The Gospel in the Digital Age: Cardinal's Blog & Columns

Shortly after the New Year, I took a personal weekend and flew to Ireland.  While I always cherish a visit to the Emerald Isle, this was not really a “vacation” and I certainly wasn’t there for the weather! No, what caused me to cross the Atlantic was something much more meaningful: the opportunity to visit, however briefly, with Sister Bosco and several of the other Mercy Sisters who taught me at Holy Infant parish school in my hometown of Ballwin, Missouri. It was they who, along with my Mom, Dad, and grandparents, nurtured my faith, inspired my vocation, gave me a first-rate education…and instilled in me a profound appreciation and love for Catholic schools.

It’s been a rough time for us these recent days in Albany.

We New Yorkers pride ourselves on being “progressive.”

One of the feasts of this Christmas season I very much enjoy is the Sunday after Christmas, the Feast of the Holy Family, which we celebrated last Sunday.

I realize I am dating myself, but I remember George Burns, the crusty comedian. One of his lines I enjoyed was, “It’s not that I don’t believe in God. I do! It’s just that I’m wondering when He’s going to show up!” 

The passing of George H.W. Bush, our forty-first president, has moved me. I’ve always admired him. While working at the Vatican Embassy in Washington, I got to meet him a number of times, since, as vice president, he lived across the street, and then, as president, my boss, the papal nuncio, would often be in contact with him.