Diary Entry #32: Walking with Mary Experience seems to suggest that there are two ways that people enter their twilight years: their bodies wear out, while their minds remain lucid; or their minds wear out while their bodies remain vivid. I have seen many examples of both. I offer two stories to illustrate these two…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #31 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #31
Diary Entry #31: Mr. Santa Clause Man This is not really a Christmas story. The event I am about to relate took place on a hot summer day, as I recall. But because it involves an inner-city character that my parochial vicar at the time and I called Mr. Santa Clause Man, it comes to…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #30 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #30
Diary Entry #30: A Christmas Story For most of us Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. For a parish priest it can be the most burdensome time of the year. I will not pretend to speak for other priests, but only for myself. I do not look forward to Christmas in the…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #29 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #29
Diary Entry # 29 The Mysterious Case of the Missing Dish Soap: a lesson in communication. At all the parishes in which I have lived and served there has been a cleaning lady who visits the rectory at regular intervals. In no way do I intend to disparage the work of these ladies by recounting…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #28 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #28
Diary Entry #28: Trees and Treehouses I have always loved trees. There is something about them that draws me to them. They are impressive, stately, majestic. They are silent unless the wind causes their leaves to rustle. Untouched by original sin and concupiscence, they don’t ask for anything. They don’t complain. They don’t need to…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #27 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #27
Diary Entry #27: The Annual Bishop’s Appeal Being a pastor has its advantages and its disadvantages. To make things clear to those who may not be familiar with the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church, a bishop is the priest responsible for an entire diocese, a pastor is the priest responsible for a parish church,…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #26 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #26
Diary Entry #26: Votive Candles (The Guy Who Lit All the Candles) Most Catholics, and even some non-Catholics, enjoy the practice of visiting the church to “light a candle for someone”. The phrase “to light a candle for someone” indicates one’s vow to pray for that person (thus, the name “votive candle” from the Latin…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #25 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #25
Diary Entry #25: The Cassock Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of being a diocesan priest is that we are often asked to take new assignments. This requires moving, leaving behind a familiar situation (good or not so good), and starting over somewhere else. The difficulty can be exacerbated by many factors. One of…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #24 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #24
Diary Entry #24: Driving Miss Sanchez (Part 2) During my five years as an inner-city high school chaplain and teacher I had the privilege and pleasure of getting to know hundreds of teenagers. The Sanchez girls were a pair of my favorite students in sophomore Scripture class one semester. They were fraternal twins whose personalities…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #23 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #23
Diary Entry #23: Driving Miss Sanchez (Part 1) In my days as an inner-city Catholic high school chaplain and teacher I was frequently confronted with situations that had no simple nor perfectly “safe” solution. I had to do what I thought was best for my kids at any given moment, in accord with, or despite…
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