Another Capital Campaign?

Another Capital Campaign?

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 …

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Keeping the Faith

Keeping the 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 …

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Pastorate Survey: A Closer Look

Pastorate Survey: A Closer Look

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 …

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Becoming Coherent

Becoming Coherent

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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Vatican Declines Mass With Biden

Vatican Declines Mass With Biden

Catholic News Agency reported yesterday that the Biden entourage’s request to attend Mass with the Pope today has been nixed by the Vatican. A meeting with Pope was planned during Biden’s trip to Europe for the G7 Summit and will still take place. According to CNA: “President Biden, who is in Europe for several high level …

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This is Ambrose.

This is Ambrose.

Readers have noted that numerous bishops urged the USCCB to suspend its conversation on “Eucharistic Coherence.” One outcome of this conversation might have been the decision to direct bishops to look at their own flocks and possibly to withhold the Eucharist from high-placed Catholics who persistently, publicly, and proudly support the grave crime of abortion. …

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Stones.

Stones.

Missionary pastors are setting to work on a series of planning forms and worksheets with over 46 assessment / action points pertaining to the implementation of UIH. A recent communique to clergy from the diocese’s Office of Evangelization contained the following remarks & suggestions: I recognize some of the baggage associated with UiH among the …

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The End of the Dispensation

The End of the Dispensation

Today, Bishop Doherty posted the following statement on the diocese’s website: What are your thoughts, readers? Have you returned to Mass? What will it take to transition people back into regular participation in Mass?

Hinder Them Not

Hinder Them Not

As most of you are probably aware, this week the CDC & FDA issued a joint statement regarding a small number of cases in which recipients of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID vaccine experienced symptoms of serious blood clotting/thrombosis. The U.S., Australia and others have called for a pause in its usage. Clotting or side …

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Down in Adoration Falling

Down in Adoration Falling

Dear readers, A blessed Eastertide to you all. Returning from our scheduled break, we hope that you have been given the grace to be with the Lord through the mysteries of His passion, death & resurrection. By way of sharing an Easter treat, we urge you to take a look at the remarkable Apostolic Exhortation …

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Holy Week

Holy Week

Diocesan guidelines for the Holy Week liturgies have been released. The blue-gloved hand of COVID-mindedness has rifled through them and extracted numerous things considered not amenable to disease prevention. Some of these may make sense, others less so. Among the changes: there will be no procession of palms on Palm Sunday, nor will the people …

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Your Intentions

Your Intentions

Speaking with others, both Catholic and non-Catholic, it feels that this Lent may be a particularly difficult one for many. Some are afflicted by illness or anxiety, by practical worries or spiritual troubles. Some are suffering financial hardships or family difficulties. Others experience growing concern for the state of the country or the world. Some …

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Roe, Roe, Roe Your Boat

Roe, Roe, Roe Your Boat

“The only responsible response to that would be to pass legislation to make Roe the law of the land. That’s what I would do.” (Joe Biden) This afternoon, the Biden Administration began the follow-through of its promised sweeping abortion policy with the “Memorandum on Protecting Women’s Health at Home and Abroad,” which may be read …

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Abortion Joe

Abortion Joe

This week has brought an interesting scuffle in Church politics, as it became plain that U.S. prelates cannot bring themselves to state as a unified group that abortion needs to go, and that Catholics must not participate in it, even if they occupy the highest seat in the land. That’s a pretty low bar, yet …

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A Parable for the Mighty

A Parable for the Mighty

A parable for those in positions of authority, courtesy of Franz Kafka. Poseidon sat at his desk, doing figures. The administration of all the waters gave him endless work. He could have had assistants, as many as he wanted — and he did have very many — but since he took his job very seriously, he would in the …

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Petition to Keep Churches Open

Petition to Keep Churches Open

A reader reached out to share a plea to the bishops of Indiana, asking that they ensure churches are kept accessible to the Faithful and the sacraments made available in the event of any future lockdown scenarios: Your Excellencies, We, your spiritual children, are writing to urge you to resist any attempts to lock down …

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The Idea That Won’t Die.

The Idea That Won’t Die.

Writers sometimes speak of “zombie ideas,” notions and trends which, however terrible they are, just won’t go away. A recurring question at the diocese is: Should parishes, modelling themselves on the Divine Renovation-inspired plan utilized in places like the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in West Lafayette, be asked to place large electronic viewscreens in …

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Catholic, Inc.

Catholic, Inc.

That, we suppose, will have to be everyone’s consolation when the shake-ups, revamps and firings begin. Please take some time this week to pray the rosary for our diocese, for all those who make decisions, and for all the souls impacted by them.

The Folly

The Folly

Folly is a rich word in the English language. It can refer to anything from imprudent notions to “criminally foolish” behavior to unprofitable ventures. It can also describe an extravagant building project, something theoretically nice to have, but so very costly and largely useless that it is often a mistake. Are we creating our own …

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The McCarrick Report

The McCarrick Report

As many of you are reading, the McCarrick report was released today. (Commentary & full text here.) We have no doubt there is more scrutiny to be made. Many more takes and observations will be offered by commentators in the wake of this report. It’s not over until all who think and live like McCarrick …

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Reinstatement for Rothrock?

Reinstatement for Rothrock?

A formal announcement is expected regarding Fr. Theodore Rothrock, who has been serving out the suspension imposed by Bishop Timothy Doherty since July, following Rothrock’s sharp critique of the organizations BLM & ANTIFA. Bishop Doherty lifted the suspension on October 22 (incidentally the final day of our 9 Days of Prayer), allowing for Fr. Rothrock …

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9 Days of Prayer

9 Days of Prayer

The following litany is said to have been favored by Pope John Paul II from his seminary days. We invite readers to join with us for the next 9 days in reciting this for the bishops and priests who minister to us, especially those within our diocese. We ask for an increase of grace and …

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Minds and Money

Minds and Money

An important read from Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, who discusses a pattern involving the use of suspension & mandatory psych evaluations / treatments of priests by their bishops: Over the last few months I have been contacted by diocesan priests (and a religious) who were being sent by their bishops (superior) to be “evaluated” at one …

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Let Your Yes Be Yes.

Let Your Yes Be Yes.

We received multiple queries regarding the bishop’s October 4 column in the The Catholic Moment, “Frequently asked questions to keep in mind during this year’s elections.“ A reader writes: After reading the bishop’s column in the 10-4 -2020 issue of the Catholic Moment, I had several observations. I thought Bishop Doherty was being very selective …

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