A Word From Bishop Medley

In June of this year the Catholic Church of the United States initiated a three-year Eucharistic Revival.  Most dioceses marked this event by highlighting the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). I joined the parishioners of St. Joseph in Mayfield in a Corpus Christi procession around their church grounds.

Every year most of us know one or several students graduating from college, high school, or middle school. We might even observe a kindergarten graduation. It is my honor to attend four graduations every year, at Brescia University, Trinity High School in Whitesville, St. Mary High School in Paducah, and Owensboro Catholic High School.

In anticipation of Ash Wednesday this year, Pope Francis called upon Catholics of the world to observe the traditional prayer, fasting and charity of this day for a special intention. Only days before, Russia had invaded Ukraine and even in those first days the human toll being reported was horrific. War and violence of this scale had not been seen on the continent of Europe since the end of World War II.

You are cordially invited to attend the Chrism Mass of the Diocese of Owensboro on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. at the Owensboro Sportscenter.  

The beginning of the season of Lent brings to us many images and traditions. Foremost among these are practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. In the Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday we hear Jesus admonish us, “When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet; when you pray … go to your inner room; when you fast, do not look gloomy.”

In January 2010, Haiti was struck by an earthquake that left tens of thousands dead and hundreds of thousands homeless.

On October 10, Pope Francis inaugurated a two-year synodal process which will culminate in a universal Synod scheduled to take place in Rome in October 2023. The following Sunday, October 17, the synodal process was inaugurated in every diocese of the world by every bishop with a celebration at their cathedral church.

In our family home of more than 60 years there was a fireplace. It was very small and narrow and I assume intended to be only decorative. It simply was not large enough to actually build a fire. There were andirons and a handful of logs. When I think back to my childhood home, however, this tiny fireplace figures prominently in my memories.

The Solemnity of All Saints, which we celebrate on Monday, Nov. 1, should give us great hope! The saints show us that despite what we might think, holiness is possible for everyone. The saints we celebrate are not just symbols or unrelatable beings. Among the saints...

In the last days of the Second Vatican Council, Pope St. Paul VI, having observed the fruits of the dialogues and conversation of this historic council, created a permanent Synod of Bishops. His intent was to create a structure by which the world’s bishops could send...