 For the past five years, I have had the privilege of working full-time in high school ministry. I often hear people say, “That’s so great that you are working with the future of the Church”. For the longest time, this statement didn’t sit well with me. I recently figured out why: young people are not the future of the Church, they are the Church. I have learned during this privileged time of ministry that there is great HOPE and JOY to be found in the young Church today. St. John Bosco is the patron saint of youth - and for good reason! At the centenary of his death, John Paul II named him “Father and Teacher of Youth”. At one point during his ministry, St. John Bosco ran a home which housed over eight hundred young men and he worked tirelessly to promote their dignity. His love for the Eucharist and steadfast promotion of the mercy of Jesus serve as examples for all of us working in ministry. I’ve received a glimpse over these last several years of what St. John Bosco tells us with his life: there is great hope and joy to be found in following Jesus and in sharing that joy with others. The “Father and Teacher of Youth” is famous for saying, Servite Domino in laetitia!, which is Latin for “Serve the Lord joyfully”. In any of our apostolic endeavors, it is crucial that we lead with joy. With everything going on in our world and Church, it can be all too easy to fall into despair - to question or wonder where God is. In the young people I have the privilege of working with, I have seen God’s hand everywhere. I have seen His hand in the ways that they encounter the heart of God for the first time; I have seen it when they grow in communion with each other; and I have seen it when they choose hope over the lies of this world. It is our great privilege to not only share the hope that is to be found in living for Christ— whether in the young Church or elsewhere—but also our responsibility to proclaim the joy of the Gospel. I am grateful for all that the young people I work with have taught me and count myself as privileged to learn what it means to live a life filled with Christian hope and joy. St. John Bosco, pray for us! **At the closing Mass of World Youth Day in Panama, Pope Francis also discussed the role of the young Church and their mission "now." “Not tomorrow but now”, he said. “Realize that you have a mission and fall in love”, Click here to continue reading. For more resources to learn about World Youth Day, please click here. *This repost was originally published January 1, 2019.*
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 “What do you seek?” (John 1:38). Jesus once asked this question to some of His first disciples, and the Church, through her saints, has responded to this question time and time again throughout history. Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of her most famous intellectuals, St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Thomas is perhaps most well known for his contribution to theology in his Summa Theologiae. However, great mind though he was, he was first and foremost a son of God by his baptism. St. Thomas knew that everything throughout his life was entirely secondary to fostering this relationship and growing in deeper love for the Lord. As a student in college, it can be very easy to lose sight of this. There is a real temptation to put academics, extracurriculars, and friends before God and the relationship that I am called to have with Him. When I find myself putting God second, I turn to the example of St. Thomas Aquinas to see how things should be properly ordered. He could never have written his great Summa, or anything for that matter, if he did not first have prayer. For St. Thomas, time spent before the Lord in the Eucharist was of infinitely greater value than time spent writing or studying within his cell, because everything first had to flow out of prayer. From St. Thomas, I know that if I am going to be a better student, or a better man at all, I must first begin with prayer; I must first adore the Lord. Here again the example of St. Thomas Aquinas shines forth. As much as he was a great theologian, he was also a great poet, composing great the Eucharistic hymns which the Church still treasures. At adoration, when the Holy Hour begins and ends, I know that the O Salutaris Hostia and the Tantum Ergo are from St. Thomas. And like St. Thomas, I know that I should remain focused on the Eucharistic Lord, more than the words I sing. God is the end that we must pursue, not only in worship, but in all areas of our lives. Apart from God, nothing really seems important at all. While his great Summa was still unfinished, St. Thomas Aquinas had a vision, a great mystical experience. Afterwards, he refused to write anything further, and he claimed that all of his writings were now only straw. This does not mean that his theology was bad or of no use to the Church, but rather that everything he wrote and accomplished was entirely insignificant to the full glory of God. The idea that the things we work for in life, everything we love, is insignificant when compared to God can seem paralyzing. After all, what is the point of all our work if it is just straw? On the contrary, rather than paralyzing, I find this to be extremely motivating. Knowing where everything in our lives stands in relation to God makes us realize how everything we do can be a means to greater sanctification and holiness, pursuing the ultimate goal of God Himself in heaven. Once St. Thomas Aquinas had gotten a glorious taste of that end in this life, how could everything not seem like straw? This life of prayer, adoration, sacred study, and growth in holiness can be perfectly summed up in the words of St. Thomas Aquinas himself. In another vision, it is recorded that he saw the crucified Christ and heard him say “You have written well of me, Thomas. What reward will you receive from me for your labor?” And St. Thomas simply responded, “Lord, nothing but you.” My devotion to St. Thomas Aquinas has grown greatly during my time in college, not only because I attribute my philosophy papers to his intercession, but also because his whole life was focused solely on nothing but the Lord. And this life was lived to the fullest. Many still speak of his virtue, thousands across the world pray for his intercession every day, and the Church still rejoices in the fruits of his labor. With such an example to celebrate today, we can only wonder about what fruits can come from all of us seeking nothing but the Lord.
