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John’s boomerang journey back to his faith is one shared by a significant number of Catholics. Research conducted by the Center for Applied Research (known commonly as CARA) estimates there are more than five million Catholic reverts (i.e., equivalent to nine percent of all adult Catholics). Or another way to look at it, in a typical year, CARA estimates that approximately 168,000 people who were raised Catholic and left the faith (typically in their teens or early 20s) have come back.

In this final of three in our series on the sacraments, we look deeper at the two sacraments at the Service of Communion. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states: Two other sacraments, Holy Orders and Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God. (CCC 1534)

St. Catherine of Siena, whose feast we celebrate this month during the Easter season, is one of four women recognized as a Doctor of the Church. She based her teaching about the spiritual life on love, and she knew God’s love for her. In her book, The Dialogue, she has God call her “Dearest Daughter.” She based her teaching on growth in the spiritual life and on the quality of one’s personal love, specifically, whether that love is selfish or unselfish. Because Catherine learned from the Scriptures and sermons, not from academic study, she was keenly aware of the commandment to love God and to love neighbor and of the teaching in 1 John: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 Jn 4:20)

Continue your Easter joy through the season of Eastertide (which continues until Pentecost on May 19) which contains a host of feasts, solemnities and other celebrations.

Every year we look forward to the Lenten and Easter seasons. For some, it may seem odd to say that we look forward to Lent. After all, isn’t this the time we dedicate to prayer, fasting and almsgiving? Those activities can lead to great growth and joy whether it is Lent, Easter, or any time of the year. The word “Lent,” in fact, means “springtime.”

Love is the antidote. Even when it is difficult to talk to our spouse, remember to keep on loving. Kindness and caring for your partner can help overcome any challenge.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, During Lent, many of us have the tradition of giving things up — whether it’s chocolate or social media or abstaining from our favorite beverage. We intentionally join our sacrifices to the sacrifice of Christ and thereby participate in his work of redemption. As we rediscover every year, what we give up is far surpassed by what we receive. In his triumph over evil, Jesus has given us new life in Him, a life that will have no end.

Some time ago I was despondent after receiving disappointing news. I thought I had done everything right to get my hoped-for outcome, and as insurance (OK, pleading) I prayed a novena and I enlisted my family and friends for prayer and support. I was confident it was just meant to be — that it was God’s plan for me. In other words, I knew best and was just getting God on board.

Barely two months into his retirement as Bishop Emeritus for the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Bishop Paul Bradley received yet another call from the Apostolic Nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre. The preceding call from the nuncio (the pope’s designate) this past May was to accept his retirement as bishop of the Diocese of Kalamazoo; this call was to relay the news that the Holy Father had appointed him the Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Steubenville (Ohio).

In this second of three in our series on the Sacraments, we look deeper at the two Sacraments of Healing. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states: “The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.” (CCC 1421)

The McNamara house is bursting with energy this Sunday afternoon. The family has already been up early to get to 8 a.m. Mass and Mom and Dad have successfully checked off two mealtimes — breakfast and lunch. The oldest child, sits before the TV, mesmerized by Sunday football as he recuperates from a recent tonsillectomy, while his younger brothers spar over toys one moment and then erupt into collective giggles when one lands a pretzel right in the other’s forehead. Tim and Amy McNamara are like many young couples today who are juggling the demands of their professional lives while raising young children. Tim is the Director of Religious Education at two parishes (St. Martin of Tours in Vicksburg and St. Philip in Battle Creek), and Amy is a social worker for St. Augustine Cathedral School. Married in 2014, their family has grown to include their three sons: Davey, 8; Ollie, 5; and Micah, 2 (as well as their child “Baby Chip” in Heaven). To their families and friends they are known for their infectious smiles as well as their inspiring joy and love for the Church. So how do they f ind time for each other and for their sons all while maintaining focus on their shared ministry to be the primary educators of the faith? With hearts centered on prayer, connection with their communities and a heaping dose of humor and humility.

Every year as the Advent season rolls around, the great debates of when Christmas begins and ends pick up. Should you wait to put up Christmas decorations until Christmas Eve? Or perhaps you roll them out slowly over the Advent season. Do you take them down the day after Christmas or Epiphany or the Baptism of our Lord or not until Candlemas? Following are some ways to honor the season all the way until Candlemas on February 2, 2024.

During these past months since my ordination and installation as your bishop on July 25, I have enjoyed numerous opportunities to meet many of you in our parishes, schools and in the community. I have met youth and young adults at their gatherings and have confirmed many young people at the cathedral. I have visited the different religious communities of sisters in their convents and religious houses and spent time with the Knights of Columbus. I have had the chance to celebrate Mass at some of our Catholic schools, with the Knights of Columbus, and with the graduates of the Instituto San Agustin (ISAK). And I have participated with the broader Christian community at ecumenical events.

“WHO EVEN ORDAINS A NEW BISHOP?” This is a question that I’ve heard repeated several times over the last two weeks. We know that, after a man in the seminary has finished his studies and formation and is ready to become a priest, his bishop is the one who ordains him to the priesthood. We also know that the bishop is the one who ordains men to the diaconate. But who ordains a man to become a bishop? To ordain a bishop (which is also referred to as “consecrating a bishop”), you need two things: First, you need another bishop; second, you need approval from the Holy Father. In today’s Church, the pope must approve the ordination of a new bishop, who may be consecrated only by other bishops. Let’s explore why.

No one was more surprised to receive a call from the apostolic nuncio, (Cardinal-designate Christophe Pierre) then Bishop Edward Lohse. So surprised in fact that he hung up twice, not recognizing the Washington, D.C., phone number and assuming it was a spam call. He then received a text message from the Nuncio asking him to call him back. Bishop Lohse laughed when recounting this story to diocesan staff gathered on the day the Holy Father announced he had appointed the priest from the Diocese of Erie as the fifth bishop for the Diocese of Kalamazoo.

By heraldic tradition, the arms of the bishop of a diocese are joined to the arms of his jurisdiction, in this case the Diocese of Kalamazoo. The coat of arms of Bishop Edward M. Lohse combines the coat of arms of the Diocese of Kalamazoo with his personal coat of arms using traditional elements. The cleric’s hat, called a “galero,” in bright green designates one who is ordained to the episcopate, and three tassels indicate the rank of bishop.

In his 14 years of the Shepherd of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Bishop Paul Bradley’s accomplishments are many and his indelible mark on our hearts, immeasurable.

During the Mass of Thanksgiving held July 9, 2023, Bishop Paul J. Bradley honored the 2023 distinguished winners of the Bishop Paul V. Donovan Founder’s Society Award for Outstanding Service. The honorees, Rev. Robert Flickinger and Deacon John and Mrs. Jane Bodway, were chosen for their witness to tireless service in the name of Jesus and for reflecting a love for God through devotion to the Catholic Church and others.

We’ve all been anxiously awaiting those beautiful first signs of spring — the glimpse of the crocus breaking through the ground; the robins’ early morning chirping and nest-building; and the additional minutes of daylight brightening our morning and evening walks. The earth in all its splendor will soon be renewed and treats us to an array of colors and sounds to soothe our senses.