I was ordained a priest on Dec. 18, 1976.  It was the most precious Christmas gift I have ever received. For me, it culminated 13½ years of priestly formation: that is, personal and spiritual growth, academic study, and field education. I was blessed to have good teachers and mentors. I am still friends today with many of the men who were in the seminary with me, both ordained and lay. Some of them have been sixty years a friend.

We love because He first loved us. — 1 John 4:1

As we celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 7 (and honor the Sacred Heart during the entire month of June), it seems appropriate to reflect on the love of Christ.

A new rule is expected this month from the Supreme Court of the case of U.S. Food and Drug Administration vs. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. The case concerns the safety of Mifepristone and Misoprostol for medical abortion. Mifipristone is a drug used to block progesterone for a developing fetus ending its life and Misoprostol is used to induce uterine contractions to expel the dead tissue. What is the controversy?

"Mary is a garden of delights into which are sown all kinds of flowers and spice plants of the virtues.” — St. Jerome.

By now, we are all preparing our gardens in some way; planning, cleaning, pulling, sharpening, trimming, dumping, fixing and planting. Our reward, after our Colorado winter, is a rich, healthy glow of green. All we have to do is look around and feel the excitement of a new season. Here are a few suggestions to keep the garden in tip-top shape and at the same time honor Mary, Our Blessed Mother.

Catholics recite the Nicene Creed at every Sunday Mass. As we strive to return “ad fontes,” to the [original] sources amid an ever-changing world, we must understand more about our Christian roots, expressed in the Creed we profess.