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standing on the shoulders of giants
Dear family and friends,Yesterday I visited my great Aunt, my grandmother’s sister. My grandmother passed away years ago, and I loved her dearly, so it was quite a treat for me to be able to see her...
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Bless-the-Baby-Jesus
blessing baby Jesus figurines after mass yesterdayDear family and friends,Yesterday was our Bless-the-Baby-Jesus mass for the preschool. At the end of mass, all the children came up to the front of the...
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a new saint
soon-to-be Saint Jose Sanchez del RioDear family and friends,Yesterday I received an early birthday present: Pope Francis has approved the canonization of Blessed José Sánchez del Río, a 14 year-old...
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5 more reasons I love being a priest
Dear Family and Friends,I still love being a priest, here are five more reasons why: office decked out for my birthday this year1. Birthday celebrity status - I must have received a world-record...
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my brother's blades
Dear Family and Friends,It took me nineteen years to find someone who loves ice skating more than I do. And of all people, it’s someone who will never wear ice skates. Let me back up a little.I’m the...
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princesses and thunderstorms
the first altarDear Family and Friends,“Are you sure?” I asked. “It’s raining cats and dogs out there!” “Father, we have to do this, the girls have been preparing all day for it.”It was the last day of...
View Articlea view from the asphalt
Dear Family and Friends,Last Saturday I officiated at my second wedding, and it was beautiful. Well, except for the fact that the wedding was at 6pm, and the priest showed up at exactly 6pm. And the...
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Padre Pio does it again
Padre Pio taking the place of Simon of Cyrene in the Stations of the Cross in San Giovanni RotondoDear family and friends,Not again! Why was someone knocking at my door? Another broken light switch, no...
View ArticlePadre Pio does it again, and again, and again
Dear family and friends,So literally minutes after I sent out the last cobblestones about Padre Pio, he did it again.I was kneeling in our chapel doing night prayers with the other priests. Ever since...
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3 Hidden Treasures
My Community - Yours truly, Brother Vinh, Deacon Lucio, Father Louis, Father John, Father Matthew, and Brother ThomasDear Family and Friends,Sometimes the greatest treasures are hidden in plain...
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going on the radio
Dear Family and Friends,Tomorrow (Friday) is the first feast day of Saint José Sánchez del Río, the Mexican boy I wrote my book, “Blessed José”, about. EWTN radio asked me to go on live tomorrow...
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how to become a patron saint
Saint Jose's New AltarDear family and friends, Ever wonder how a saint becomes the “patron saint” of something?What did Anthony find to become patron saint of lost things? Or Jude, the patron saint of...
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Being a priest is fun!
What I've been up to - Camp Tekakwitha Girls Camp!Dear family and friends,The other day I was celebrating mass at a local parish while outside it rained and thundered. The storm grew steadily in volume...
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Thanking God for 10 Years of Joy
with my family shortly after professionsDear family and friends,Yesterday was the tenth anniversary of my perpetual profession of vows. That's when I made lifelong vows of poverty, chastity, and...
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remembering a friend
Greeting Cardinal Velasio at my OrdinationDear family and friends,Recently, I lost a dear friend. He was a simple Italian man almost half my height. He gave me and my brothers hope in a very dark...
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so much to be grateful for this year
at the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock in IrelandThy Kingdom Come!Dear family and friends,I was celebrating mass at a local parish the other day. As I walked down the aisle at the beginning, a little girl...
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Saint Kevin Book Gofundme
in Glendalough Ireland with a group of boysDear family and friends,Could you please sponsor me? I want to write a book about Saint Kevin, and I’d like to begin with a research trip. I’ve set up a...
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Saint Kevin Book Research Trip
The Round Tower of Glendalough with the Glendasan riverDear Family and Friends,I think it was when I was pouring over the hand-written fifteenth-century manuscript in the oldest library in Ireland and...
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Mother of the Essential
Mary Statue at the Carmelite Monastery of Valmadonna, ItalyDear Friends,Back in 2010, I spent a few days at the Carmelite Monastery of Valmadonna in northern Italy. I still have a prayer card from...
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wheels for John Paul
John Paul and meDear Friends,The words in Mass yesterday from Isaiah chapter 29 hit me: On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book;And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind...
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Merry Christmas and a Christmas Mystery for You
Skating on Lake Koshkonong on Christmas DayDear Family and Friends,Merry Christmas! Christmas is such a special feast that it has an "octave"--its celebration is extended for eight days. So in my book,...
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John Paul is gonna get his van!
John Paul's Gofundme CampaignDear family and friends,I told you about the Gofundme campaign that my parents put together to get a new wheelchair van for my little brother John Paul. They started the...
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two sorrows turned to joys
John Paul and his new van!!!Dear family and friends,This last weekend surprised me. Twice.As you know, my little brother John Paul suffers from a host of limitations: autism, hydrocephalous, blindness...
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Saint José Is In Print!
My New Book!Dear Friends,I got a nice surprise in the mail yesterday. It was the catalog from a publishing house called Ignatius Press. In the new book section was a book I wrote, called “Saint...
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Three Good Friday Miracles
Missionaries before our Good Friday "Cross Walk"Dear Friends,It’s Holy Saturday, and our annual Holy Week Mercy Missions aren’t even over yet here in Cincinnati, but I can’t help but share what I’ve...
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