In our last post, which took the form of an annual survey, readers’ answers made clear that there is much concern with the direction in which our diocese is proceeding. With that comes a lot of angst. How does one remain steadfast to what he believes is true, obedient to the extent that that is …
It’s that time! We now have experienced three years of our diocese taking its new direction via the Uniting in Heart Pastoral Plan. Each year, we’ve checked in with readers to ask how are things progressing. Take a minute to answer our poll. Finally, please use the Comments Section to answer the following or to …
Over the past several months, diocesan meetings have produced the following plan for changes at parish and pastorate level to be implemented immediately – June 29. An accompanying letter by a member of diocesan staff celebrates effusively the Uniting in Heart plan: “While growing pains were felt, the fruits of those changes have transformed our …
Today the priests of the diocese gather with Bishop Doherty between 10:00 and 4:30 to determine “how to move forward” as a diocese. We ask readers to be spiritually attentive to this today. We would ask those involved in these plans to recall their people and the Church’s directives quoted in our last post. St. …
Our last post addressed the need for prayer as our bishop and clergy met to determine how to move forward given the loss of priests in active ministry. The initial meeting on this topic took a different turn, with many clergy speaking on difficulties with UiH and within the presbyterate. A follow-up meeting turned to …
Someone quoted to me recently the words of a famous thinker: “No one can be a man unless his father has died.” The thought is attributed to Freud, with clarification by Jung that such a death may occur symbolically. In this conception, something new is born, painfully but of necessity, from this death: the end …
Last year, leading up to the feast day of Pope St. John Paul II on October 22, we invited readers to join with us for 9 days of prayer for the priests of Jesus Christ, using the following litany which Pope St. John Paul loved from his youth. It’s time to do so again, and …
We have now completed the Second Year of the diocesan Uniting in Heart Plan. What has your experience been? Let us know your answers to these questions:
Back from a little hiatus and hope readers have been well. First: We have so much to be thankful for in the overturning of Roe v. Wade decision on June 17. God has opened a door, both for greater legal protections of for the sanctity of life, and for governance at lower levels than the …
Rumors that the Supreme Court may well strike down the Roe v. Wade ruling broke late yesterday, an event that would return to the States the decision of whether or to what extent to protect abortion under the law. Immediate protests and meltdown videos ensued. Rage erupted over social media, calls for taking to the …
“One of the great and essential tasks of our evangelization is, as far as we can, to establish habitats of Faith and, above all, to find and recognize them.” “[It] is rather obvious that we do not need another Church of our own design. Rather, what is required first and foremost is the renewal of …
We begin Lent with a particularly somber spirit this year, hearing troubling reports of violence and war. Dark times and moments of crisis can be the making of great leaders, great saints. One example of remarkable love & courage is Bishop Yaroslav Pririz of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. It’s being widely reported that Bishop Pririz …
Diocesan clergy met this week in conference with Bishop Doherty. Some frank & intense discussion on the subject of the liturgy ensued. Reportedly, some of the clergy expressed a wish or calling to minister better to the numerous young people, including college students and young couples with children, who are traditional in their spirituality & …
A December 30, 2021 memo from the bishop offers “A Year’s End Peek into 2022.” If you’re curious what the Listening Church(TM) will be up to, here you go: Pastoral Vision Plans (PVP): As I continue to review these drafts I am encouraged by your diligent efforts. I can hear echoes within the Uniting in …
As the year ends, we wanted to take a moment to thank those who have taken the time to read, discuss, and share their experiences in our diocese. Many of these conversations are difficult to have. Your response has solidified our belief that we need to continue having them. We’ve learned there are many more …
Readers may appreciate this recent post by Fr. Dwight Longenecker, in which he offers an even-handed assessment of the trend of restructuring dioceses: how we got here, and what problems the restructuring strategies are meant to solve. Fr. Longenecker takes the frequently-used “maintenance vs. mission” language so often employed, extracting the aspects about which most …
Your priest can tell you of an October 1 missive from the chancery in which our bishop shared his unhappiness that even more people than before the pandemic appear to be receiving communion on the tongue, and how they ought to be pressured to stop. This is not just because of COVID any more, but …
A reader sent us a Facebook post today from the page of the well known Dr. Janet E. Smith: Well. This is wretched, but predictable. Looks like we have to drag out our friends The Simpsons once again: You can, if you wish, dig through the back issues of The Catholic Moment to see how …
Readers may recall last week, when President Biden, outraged that the state of Texas had limited abortion access, decried the law as depriving people of their constitutional rights and preventing them from making their own medical choices. That principle did not carry over into his address this evening, as his administration now seeks to institute …
This week, Texas became the first state to enact a law–thus far unchallenged by the Supreme Court–whereby abortions are not permitted after detectable cardiac activity in the unborn child. The law further permits civil suits against entities continuing the practice in spite of the ban. President Biden, who has been running the country largely by …
We have now completed first year of diocesan reorganization under the Uniting in Heart Pastoral Plan. We would like to get your thoughts on this first year, since surveys are apparently all the rage. First, take our poll: If you want to elaborate on your answer, drop us a comment that addresses one or more …
Arrangements are underway for the diocese to identify new and larger sources of funding than the Catholic Ministries Appeal can provide. According to Bishop Doherty, this will enable the Church to take care of the needs of the next generation and to promote the priorities “that will enable us to continue living out our faith …
Catholics have had a great deal to process the past few weeks. Some of it was best processed in quiet, in prayer, and in the counsel of wiser souls. What can we observe of recent weeks? As the Pope’s moto proprio severely restricting the Mass in its extraordinary form appeared on the scene, we heard …
Readers may recall being asked to complete surveys as a part of UiH. Over time, we received some feedback from our readers with respect to these, and as the information gathered from these surveys is compiled, developed into action plans and implemented by the leadership teams of the pastorates, it may be helpful to take …
Readers following the USCCB saga will no doubt have learned that yesterday the bishops overwhelmingly voted to move ahead with their plans to begin a Eucharistic teaching document, approving the plan 168-55 (with six abstaining from the vote.) Debate over this at USCCB gives one a glimpse at what is at play, with an attempt, …
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