May februum, the month of February, be the beginning of that deep purification that will renew and beautify the temple of the church.

We have every reason to celebrate both the immeasurable and measurable impact of our faith over this past year through the many and varied ministries of our Church, including the outreach and support provided to nearly 12,000 immigrant families and individuals at the Esperanza Center; the more than 230,000 meals served by Our Daily Bread; the education of more than 30,000 young people in our 70 primary and secondary schools; the nearly 400 people placed in permanent housing; and the assistance and care provided to 1,800 seniors in 24 sponsored senior centers.

Pope Francis often tells us to accompany one another on the bumpy road of life. He means that we need to focus, not on ourselves, but on the other. This is what the gift of presence means.

I will report back to you what I’ve heard and how these heartfelt comments, no matter how hard they are to hear at times, will help to shape necessary reforms in our local Church and how they will inform my own contributions to the urgent conversations that are happening at higher levels of our Church. 

The ongoing sexual abuse crisis in the Church has hit us with full force following the revelations concerning Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, former archbishop of Washington, and the Pennsylvania grand jury report. Once again, we were confronted with a tsunami of evil: the evil of those who perpetrated unspeakable crimes against children and young people; and […]

Sports are a bridge to new experiences, to unfamiliar faces, and can unite young people to each other in a unique and powerful way.

It’s no good to speak about the faith and not to live it. And if we are living the faith, we should be willing to speak of it. 

It’s not that most Catholics reject outright the call to spread the Gospel; it’s more that they decline to participate in it, often because they themselves have never been evangelized and adequately catechized.

As Holy Week and the Easter season unfold, let us embrace the One who transcends our opinions and controversies. Only his love shows us the way. Then we will find the peace the world cannot give. 

Archbishop William E. Lori answers questions about his pastoral letter, “The Enduring Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Principles of Nonviolence.”