Friars host 5,000-7,000 Pilgrims

I recently had the Joy and Privilege to preach a 9-day novena to Our Lady of Consolation, which finished with an outdoor Mass with 5,000 – 7,000 worshipers on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. Every year the Friars of Our Lady of Consolation Province, host the novena and outdoor Mass at our Basilica…

Francis “Go and Repair My House…”

St. Bonaventure tells us that when Francis first heard the San Damiano Crucifix say to him three times: “Francis go and repair my house which, as you see, is all falling down,” Francis at first responded by “Repairing the material church,” in which the San Damiano Cross was, but in fact the “Principal intention of…

Have you considered a one year Volunteer Adventure?

I recall a former work colleague who was from Israel, and shared that it was mandatory that everyone serve two years in the military. He would often share of the many good memories of working with others, and how that has a way of uniting the whole country.  (He was fortunate enough to have not…

Will God Give Me a Sign?

I’ve asked God for a sign, to tell me if He wants me to be a priest, or a brother, or to get married. I am still waiting…. I do hear this from many discerning a vocation to priesthood or religious life. In this post, I’d like to explore the question; “Will God give us…

Why Give Up the Joy of Begetting a Child?

“I am discerning between getting married or being a religious” is a phrase I often hear from men I talk to. In the end, these are not as different as they seem! Theologically, we speak of marriage as both unitive and creative. Let’s look at each of these: Unitive In marriage, the two give of…