Tag: pastor column

Pastor Column: St. Benedict

Posted on by Father Albert
[Note: This is not he Sunday homily. It is an article for the bulletin of July 10, 2022]      The destruction of World War II was immense on a number of different scales. One such scale was the destruction of various churches and monasteries in the course of the war, which could contribute to a greater sense of despair. In particular, Pope Pius XII was moved to write a letter in response to the destruction of the famous Monte Cassino Monastery, which was the monastery established by St. Benedict of Nursia in 529 A.D. As the father of western monasticism...Read More

Pastor Column: Assumption of Mary

Posted on by Father Albert
[Note: This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article for the bulletin of July 2, 2022]      Next in our reading of Pope Pius XII are the two documents on the Assumption of Mary into heaven. First is a short letter titled Deiparae Virginis Mariae sent in 1946 to all the bishops of the world. In it, Pius XII explains that large numbers of Catholics over the last 100 years have asked the Church to solemnly declare the Assumption of Mary as a dogma of the faith, which means it would be something Catholics are required to believe...Read More

Pastor Column: Divino Afflante Spiritu I

Posted on by Father Albert
[Note: This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article for the bulletin of June 12, 2022]           Next in our tour of papal documents is Pope Pius XII’s encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu, which translates to “Inspired by the Divine Spirit.” It is Pius XII’s teaching on the interpretation of Sacred Scripture, which he published on the feast of St. Jerome, September 30, 1943. At that point in time, there was a growing interest in applying archaeological and linguistic methods to the study of scripture. Pope Leo XIII had given permission to use newer critical methods of studying scripture...Read More

Pastor Column: Summi Pontificatus

Posted on by Father Albert
[Note: This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article from the bulletin of May 8, 2022]      In 1939, not long after Pope Pius XII was elected pope, he wrote his first encyclical titled Summi Pontificatus, which translates to “Supreme Pontificate.” This document was meant to set a tone for his pontificate and so he used those words in the title. The subtitle, however, tells us what this particular document is about: On the Unity of Human Society.      Like most encyclicals, this one begins with a rather lengthy introduction summarizing recent events and documents and praising God...Read More

Pastor Column: Mass Times Change

Posted on by Father Albert
[Note: This is not the homily, that can be found under homilies on this website.]From the bulletin of Feb 27th, 2022      As I announced last week during the Homily, our Sunday Mass schedule will change to 9am starting the Second Sunday of Easter (April 24). The reason is straightforward: we don’t need two Masses to accommodate the number of people who attend on Weekends. We average just under 300 people on a weekend (100/Mass) though we could fit 600. It’s worth reflecting on how necessary the Saturday 4pm really is (don’t worry, I’m not cancelling it, just provoking thought)....Read More

Pastor Column: The Social Question – Unions

Posted on by Father Albert
[Note: This is not the weekly homily.] This is an article from the bulletin of December 5, 2021      I mentioned two weeks ago that we’d address Labor Unions in the next article on Pope Pius XI’s encyclical Quadragesimo Anno. In the letter, there are a few places where the pope address the concept of labor unions. Towards the beginning, he mentions them by name only briefly. He again addresses the idea of unions later in the letter, but calls them “syndicates”      The first mention is in the context of lamenting that various revolutions and governments have forbidden Catholic...Read More

The Social Question II

Posted on by Father Albert
[Note: This is not the weekly homily.] This is an article from the bulletin of November 14, 2021      We left off last week with Pope Pius XI reiterating Leo XIII’s teaching on private property, namely, that it is a natural right but not an absolute right. Men ought to be able to own property in providing for themselves, but this right does not justify hoarding or wastefulness and the obligation to be support those in need must always be considered. Today, we pick up with a teaching on labor and capital. “Capital,” in this context generally refers to property....Read More

Pastor Column: The Social Question I

Posted on by Father Albert
[Note: This is not the weekly homily.] This is an article from the bulletin of November 7, 2021      Now we turn to the next important document from Pope Pius XI, called Quadragesimo anno, which is Latin for “on the fortieth year.” He we published it on May 15, 1931, which was the 40th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s letter Rerum Novarum. That letter, translated “on new things,” addressed the social questions that were arising from the industrial revolution concerning labor, human rights, and society in general. It is not that the Church never talked about social issues before -...Read More

Pastor Column: Casti Connubii VI

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of October 31, 2021      Having addressed threats to the 2 aspects of children and fidelity, Pope Pius XI now looks at the challenges against the sacramentality of marriage. He immediately identifies movements in society that claim marriage “belongs entirely to the profane and purely civil sphere.” This in turn is used to justify once again the claim that divorce should be easily obtained.      As he taught earlier in the letter, the pope repeats the teaching that even the purely natural union of man and woman has a sacred character and is prior to the formation...Read More

Pastor Column: Casti Connubii V

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of October 24, 2021      Now we return to the document from Pope Pius XI on marriage. Last we left off, the Pope reiterated the standard teaching of the Church against abortion and artificial contraception. From this point, the pope moves onto the related topic of eugenics. Eugenics is supposed to be the science of healthy breeding, but in practice it turns out as a crime against human nature. Some doctors and scientists wanted to help the human race become healthier, so they tried to regulate who could have children with whom and some even went so...Read More