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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.

World Day of the Poor

Today Pope Leo revealed the theme for the 10th World Day of the Poor to be observed November 15, 2026. He started with the opening line of Psalm 14: “The Lord is the refuge of the poor,” noting that those words were written in a dramatic period of Israel’s history when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. They “felt deprived of God’s presence and experienced unprecedented material and moral misery.” Pope Leo then suggested the poor in our time experience the same feelings.

St. Augustine Church

I had mass at St. Augustine before but it was fifty-plus years ago when our Catholic Deaf Office used a classroom in this St. Augustine School for our ministry office after the school had been closed.

Modern Poverty

Fratelli Tutti #21

21. Some economic rules have proved effective for growth, but not for integral human development. Wealth has increased, but together with inequality, with the result that “new forms of poverty are emerging”. The claim that the modern world has reduced poverty is made by measuring poverty with criteria from the past that do not correspond to present-day realities. In other times, for example, lack of access to electric energy was not considered a sign of poverty, nor was it a source of hardship. Poverty must always be understood and gauged in the context of the actual opportunities available in each concrete historical period. ~ Pope Francis

St. Meinrad Assembly

Thursday

Today was an abbreviated day: a session with the archbishop, a closing liturgy, and then lunch and departure.

The Monte Casino chapel about a mile from the archabbey. It’s used for seasonal celebrations and for events with visiting church groups.

At each gathering with the priests, Archbishop Shelton always has an open session in which anyone can ask anything or comment on current issues. The archbishop is a good listener and promises an answer soon if he can’t provide one off the top of his head.

Karen Shadle is head of the Office of Worship for the archdiocese and she attended the assembly to provide really wonderful music each day, in addition to liturgical materials prepared in advance. For each of the liturgies she was assisted by a choir of seminarians.

On flat land near the highway, the archabbey has created a solar farm more than an acre in size.

St. Meinrad Assembly

Wednesday

The first arrivals for the breakfast buffet.

Mr. Robert Feduccia speaking to some of the group after his presentation on ministering to the 18 to 30 year old age group.

A ministerial axiom is that laughter creates trust and this day’s activities ended with a version of Family Feud.

St. Meinrad Assembly

Tuesday

David Shellenberger giving a wonderful presentation on priests’ physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

Discussing the Shellenberger talk during the break.

At the liturgy before lunch, Archbishop Shelton offered the sacrament of the sick to those who sought healing.

For the afternoon session, Fr. Eugene Hensell, OSB, a noted scripture scholar from St. Meinrad, spoke about the different pictures of St. Paul that appear in his writings.

St. Meinrad Assembly

Monday

The first official act of the assembly was the group photo, always taken on the front steps of the seminary building.

Before supper there was a social gathering where the guys could reunite with friends and meet the new clergy in the diocese.

A special part of the social was the introduction of the seminarians of the diocese, those who are studying to replace us older priests.

I ate dinner with Thomas, one of the seminarians I had not met before. He is studying at St. Meinrad.

The first business session of the assembly was an update on the diocesan reorganization by Mr. Brian Reynolds, the chancellor of the archdiocese.

St. Meinrad Assembly

Monday

Every year the priests of Louisville have an assembly at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana, 90 miles from Louisville. Today Fr. Roy Stiles and I drove there after lunch, with our bicycles in the back of his truck.

The last half of the trip is through the Hoosier National Forest and it was a special delight for me to experience the woodlands again. I missed the forests when I was in Cambodia.