Aren't they really 'Holy Days of Celebration?'
We need to change the way we think about holy days. I’ve been kicking around this idea for months; now is as good a time as any to go public with it. All Saints Day seems a perfect place on the calendar to effect this change. Will you join me in immediately considering it and ot...Read full story »
Monday, October 20, 2014
Odds and ends about unity across our diocese
Odds and ends – all founded in the concept of unity. This issue includes decrees announcing changes in alignment that are part of the ongoing parish reorganization. It IS that, of course – but it’s more. I’ve seen it first-hand. Parishes come together and,...Read full story »
Monday, September 22, 2014
A starry reminder that some things never change
Orion is back. I look forward to that constellation’s return to dark skies every year about this time for a variety of reasons. I enjoy the outdoors … fishing, hunting, camping, among other things; seeing “the hunter” for the first time means new seasons are on the wa...Read full story »
Monday, August 25, 2014
Really … it's not all about us
When it comes to our Church, our faith and our Mission as Catholics, we Americans need to stop being so self-centered. As the headline above suggests, it’s not all about us. Admittedly, there are more than 88 million of us Catholics in North America according to a Pew Research s...Read full story »
Monday, August 11, 2014
'Do not deprive yourself of the day's enjoyment'
In paragraph No. 4 of “Evangelii Gaudium,” his apostolic exhortation on the joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis recalls Sirach 14: 11, 14: “My child, treat yourself well, according to your means … Do not deprive yourself of the day’s enjoyment.” Lots of...Read full story »
Monday, July 28, 2014
'We are determined to share our faith'
Do you know where the headline above comes from? Someone on Facebook did, 15 minutes after I posted a “Pop Quiz” to The Message fan page. “We are determined to share our faith” is the last line of the Diocese of Evansville’s Mission Statement, deve...Read full story »
Monday, July 14, 2014
Let's celebrate writing gifts of two of our own
Managing Editor Mary Ann Hughes and regular contributor Greg Eckerle deserve our collective gratitude and congratulations. Hughes has been a rock in the diocesan communications office, and her writing talents have been recognized – again – by the Catholic Press Association of the...Read full story »
Monday, June 23, 2014
Looking at the 'why, who and what' of our online content
Why do we post Catholic content online? Who are we trying to reach? What’s our goal? I remember reading last fall about research conducted by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. Catholics surveyed told CARA that they got most of their new...Read full story »
Monday, June 09, 2014
3 words prevail during high school commencements
Recently, God blessed me with opportunities to attend all four of our Catholic high schools’ commencement ceremonies. At every event, three words prevailed; more about them soon. Hundreds of outstanding young men and women crossed stages and received their diplomas from Bishop C...Read full story »
Monday, May 26, 2014
'Playing the proud Papa' becomes me!
One of the neatest things I get to do these days is something I’ve come to call “playing the proud Papa.” And you – the diocesan family – are, collectively, the reason I get to do it. This kind of pride isn’t the sinful variety; at least, I don’t beli...Read full story »
Monday, May 12, 2014
