Pope Francis up close
Dear Family and Friends,Below is a message recorded on an IPhone by Pope Francis for a meeting of Christians. It's an up close view of our Holy Father, and he even speaks some English at the beginning!...
View Articleone year with our shepherd
Dear Family and Friends,It’s been one year since that rainy March day when Pope Francis was elected. What a wonderful gift he has been and is to all of us! I try to listen to and read his preaching,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
first mass at home
during the homilyDear Family and Friends,Last Sunday I had the gift of celebrating mass at my home parish of Saint Mary Magdalen in Brentwood, Missouri. Father Jack Siefert and the whole parish gave me...
View ArticleClik here to view.
losing my voice
Giving Eucharistic Benediction on Easter SundayDear Family and Friends,I lost my voice while hearing confessions on Good Friday. I can’t sing, I can speak, I can kind of croak.Playing soccer the other...
View ArticleClik here to view.
a humbling line of work
Dear Family and Friends,Being a priest you receive so many gifts – spiritual ones. the chapel at schoolI spend a lot of time in the chapel at school. The other day I was there praying when one of the...
View Articlepope francis speaks to the parish priests of Rome
Back in March Pope Francis spoke to the parish priests of Rome about mercy and what it means to be a shepherd of souls. I've been wanting to do a simultaneous translation, here it is. I think it's a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Thank you God!
Dear Family and Friends, It’s 10:30pm and I’m about to hit the hay. Just thinking back over today, I get this feeling that my life is enchanted or something…before the swamp runMaybe it was running...
View ArticleClik here to view.
heaven
the cathedral of OrvietoDear Family and Friends,Today is the feast of Corpus Christi, the body and blood of Christ. Reminds me of the time…the miraculous corporal of OrvietoIt was Corpus Christi in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Carmel
Entrance to the Carmelite monastery of Piacenza, Italy. The plaque reads: "God gives His whole self to those who leave everything out of love for Him"Dear Family and Friends,A few years back I was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
a bigger family
soccer game in our backyard when it all hit meDear Family and Friends,The other day I was playing soccer in our backyard with a group of boys. We were having a send-off party for a good friend, Father...
View ArticleClik here to view.
heading to Rome this December
Dear Family and Friends,This December I’ll be hosting a Father & Son pilgrimage to Rome (with a day trip to Assisi). We will see Pope Francis, visit all the most important holy places, and attend...
View ArticleClik here to view.
providence and pizza
praying the rosary in the Grotto at Notre Dame hours before the deep dish pizza experienceDear Family and Friends,“Hey, your car’s on fire!” shouted the man from the car beside me. It was mid-July and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
moments that make me smile
adoration with the first gradersDear Family and Friends,Last Friday the preschool students came to mass with all the other students at school. No one gave any warning, but I tried to make things as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
looking beyond the dreadlocks
the Cross of Saint FrancisDear Family and Friends,It was Divine Mercy Sunday. I had just finished hearing confessions at a parish about an hour from home. The gas gauge in my car read “E” – the red...
View ArticleClik here to view.
first mass to now
my community of priests in Cincinnati - Father John, Father Matthew, yours truly, Father Daniel, and Father JamesDear Family and Friends,There’s an old piece of advice given to priests: “Celebrate this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
swapping hats with the Pope!
swapping hats with the pope - I'm on the far rightDear Family and Friends,I swapped hats with the pope today! Yes! Browsing through some liturgical goods stores here in Rome yesterday, I found one that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
the class of '99
The Class of '99 - Fathers Peter Mullan, Jason Huynh, Frederick Keiser, Michael Mitchell, Yours truly, and Mark Thelen at the ordination of Father MichaelDear Family and Friends,I am in Rome and loving...
View ArticleClik here to view.
remembering a year ago today
the Chapel of San Pellegrino in VaticanoDear Family and Friends,I can’t help but remember a year ago today – my first mass at the chapel of San Pellegrino in the Vatican. And remember what lead up to...
View ArticleMerry Christmas!
Dear Family and Friends,As a little boy, one of my favorite moments of the year was getting up early on Christmas morning, trying to get mom and dad out of bed so we could open presents. As a priest,...
View Articlewhen our children love Jesus more than we do
Dear family and friends,As a priest you are welcomed into the homes of so many families, and each has incredible stories, the kind that never make it to the nightly news.One dad told me of how his...
View Article
