As I write this I am returning from a day spent in Jefferson City with 6th Graders from around the diocese listening to talks on Priestly and Religious vocations. Sr. Karen and I adequately represented the vocation to Religious Life. I spoke about the religious vocation that we all share. ... Continue

Today Christians in the United States celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus. What does not often receive proper explanation is the true significance of this action. Jesus ascends to Heaven. No big deal right? In reality the ascension concludes the Paschal Mystery of the death, resurrection, and ascension ... Continue

The obvious answer to that is: probably. Some of you have communicated as such. I believe there is a difference between being spiritually upset and spiritually bothered. I hope that over time I have spiritually bothered you. We all need to occasionally be stirred from our routines and the malaise of ... Continue

Recently I was meeting with someone who admitted they had issues with authority figures. While appreciating their honesty, I was a little afraid because in that particular situation I was an authority figure. I immediately thought, “Great, this relationship is already in jeopardy because this person has ‘authority’ issues.” The ... Continue

The Opening Prayer for the Second Sunday of Easter, also known as “Divine Mercy Sunday,” is as follows: “God of everlasting mercy, who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast, kindle the faith of the people you have made your own, increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed that all ... Continue

On behalf of the entire staff of St. Thomas More Newman Center, I want to wish each and every one of you a blessed Easter and my personal prayer that the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will enter your mind and heart filling you with the peace and ... Continue

The world welcomes the 266th successor of St. Peter: Pope Francis! Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio is from Buenos Aires, Argentina and is a member of the Jesuit Order. Supposedly, he was the runner up in the 2005 Conclave which elected Pope Benedict XVI, so in a way, it shouldn’t come as ... Continue

In my teaching days I taught a course titled “Government & Society.” In the course of the semester I would teach a section on the judiciary. We would review the amendments to the U.S. Constitution and look at Supreme Court cases which interpreted and often amplified the meaning of the law. One of ... Continue

The reality of ministry in a college setting is that students come and go. Just when you feel you have begun to know or connect with someone, four years go by and they graduate. I was used to this somewhat teaching high school six years. Students come and go. Occasionally, ... Continue

This classic line from the movie Cool Hand Luke has become an iconic phrase in expressing a breakdown in communication. Certainly, communication has improved technologically in the past 30 years. In just over a generation, we have progressed from letter writing to phones to emails and text messages. While many ... Continue