesting and engaging, probably because of the activist personalities of the priests here.
The meals here have been excellent also!

AUSCP Conference

Sunday

The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests is an organization founded fifteen years ago to create a bond and unity among U.S. priests and to support the implementation of the documents from the Second Vatican Council sixty years ago. This year the conference is in St. Louis and six priests from Louisville are attending.

Here Frs. Joe Graffis (L), Ben Brown, and Jim Graf register for the conference after the 4+ hour drive from Louisville.
We arrived after dinner time so a first priority was to eat at the hotel restaurant. (L-R): Frs. Graf, Graffis, Brown, and Terry Bradshaw.

A change in ministers

Today the Archdiocese of Louisville had a gathering to recognize three people finishing up their terms as leaders in the diocese. Two priests, the vicars of clergy and of vocations, are moving to new positions, and Annette Turner (above) is stepping down as the director of the Office of Multi-Cultural Ministries. I knew Annette 40+ years ago when our Catholic Deaf Office was located in the old school building at St. Augustine Church, her parish, and it was good to see her again after so many years of her service.