Bishop Neary’s Column

Change is a sacred gift of Advent, inviting us to trust God’s promise of renewal and embrace the hope of what is yet to come.

Accompaniment is at the heart of the Church’s mission. Let us foster in our diocese a spirit of community where no one walks alone.

Grief shakes us, but it doesn’t define us. In the silence, God speaks. In sorrow, Christ weeps with us. And through faith, healing begins.

I have always seen myself in that young Samuel — open to God’s voice but needing the wisdom of someone like Eli to help me understand it.

No matter who you are, where you work or what your status is, as a baptized Catholic you are called to love and serve the Lord and actively participate in the life of the Church.

When we are in the presence of another human being, we should treat that person as Christ himself, with undivided, loving attention, and simply listen to whatever he or she wishes to share with us.

With every cross life offers us comes the invitation to accept it, embrace it, even to kiss the cross presented to us, as we do on Good Friday.

Bishop Neary said, “What I hope for is a vision that enables us to feel matter how many church buildings we have, we are welcome in all of them.”