Archbishop Chaput
New Auxiliary Bishops for our local Church
By Cardinal Justin Rigali The day after this issue of our archdiocesan newspaper is published, I will have the joy of conferring Episcopal Ordination on our two new auxiliary bishops. This event is the subject of this week’s reflection. Spiritual joy and continuityThere are events in life which bring us a sense of joy, even […]
Natural Family Planning (NFP) Awareness Week
By Cardinal Justin RigaliArchbishop of Philadelphia July 25-31 is an important week in the life of the Church since it commemorates Natural Family Planning (NFP) Awareness Week. This week highlights the promotion of NFP and the Church’s teachings on human sexuality, married love and responsible parenthood. These dates correspond with the anniversary of the papal […]
Processions
By Cardinal Justin Rigali Various types of processions are very much a part of our liturgical and devotional life, and so we reflect on their significance this week.Frequent experience of processions We may not realize it, but we frequently experience different kinds of processions in our lives as Catholics. The most common of these would […]
The missionary spirit of the Church
By Cardinal Justin Rigali The spirit of the Church is always one of “mission,” and so we dwell on that aspect of her identity this week. The Most Blessed Trinity: The beginning and end of the Church’s missionIf we received a sound religious education as children, we realize that, as we progress in knowledge and […]
The closing of the Year of the Priest
Last Friday, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, was the closing of the Year of the Priest, which began on that same feast one year ago. Let us take that as our topic this week. The Heart of JesusIt is most appropriate that the Year of the Priest, called for by our Holy Father, was […]
Mental health difficulties
I am frequently in contact with those who suffer from mental health difficulties and those who love and care for them, and so I take this opportunity to write about this challenging subject this week. The wonders of the human personIn Psalm 139, we read: “I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are […]
The Church in China
Pope Benedict XVI recently called upon the entire Church to pray for the Church in China, designating May 24 as a special Day of Prayer for that purpose. In light of that, we make the Church in China our topic this week. A long-standing tensionI thought it would be helpful if I gave a brief […]
Combating misinformation: The myths surrounding abortion
There are certain erroneous points, which are sometimes presented as facts, when discussing the question of abortion. This week, let us take a look at them. When information becomes misinformationIn the United States we have a wonderful system of roads and highways, and I am sure that most of us have traveled on many of […]
Love of country
By Cardinal Justin RigaliArchbishop of Philadelphia As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day, when we recall those who died in the service of our nation, we have the opportunity to reflect on true love of country. A natural bondOne of the most beautiful of operatic arias is found in Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida.” The central character, […]
According to God’s plan: New priests
By Cardinal Justin RigaliArchbishop of Philadelphia Saturday, May 15, is the day of the Ordination of our new priests for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It gives us the topic for our reflection this week. Fulfilling God’s planYou may have noticed in reading these articles that, from time to time, I like to make use of […]