Cardinal Rigali's weekly message: The Word Became Flesh
St. Charles Seminary
By Cardinal Justin Rigali As we approach the Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo on November 4, we have the opportunity to reflect on our Seminary, which bears his name. “You have a good seminary!”When I greeted Pope Benedict XVI shortly after his election by the College of Cardinals, I was delighted when he said to […]
The Church in the Middle East
By Cardinal Justin RigaliArchdiocese of Philadelphia The Synod of Bishops, which has been taking place in Rome, addressing the topic of the Church in the Middle East, gives us our topic this week. What do we mean by the “Middle East,” and why is it important to us? Even in the secular news, we often […]
Ministry to persons with disabilities
By Cardinal Justin Rigali During this Respect Life Month, we have the opportunity to reflect on the ministry to our brothers and sisters with disabilities. “Life is no less precious”Cardinal Terence Cooke, Archbishop of New York from 1968 to 1983, died at the comparatively young age of 62. He had quietly battled leukemia for many […]
God’s gift of the family
By Cardinal Justin Rigali Pope Benedict’s recent Letter in anticipation of the World Day of Families, to be held in 2012, is the occasion for our topic this week. A joy, not a weaponWhenever we reflect on God’s gifts of nature, or His complete revelation in Jesus Christ, we do not use these truths as […]
Blessed John Henry Newman
By Cardinal Justin RigaliArchbishop of Philadelphia The recent Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman provides us with our topic this week. Who is Cardinal Newman?During his recent Apostolic Journey to England and Scotland, Pope Benedict XVI presided at the Ceremony of Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890). This, in itself, draws attention to the […]
The parish: The heart of the Archdiocese
By Cardinal Justin Rigali One of the great joys of my ministry is the visitation of the parishes and being part of their various celebrations. The parish is the subject of our reflection this week. The way to heavenDuring the recently completed Year of the Priest, we frequently heard the name of St. John Vianney, […]
The Church’s ministry to young people
By Cardinal Justin Rigali The relics of St. John Bosco, a great apostle to young people, are being brought to various places throughout the world as part of the upcoming 200th anniversary of his birth. This gives us the opportunity to write about the ministry of the Church to youth. We always begin with the […]
The pastoral dimension of the Bishop’s mission
By Cardinal Justin RigaliArchbishop of Philadelphia At this time, it seems appropriate for us to reflect on the pastoral role of a Bishop’s ministry. A shepherd’s care Throughout our large five-county Archdiocese I do not think that we will find many shepherds. We may have some sheep in our more rural parishes, but probably not […]
Our Filipino Catholic community
By Cardinal Justin RigaliArchbishop of Philadelphia A recent celebration, which I took part in with our Filipino Catholic community, provides our topic this week.The Church is missionary by natureI have mentioned many times in this column, and you know by your own Catholic education, that the Church is missionary by nature. Jesus commanded His apostles […]
Our Indian Catholic Community
The recent celebration of our Indian Catholic community gives us the subject of our article this week. The universal Church During the many years that I was privileged to work in the service of the Holy See, I had numerous opportunities of seeing the remarkable reality of the universal Church. As a young student priest […]