News - May 2019 RSS Feed

"My bride is wounded, and I am asking you to help her." This was the invitation the Serra Club of Spokane heard from their chaplain, Father Daniel Barnett, at a board meeting just before the beginning of Lent. “The Church, the bride of Christ, is suffering because of the sins of her members — all of her members. And all of us are called to help,” he observed.

Durante siglos, la Iglesia Católica ha dedicado todo el mes de mayo para honrar a la Virgen María, la Madre de Dios. La costumbre nació en la antigua Grecia. El mes de mayo era dedicado a “Artemisa”, la diosa de la fecundidad. Algo similar sucedía en la antigua Roma pues el mes de mayo era dedicado a “Flora”, la diosa de la vegetación. En aquella época celebraban los ludi florals o los juegos florales a finales de abril y pedían su intercesión.

Women are called to change the world and to stand up for human life. May is a wonderful month to reflect on the gift of women. A woman is able to become a mother because she literally has “room for another” within her body. On a spiritual level, all women are called to the vocation of motherhood in the sense of nurturing humanity by making “room for another” in her heart.

En este mes de mayo, ordenaré al Diácono Raymond Kalema al sacerdocio. Como seminarista de la Diócesis de Spokane, la ordenación del Diácono Kalema llega al nalde un viaje de discernimiento y es una ocasión de gran alegría para él, su familia y para toda la diócesis.

I now have the luxury of discretionary time most mornings. Prayer time is less rushed and more relaxed. It is better to nourish the spirit before tending to the flesh.

In May, I will ordain Deacon Raymond Kalema to the priesthood. As a seminarian of the Diocese of Spokane, Deacon Kalema’s ordination comes at the end of a journey of discernment and is an occasion of great joy for him, his family and for the entire diocese.

Deacon Raymond Kalema has always tried to pay attention to the needs of others. As a kid, he frequently asked himself how he could be the one to "fill the gap." The first time he asked himself this question, the answer was "become a priest."