  When you hear the word “conscience,” what comes to mind? I asked some friends over the holidays. One said “sin,” and another said “thoughts.” Some other responses were “psychology,” “clear,” “voluntary,” “morality,” “compass,” “truth,” “educated,” and “integrity.” Are any of these words similar to yours? It is a good sampling. It is noteworthy that, out of ten people, there were no duplicates. It was a joy to teach Pastoral Theology at the Dominican House of Studies. The seminarians challenged me to define my terms. I use the Merriam-Webster Dictionary on my phone. “Conscience” is a noun with three meanings. First, a consciousness of moral goodness of one’s conduct, the power encouraging good action, or the superego that commands the ego. Second, conformity to the morally good. Third, a regard for fairness. “Conscience,” has Latin roots, meaning “to be conscious of guilt.” Conscience is a tenet of our Catholic faith (see Catechism 1776-1802). I believe conscience is misunderstood, under appreciated, and far more important to our spiritual, moral, and communal life than we realize. Perhaps this year, as we enter the Jubilee Year as Pilgrims of Hope, we can reclaim, explore, and cultivate our conscience. Conscience is our direct access to the mind and heart of God. When we engage our conscience, we turn our gaze within. We move past our distractions, worries, ambitions, hopes, and even our sins. We begin to gaze, however imperfectly, like the moonlight on a cloudy night, at God who is being itself. The burning bush Moses turned “aside to look at” (Exodus 3:3), burns within each of us because God, the Almighty, creator of all that is seen and unseen, knew us even before we were “formed in the womb” (Jeremiah 1:5). Confession is good for the soul. I must confess that I am only beginning to see “this remarkable sight” (Exodus 3:3). Images help me. Consider this photograph. At first, it was just a curiosity. I went outside early in the morning to see and photograph our first winter snow. As I turned to go back into the house, I noticed this cascading dance into light. I am drawn to the shadows that are slowly illuminated by tiny lights– the steady march of “frames” made by each porch, getting brighter with more lights, until a distant frame ends with a burst of light. When we pause to know ourselves in the depths of our own being, we “rise above the whole universe of mere objects” (Gaudium et Spes, 14). When we are drawn to think about our real self, we turn to those deep recesses of our being “where God who probes the heart” awaits us. Emerging from the shadows, one frame at a time, we move closer and closer to the light. None of us remember our conception. There was a moment when we did not “exist” in time and space and then we did. The modern sciences have helped us understand, first the biology, and more recently, the genetics of conception. Nevertheless, we are more than just bodies. God speaks, and we are created. There are moments in our spiritual lives when we are known– and we know we are known by the infinite love of God. Our Jewish sisters and brothers will talk about “Hineni,” which means “Here I am.” According to Rosie Yanowitch, “Hineni is a declaration: it requires an awareness of the space in time that you inhabit and a commitment to engage with your full self. It is declared despite fear and ambiguity.” (Jewish Women’s Archive). This is conscience. Where we stand before God who created us. Here we decide our destiny. This happened to Moses. As God reveals himself to Moses, he also reveals Moses to himself. “Moses, Moses,” the Lord calls out to him who responds, “Here I am.” God goes on to say, “Now, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10). It was on Mount Horeb, but also in Moses’s conscience, that God reveals himself, establishes a covenant, gives Moses purpose, claims Israel as “his people,” and begins their liberation. Conscience is a burning bush within us. It is here, like Moses, where we stand before God. “Here I am.” My real self. In the deep recesses of our being. Where God awaits. It is our choice. We can walk into the shadows to find God waiting for us, or we can turn away and get lost in what Pope Francis has called a “multiplicity of desires” (Lumen Fidei, 13).
