Today is the Anniversary of Pedro Arrupe, S.J.’s death. He was “the General” of the Jesuits during the changes of the Second Vatican Council and is one of my heroes. Not merely because of his great leadership of the society, but because of his great witness. During World War II Fr. Arrupe was serving in …
Category Archive: Saints
Feb
05
Dec
03
A St Joseph Advent Prayer
I held him in my arms While Mary rested Overwhelmed we were A long journey behind us A longer one in front of us I rested him in the wood of the manger with the itchy hay and a donkey eating his pillow now and again. The wood called to me Working with wood Is …
Dec
02
From the Archives: St. Joseph Who?
Fr. Jim McDermott, S.J. produced this short video with me playing the role of St. Joseph in 2008. I dug it up the other day and it still makes me laugh. And now St. Joseph is the patron saint of my parish in Buffalo. Enjoy and Happy Advent!
Nov
27
Not Dismissed So Easily
Cardinal Dolan is trying to champion the cause for Dorothy Day’s sainthood and score one more Catholic saint for the great city of New York, where Day founded the Catholic Worker, an organization that still exists today all over the world. Day once said that people shouldn’t call her “a saint”. “I won’t be dismissed …
Nov
01
For All the Saints: St. Alphonsus Rodriquez
My spiritual director, Bro. Chris Derby, S.J. informed me that October 31 is not merely Halloween, it is also the feast day of St. Alphonsus Rodriquez, S.J. the patron saint of Jesuit brothers. We don’t often hear much about Jesuits who are Brothers, but there are many around the world who are. I’ve known Bro. …
Oct
19
Happy Feast Day of the North American Martyrs
Today is the feast day of St. Isaac Jogues and his companions. Fr Jim Martin, SJ has a great post on these brave Jesuits who lived among the Huron Native Americans near Quebec in what was then known as New France. St. Isaac Jogues’ story is told more or less accurately in the movie Black …
Aug
15
Happy Birthday Julia Child and Happy Feast of the Assumption
It’s appropriate that Ms. Julia Child was born on a feast day! After all, the woman knew how to feast. But Ms. Child was not unlike Mary, the Mother of God. She really understood that cooking or more importantly “mealing” was a centerpiece of hospitality. Undoubtedly, Mary also passed that trait onto Jesus, who made …
Jun
14
Momently
I love St. Ignatius’ word “momently” which is sprinkled throughout the spiritual exercises. But do we believe what he believed? That God is creating us “momently.” That we are always being formed, converted, to God and to God’s love for us? It is a difficult and sometimes exhausting task to believe in this because we …
Mar
20
He Leadeth Me
One of the best religious books I’ve ever read was HE Leadeth Me, by Walter Cizsek, S.J. who was held prisoner in a Russian jail for 15 years as the rise of communism took hold on the land. Rightfully so, the man’s life is now being examined for sainthood: From the Deacon’s Bench: Since 1989, …
Dec
30
The Holy Family
So today is the feast of the Holy Family and I always end up thinking about how Joseph and Mary interacted with Jesus in tow. Joseph, the silent saint, who has no words recorded in all of scripture and Mary, who doesn’t have much more, are much like our modern day families. They have to …






Are We Friends?