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En otoño de 2021, los 67 millones de católicos de Estados Unidos fueron invitados a participar en la preparación del Sínodo mundial que tendrá lugar en 2023. En nuestro país se estima que participaron unos 700.000. En la Arquidiócesis de Mobile, se envió un cuestionario sinodal a cada párroco invitando a sus feligreses a participar. Las preguntas del sínodo se colocaron en la página web de la archidiócesis y se publicaron en "The Catholic Week" para que cualquiera pudiera participar. Nuestro resumen arquidiocesano se publica ahora en el sitio web arquidiocesano. Agradezco a las personas de nuestra arquidiócesis que enviaron sus respuestas a este esfuerzo.

In the Fall of 2021, the 67 million Catholics in the US were invited to participate in the preparation of the worldwide Synod which will occur in 2023. In our country an estimated 700,000 participated. In the Archdiocese of Mobile, a synod questionnaire was sent to each pastor inviting his parishioners to participate. The synod questions were placed on the archdiocesan website and publicized in "The Catholic Week" so that anyone could participate. Our archdiocesan summary is now published on the archdiocesan website. I thank the people of our archdiocese who submitted their responses to this effort.

El 8 de septiembre habrá un nuevo santuario en Inglaterra en honor a María. Será dedicado bajo el título de María, Madre de los Cristianos Perseguidos. El P. Kiely, el sacerdote que lidera el esfuerzo para establecer este nuevo santuario, declaró: "Este es el primer santuario en Europa específicamente dedicado a la oración por la persecución activa de los cristianos ahora en todo el mundo. Es ciertamente el primer santuario en Europa dedicado a María, Madre de los Cristianos Perseguidos".

On Sept. 8 there will be a new shrine in England honoring Mary. It will be dedicated under the title of Mary, Mother of Persecuted Christians. Fr. Kiely, the priest leading the effort to establish this new shrine, stated, “This is the first shrine in Europe specifically dedicated to prayer for the active persecution of Christians now all over the world. It’s certainly the first shrine in Europe dedicated to Mary, Mother of Persecuted Christians.”

Llega el final del verano y la reapertura de las clases. ¡Que sea un buen año para todos! Al comenzar este nuevo año académico, permítanme compartir dos reflexiones.

The end of summer is here and school is reopening. May it be a good year for all. As we begin this new academic year, allow me to share two reflections. 

El pasaje del Evangelio proclamado en la misa del fin de semana del 17 de julio fue la conocida historia de Jesús visitando la casa de Marta y María. Según mi experiencia, esta historia suele suscitar fuertes reacciones emocionales en algunos de sus oyentes. A veces la gente comenta que Jesús no agradeció a Marta sus esfuerzos. Dirán que todo el mundo debería haberse sentido afortunado de que Marta estuviera presente, pues de lo contrario nadie habría tenido nada que comer.

The Gospel passage proclaimed at Mass on the weekend of July 17 was the well-known story of Jesus visiting the home of Martha and Mary. In my experience, this story often elicits strong emotional reactions from a number of its listeners. Sometimes people will comment that Jesus did not thank Martha for her efforts. They will say that everyone should have felt fortunate Martha was present, otherwise no one would have had anything to eat. 

En el calendario de la Iglesia sólo se celebran tres cumpleaños: el de Jesús (Navidad), el de María (8 de septiembre) y el de Juan el Bautista (24 de junio). A Juan se le honra de esta manera, ya que tuvo el papel otorgado por Dios de anunciar que el Mesías había llegado.

There are only three birthdays celebrated in the Church’s calendar: the birth of Jesus (Christmas), the birth of Mary (Sept. 8) and the birth of John the Baptist (June 24). John is honored in this way since he had the God-given role of announcing that the Messiah had come.

"My heart is broken.” With these words Pope Francis reacted to the slaughter of 19 little children and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas. The images on television and social media were heart wrenching. We witnessed parents, grandparents and other loved ones overcome with grief as they gathered at the school, their children suddenly and senselessly snatched out of their lives by a violence as incomprehensible as it was barbarous. The cruelty of what these families have to endure is beyond description.

There’s so much darkness in the world – the darkness of sorrow, of broken hearts, of failed dreams, of illness, of loss of loved ones. The darkness is real, but so is the Light. In the midst of the worst of darkness, the light of Christ shines forth.  This is the message

Several years ago I read an article by a survivor of a World War II Nazi concentration camp. One of the things she stated has stayed with me. She said that, among other things, the concentration camp taught her that evil often looks very normal.

At the beginning of each season of Lent, I have the pleasure and the privilege of celebrating the Rite of the Elect in various places across our archdiocese. The Rite of the Elect is the prayer service where those who are preparing to be received into the Catholic Church at Easter come together and publicly express their desire to be a member of the Church. Some of these people have never been baptized.

As we continue our journey of Lent, I pray that this will be a time when we draw closer to God. The Church encourages us to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent and to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This is a minimum observance and hopefully will draw us into further observances that will assist us to live this Holy Season in a manner which will help us to love God and to love neighbor more strongly.

One! That was the theme of the annual Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Conference which was held last weekend at Orange Beach.

In some areas of our Archdiocese the joyful mayhem of the Carnival Season has begun. These festivities are found in much of southern Alabama. Even in communities where there are no carnival processions through the streets, it is still common to encounter the green, purple and gold ubiquitous this time of year.

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. It is the same Holy Spirit who continues to distribute many different varieties of gifts. (1 Cor 12:4)

We are about to begin a new year. For many people a new year brings a sense of hope. There can be a feeling that this new year will be better than the last. There’s a clean slate before us. People make resolutions ranging from dieting and exercise to praying and personal change all aimed at making 2022 better than 2021.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, I recently read on social media a statement by an unbeliever who wrote: “How can Christians believe that God was a little baby who dirtied his diapers and had to be helplessly fed by one of His creatures? Their God is a weak and puny God.”