 “Seek God and you will find God. Seek God in all things and you will find God in all things. Seek God always and you will find God always.” -St. Vincent Pallotti As pilgrims of hope in this Jubilee Year for the Church and for the Pallottine Family, we go forth seeking God and assisting others in doing the same. This was the vision of St. Vincent Pallotti to revive faith, rekindle charity, and form apostles. He was inspired 190 years ago on January 9, 1835, to found an association of lay people, religious, and clergy who would do these things. He called it the Union of Catholic Apostolate. Today, within the Union there are congregations of priests and brothers and sisters, communities of lay people, as well as individual members who are clergy, religious, and laity. “The Union of Catholic Apostolate, a gift of the Holy Spirit, is a communion of the faithful who, united with God and with one another in accordance with the charism of St. Vincent Pallotti, promote the co-responsibility of all the baptized to revive faith and rekindle charity in the Church and in the world, and to bring all to unity in Christ” (UAC, General Statutes, 1). The Catholic Apostolate Center takes its inspiration from St. Vincent Pallotti and his vision of the Union of Catholic Apostolate. We assist in forming the baptized as apostles or missionary disciples who are sent forth by Christ to evangelize, promote collaboration and co-responsibility in mission within the Church, and provide formative materials for the Union of Catholic Apostolate. On this feast day of St.Vincent Pallotti and in this Jubilee Year, may we continue to grow together in hope and live as apostles of Christ in the Church and in the world. May the charity of the Church urge us on! In God, the Infinite Love, Fr. Frank
 During our marriage preparation, my husband and I made a mission, vision, and values spreadsheet for our marriage goals (nerdy, we know!). Part of our goals include living an authentic Catholic lifestyle, which we believe integrates the liturgical season into our new family unit. Some of my favorite memories from childhood include cooking and baking with my mom and having meaningful discussions with my parents about our Catholic faith. Traditions like these are important to my husband and me, and we look forward to continuing to build off of our parents’ traditions while adding our own. To build traditions within our family, we’ve started with the idea of liturgical living. Liturgical living brings the life and breadth of the Church into our own homes and can be accomplished through certain prayers, celebrations, meals, crafts, and other traditions. This can also be described as building up the domestic church – which may be even more important than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic. As newlyweds, we have slowly added liturgical season traditions into our daily lives, such as celebrating saint feast days and preparing our house for Advent and Christmas. A New Year’s resolution we’ve set for ourselves in 2021 is trying to incorporate more of the Church’s liturgical seasons into our home to better appreciate the richness of our Catholic faith. One of our favorite wedding gifts to help us implement our goal of liturgical living is The Catholic All Year Compendium by Kendra Tierney. Tierney shares how her family celebrates the Church’s liturgical season 365 days a year. She starts off the book by encouraging families to begin celebrating what makes the Catholic faith most approachable to each family member – saint namesake feast days and Baptism anniversaries. Special meals and desserts, prayer, stories, activities, and conversations are different ways to make the celebrations meaningful. After noting namesake feast days and baptisms, Tierney recommends starting slowly and gradually, adding in other feast days important to each family and doing things that already fit into existing daily routines. The free calendars given out at church for the new year have these dates with the liturgical year, such as Ordinary Time, Lent, etc. A fabulous Christmas present I also received last month is the Blessed Is She planner that incorporates feast days and the liturgical year. This is all a process that takes time and can be added upon each year or changed. It shouldn’t be meant to overwhelm. In our annual family planning meeting for 2021, my husband and I went through each month and picked which feasts we’d celebrate after our saint name days and baptisms. Our church even made our first feast day celebration easy by providing us blessed chalk and a prayer to say while marking 20 + C + M + B + 21 above our front door mantle for Epiphany on January 6! We’ve also added making “king cake” cinnamon rolls for dessert as part of the tradition. How do you plan to incorporate Catholic liturgical living into your family’s routine this year? What are some of your favorite liturgical living traditions? If you practice liturgical living already, how has this helped your family learn about the Catholic faith? For more resources on Marriage and Family, please click here. *This repost but origionally published January 14, 2021*
