Blog - March 2014 RSS Feed

Cardinal Dolan’s Homily for Laetare Sunday.

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

This comes to you from Alaska ! I joked at Mass last Sunday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral that I was going to a place with a milder winter climate than New York City! The Archbishop of Anchorage, Roger Schweitz, and the Bishop of Juneau, Ed Burns – – both good friends and exemplary apostles – – had invited me a couple years ago.

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

Third Sunday of Lent

Saturday of the Second Week of Lent

Friday of the Second Week of Lent

This time of the year, these forty days of preparation for Holy Week and Easter, I often hear folks over fifty-five or so reminisce about how Lent “used-to-be.” “Remember the tuna casseroles and grilled cheese sandwiches?” “I used to long for Sunday when I could have a piece of the candy I had given-up for Lent.” “Did I ever love the Stations of the Cross on Friday.” “Remember how tough it was not to eat between meals?” “I can still recall dad reminding us to make a good confession before Easter.” “Mom used to love her sodality meetings, and dad his night of cards and a couple beers at the Holy Name evenings at the parish, but those were all cancelled during Lent.” “Remember the ‘rice bowl’ to help feed the starving sitting on the kitchen table where we’d put our pennies saved from buying treats.” “And remember how we used to so enjoy Easter, after forty days of sacrifice and penance; it was like we were entering a new life and the sun of spring with Jesus risen.” A lot of that these days, what I call “used-to-be Lent.” Because, I wonder if we’ve lost it .

Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

March 19th

Monday’s our feast day, everybody. As a child, I grew up in a parish with a lot of Irish Americans, with a pastor whose folks came from Co. Tipperary, and wonderful Sisters of Mercy from Drogheda, Co. Louth, who taught us.

Cardinal Dolan’s homily at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

First Sunday of Lent message

Saturday after Ash Wednesday Lenten message

Cardinal Dolan’s Friday message after Ash Wednesday

Cardinal Dolan reflects on the beginning of Lent, a 40 day season of prayer and penitence in preparation for Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ.

George Weigel writes in the Wall Street Journal about a wonderful tradition in Rome…that is undertaken by Americans! (It was begun by seminarians and student-priests from the Pontifical North American College…where I used to be stationed.)

Here is a timely and informative editorial from the New York Post on the plight of Arab Christians that I thought you should read: There, an offshoot of al Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), has forced local Christians to submit to a treaty that grants them protection in exchange for paying a tax in gold and giving up public displays of their faith.