Cardinal Rigali's weekly message: The Word Became Flesh
The ongoing works of charity of our local Church
By Cardinal Justin Rigali As we begin this year’s Catholic Charities Appeal and as we continue our “Heritage of Faith – Vision of Hope” campaign, it would be helpful for us this week to reflect on both the regular and extraordinary needs connected with serving the faithful in our local Church of Philadelphia. Organization for […]
Continued efforts to protect our young people
By Cardinal Justin Rigali April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. As all levels of our society are called to vigilance, it is appropriate that during this month one of my topics would address the ongoing efforts in our Archdiocese to protect our young people. A brief explanation of our programsMany of you are familiar […]
Recognizing the Creator in Creation
By Cardinal Justin Rigali As the Easter celebration coincides with the season of Spring, we are reminded to see in all Creation the work of a loving Creator and a saving Redeemer. This will be the subject of our reflection this week. The wonder of Creation In the eighth Psalm, we read these words in […]
Pope Benedict’s visit to Africa
By Cardinal Justin Rigali Shortly after the election of Pope John Paul II on October 16, 1978, I had the joy of greeting Cardinal Giovanni Battista Benelli, the Archbishop of Florence, for whom and with whom I had worked in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State. Cardinal Benelli, along with the other Cardinals, was just leaving […]
Bringing Christ to the world
By Cardinal Justin Rigali We know that the Lenten season is also the great period of preparation for the reception of catechumens into the Church. This period of preparation for the reception of Baptism was restored after the Second Vatican Council and we have been celebrating its stages throughout Lent, as we lead up to […]
In the striving for a virtuous life, human weakness is not hypocrisy
By Cardinal Justin Rigali “The Random House Dictionary” defines the word hypocrisy in this manner: “A pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles that one does not really possess.” In our efforts to lead a Christian life and the self-examination that must go along with those efforts, we can be […]
The personal and social aspects of sin and forgiveness
By Cardinal Justin Rigali In a book which he wrote about his famous father, Enrico Caruso, Jr. described the atmosphere in the villa where Caruso lived and worked. The mood of the place was always determined by what the great tenor was doing. If he was sleeping, everyone was quiet. When he awoke, his enthusiasm […]
Saint Joseph: Guardian of the Redeemer
By Cardinal Justin Rigali It has been said that we live in an age of utilitarianism. We sometimes think only of our own benefit when making use of things and wind up with a very narrow and selfish view of life. This can occur in our use of the goods of the environment and, very […]
Evolution
By Cardinal Justin Rigali We know that one of the most ancient of Christian symbols is the icthus, the Greek word for fish. The Greek letters that make up the word for fish are also the first letters of the words identifying “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior.” In the early centuries of […]
Renewing our commitment to constant conversion
By Cardinal Justin Rigali In Saint Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he speaks of an “acceptable time.” After quoting from Isaiah 49:8, “In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you,” Paul writes, “Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” […]