 I do not know when I first met St. Martin de Porres, but by the time our youngest son was born, whom we named after him, Martin de Porres had captured our hearts and our hope. That was 2005. My devotion to Saint Martin has slowly grown over the years, and I believe we need to seek his intercession to heal the racial tensions that continue to exist in our country. Martin de Porres (1579-1639) was a Dominican Brother known for his humility, his gift of healing, industry, and care for the poor. Martin was mixed race - his mother was Anna Velazquez, a free Negress, and John de Porres, of Spanish nobility. At first, his father rejected Martin - “son of an unknown father” was on his baptismal registry. Martin had a younger sister, Joan. Eventually, his father cared for his children when he held a government post in Ecuador and, when sent to govern Panama, entrusted Joan to his uncle and returned Martin to his mother, in Lima, and cared for their financial needs. Wanting to know more about Martin de Porres, I read Saint Martin de Porres - Apostle of Charity by Giuliana Cavalini (Tan Books and Publishers, 2000), the biography of St. Martin de Porres officially recognized by the Dominican Order. At a very young age, Martin cared for the poor and sought time in prayer. A resourceful boy, his mother had him shop for their dinner. Martin gave the money to the poor and stopped to pray in churches along his way. Years later, when Martin returned to his mother after four years with his father in Ecuador, he was aware of his precarious status as a mixed race male and his need for a trade. He apprenticed as a “barber” who, in addition to cutting hair and beards, also practiced medicine such as pulling teeth or first aid. Martin entered the Dominican Order at Monastery of the Holy Rosary as a “lay helper,” the lowest status, when he was 16 years old. I am chastened by St. Martin’s incredible story and the remarkable province of God. St. Martin freely and consciously chose “to be an abject in the house of my God.” (Psalm 83:11) and resisted his father’s - and even some of his religious superiors - insistence that he become a Dominican Brother. At first, he did the most menial work - cleaning bathrooms and floors. St. Martin is often depicted with a broom in his hand. Eventually, he became a “brother” and received the full habit. St. Martin prayed before the crucifix. He was captured, overwhelmed, by God’s love for him, “a poor mulatto,” poured out through Christ crucified. For hours he would pray before the crucifix as if absorbing the infinite love of God. His humility, his fasting, his penance, and yes, his mortification, were designed to eliminate any pride that would obstruct God’s love. At times, St. Martin levitated, being lifted up, so he was face to face with Jesus. Eventually, St. Martin became responsible for the infirmary given his medical training. Numerous miraculous healings were attributed to him. He attended the sick and dying with great tenderness. His Dominican Brothers would be upset if he did not care for their minor ailments. He would reassure them and then care for the critically ill. His brothers witnessed bilocation - St. Martin attended to the sick in other places, even countries, and never left the monastery. St. Martin’s charity, and his practical prudence, extended beyond the confines of the monastery. He saw orphans living on the streets of Lima and their need for medical care, food, and education. He worked with benefactors - many cured by his healing touch - to establish the Orphanage of the Holy Cross to see to their health and education while he continued his work in the infirmary, and his duties of hospitality. It still exists today as the Colegio de Santa Cruz. St. Martin is close to us here in the Archdiocese of Washington. Father Felix Barotti was sent to the United States to evangelize African Americans in 1866. He built a chapel, dedicated to St. Martin de Porres, which they quickly outgrew. Since a church is not dedicated to “a blessed”, Saint Augustine Catholic Church, built in 1876, was the successor of Blessed Martin de Porres and became the “mother church” of African American Catholics. Pope John XXIII proclaimed Martin de Porres saint on May 6, 1962. I am chastened by St. Martin de Porres, our “little mulatto brother,” by his total devotion to Christ crucified, the centrality of charity to the Christian life, our call to heal others, and his unwavering belief that hate has no place in the Christian heart. I am not disheartened. An encounter with grace reveals sin, frees us to repent, and enkindles our longing for holiness born in penance and prayer and overflows in love for others - especially for the poor. St. Martin often said, “let us save our souls through the merits of the blood of Jesus Christ.” St. Martin embraced humility to awaken his charity made tangible through menial works of hospitality, fasting so others could eat, and uncommon patience and tenderness. May we learn from his example. St. Martin de Porres, Apostle of Charity, pray for us.
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