I am convinced that if possible, every person prefers to remain in the country where he or she was born. There are only a few things more disruptive in a person’s life than being uprooted from everything that is familiar and attempting to replant those roots elsewhere. I will never forget the day in 1991 when my mother told my sister and me that we would leave our homeland, Peru. Bombs blasted daily in Lima, kidnappings, blackouts, murders and rampant... Read more
Today we rejoice with exciting news from Rome. The Diocese of Savannah has issued the statement below, confirming that Pope Francis has officially recognized that the friars killed in September 1597 in coastal Georgia truly died as witnesses of the faith. I’ve been closely involved in this Cause for Beatification since 2014 when I visited the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and the Postulator of the Cause in Rome with the now Archbishop of Atlanta, Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM... Read more
Vice- President JD Vance accused the US Conference of Catholic Bishops during a Face the Nation interview that their involvement in humanitarian aid toward immigrants is fueled by financial gain. He further stated that the US Bishops have not been good partners in common sense immigration enforcement. I am not sure where to begin critiquing these points. The worst is that he makes these statements flourishing them with indications that he is a devout Catholic. He mentions that he is... Read more
Pope Francis has opened the Holy Door at Saint Peter Basilica in the Vatican. Every twenty-five years since the year 1300, the Church has proclaimed a year of Jubilee. This is consistent with the Jewish tradition of a jubilee when debts were pardoned and slaves were freed. On December 30th, I had the opportunity to walk through this door which is usually sealed shut with concrete. The Holy Year is a moment in the life of the Church when the... Read more
Bishop Stephen D. Parkes, Bishop of Savannah, issued the statement below in regards to immigration issues which affect the Catholic Church in the United States. The first, is the uncertainty of many Catholic faithful who are in the United States without proper authorization, the second, is the significant delays in the immigration process for clergy to remain in the United States once their Religious Worker Visa expires. This second concern is causing many dioceses throughout the country to loose priests... Read more
As January 2025 approaches, many of my latino parishioners have asked what they can do to better prepare. Even though there is much uncertainty as to exactly what will happen, this is a list of best practices complied by me based on personal past experience and a presentation by Adelina Nicholls of the Georgia Latino Alliance of Human Rights. Please share this list with community leaders so undocumented immigrants will be prepared and know their rights. La lista está traducida... Read more
The Virgin Mary appeared four times to Saint Juan Diego on December 1531, only ten years after the defeat of the Aztec empire in Mexico by the Spanish. This time period marked the integration of Spanish and native cultures which ultimately gave rise to a unique people and culture which continues to flourish today throughout Latin America. Mary’s words to Juan Diego were soon recorded in the work called Nican Mopohua written in Nahuatl, the language of the natives. Her words for... Read more
¡Hoy estamos de fiesta! Hoy, dejamos de lado todo lo que nos angustia, todo lo que nos preocupa, y le dedicamos toda nuestra atención a nuestra Madre María. Venimos esta noche confiando que ella siempre nos acompaña porque somos sus hijos. Venimos esta noche con recuerdos de celebraciones de la infancia, con recuerdos del pueblo o la ciudad de donde uno es, recordando no solo la fiesta, pero a la familia, a los vecinos, a los amigos que nos acompañaron... Read more
El primer día de clase de latín en el seminario tradujimos algunas frases sencillas del gran filósofo y político romano Cicerón, entre ellas la primera línea de una carta a su esposa: “Si vales valeo”, que significa “si tú estás bien, yo estoy bien.” Este ejemplo no sólo muestra la brevedad del latin para expresar ideas que requieren muchas palabras en los idiomas modernos, sino que también demuestra cierto aspecto de un sentimiento que a menudo encuentro hoy expresado con... Read more
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Pacific Palisades Catholic Church Burns
The website of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Pacific Palisades, California, currently states next to a picture of a burnt out shell of a church: “I have no words. Our beautiful church in Pacific Palisades, as of this morning. Praying for my hometown, the LAFD and everyone affected by these horrific fires.” The site has a memo from Monsignor Liam Kidney, pastor, stating there will be Mass this Sunday at 1pm at Saint Monica Parish for the people of... Read more