One of more profound memories from my priesthood involved a visit a few years ago with an elderly man in the hospital who was dying.

I am no longer in control of my children’s faith. I was then; it’s impossible now. I can pray about it – and I do. I ask God to pull them back into His arms. Touch them with His grace and mercy. Help them to see it’s the only way to joy.

Father Doyle answers queries about the Blessed Virgin Mary and the position of the Catholic Church against the use of the death penalty.

What is particularly sad to me is that the commentariat, especially in regard to religion, has become so polarized and ideologically driven that the most elementary distinctions aren’t made and the most broad-brush analyses are commonplace.

A young super-speller tells his story.

I’m not a mother who thinks my children need to have everything they want when they want it, but when our 11-year-old asked for a tuxedo, I couldn’t help myself.

I find flying to be completely exhilarating and also terrifying. I do love to fly. But I also believe that we will probably crash. I’m always astounded when we land safely at the other end.

No, my father wasn’t famous, but he was my dad. He passed away in 2003. And just like Kelly Conway said of her father, my siblings and I would say, “We knew he would have to leave us someday, but that day came too soon.” 

As the first blossoms of spring transition into the vibrant greens of early summer, may we be open to the opportunities that lie ahead, recognizing that each of us can contribute to our family, our community, and our world in different ways at different moments.

You have to live in a cave not to know a family or three who have lost a loved one to the opioid epidemic,  but for me, the violence infesting and dragging down Baltimore has never hit closer.