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On a number of occasions, I have had the pleasure of attending youth athletic competitions, whether high school games, CYO or various youth leagues. They are enjoyable times, made even more so by knowing that the players have trained and practiced hard for these games and are playing to the best of their ability.

About 100 years ago, a photographer named Wilson Bentley was the first to photograph snowflakes. This was not an easy thing to do with the technology of the time, but he was successful in sharing more than 5,000 pictures of snowflakes. One of the striking things about these photos is that no two snowflakes appeared to be the same. It became conventional wisdom that each snowflake is different.

This month, the ballroom of the Cathedral rectory was the site for two very special retirement celebrations of archdiocesan executive directors. Some of the central ministries of the Archdiocese of Mobile report directly to me, but most are organized into five departments: Catholic Education, Catholic Social Services, Development/Stewardship, Financial Services and Legal Services.

About 100 years ago a photographer named Wilson Bentley was the first to photograph snowflakes. This was not an easy thing to do with the technology of the time, but he was successful in sharing more than 5,000 pictures of snowflakes. One of the striking things about these photos is that no two snowflakes appeared to be the same. It became conventional wisdom that each snowflake is different.

The Rosary is a grace filled way to meditate upon the life of Christ and our faith. In 2001, “Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy,” issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, urged that we use the Rosary as part of our prayer and to remember its value. A year later, Pope John Paul II published his beautiful Apostolic Letter on the Rosary.

November 2 is All Souls’ Day when we pray for our beloved dead whom we entrust to the loving and merciful embrace of the Lord. It is also an appropriate occasion to remember our understanding of the final purification we undergo when we die. This experience of purification is commonly called Purgatory.

It is not uncommon to hear people make statements such as: “I must follow my conscience.” “I must vote as my conscience tells me.” “I can’t do what you’re telling me because it is against my conscience.”

While on the plane returning to the Vatican after a demanding 12-day trip to Asia, Pope Francis answered questions from reporters traveling on the plane with him. When asked about the presidential election in the U.S., the Pope answered, “One must choose the lesser of two evils. Who is the lesser of two evils? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know. Everyone with a conscience should think on this and do it. To send migrants away, to leave them wherever you want, to leave them … it’s something terrible, there is evil there. To send away a child from the womb of the mother is an assassination, because there is life. We must speak about these things clearly.”

Growing up on the Gulf Coast has many blessings. We have a wonderful sense of “place.” Since my family has lived for generations in the Gulf Coast areas of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, I praise God for the roots this has given me and for the ties to our beautiful area. However, growing up in this area has also given me an acquaintance with hurricanes. When I was a child, hurricanes were exciting. It was an adventure to bring everything in from the yard, board up windows and get time off from school during the recovery. In those days, we did not watch television for days as hurricanes formed. When a hurricane was about to hit, people went home or found shelter and “hunkered down.”

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Mt 28:19-20 The Gospel of Matthew ends with this Great Commission. The salvation of souls is the purpose of the Church. It is duty of each Christian. We are called to strive after our own salvation and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others so that they may seek their own salvation.

In the previous edition of “The Catholic Week,” I wrote about the National Eucharistic Congress, a grace-filled event of the American Catholic Church held in mid-July in Indianapolis. People from across the country gathered to give thanks to God for the priceless gift of the Eucharist, which our Lord gave to us at the Last Supper. In that Upper Room with His disciples, the Lord gave us His own Body and Blood, truly present in the bread and wine once consecrated, as His visible testimony that He is with us until the end of time.

The past several days have brought about a number of significant events for our country and Church. Allow me to share a few thoughts about two of these events.

July 4 is a welcomed midsummer break. It is an opportunity for many to enjoy this holiday whether at the beach, the lake or in the backyard. Probably many of us give only a passing thought, if at all, to the significance of the day. This is our day to remember that we live in a country dedicated to respecting the rights of all.

Four recent things in recent days have prompted me to write this article. First, we honor our fathers and pray for them on Father’s Day, June 16. Dads are immensely important. Every societal ill that can be measured is worse for both sons and daughters when the father is absent from the family. Studies show that when the father is absent, sons and daughters are more likely to live in poverty, do poorly in school, use drugs, carry a weapon, get involved in the criminal justice system, drop out of school, be depressed, end up in jail. Many sociologists tell us this is because kids look to their mothers to tell them how to behave within the home, but kids look to their father to tell them how to behave outside of the home. Without the guidance of the dad, kids can become lost in the outside world.

The Church in the US is preparing for a National Eucharistic Congress. There has not been such a congress since 1977. It will be held in Indianapolis on Sunday, July 21, 2024. As a sign of preparing for this upcoming congress, four processions to Indianapolis are already underway, making their way from the south, west, east, and north. 

We are blessed by the dedicated ministry of our priests. Their priestly ministry blesses us in many ways. They have many responsibilities but first and foremost they must be men of prayer. Without the foundation of a prayer life and a relationship with the Lord, their ministry would become empty. In order to support their spiritual life, an annual three day priest’s retreat is conducted every year beginning on Memorial Day. It is held at Manresa Retreat House in Convent, Louisiana.

Thank you students in our Catholic schools! I have been blessed by you. Please let me explain why I am expressing my gratitude to our students. It goes back to a conversation which I had with our Catholic school principals a year ago. Since I arrived to serve as Archbishop of Mobile, each year I have visited each school.

Some years ago I was invited to a home of a very nice family outside of the Archdiocese of Mobile, so you do not know them. Their home was beautiful. It was decorated in a rustic early American style. The lady of the house took pride in how she decorated her home and it was obvious that she had an eye for it.

Todos los años visito cada una de las aulas de nuestras escuelas católicas y, a menudo, algún alumno me pregunta: "¿Qué es lo que más le gusta de ser arzobispo?". Mi respuesta es siempre la misma. Además de predicar la palabra de Dios y celebrar los sacramentos, cosa que hago puesto que soy sacerdote, lo que más me gusta de ser arzobispo es que tengo la suerte de ver tantas cosas buenas que la mayoría de la gente no llega a ver.

Every year I visit each of the classrooms in our Catholic schools and often a student will ask me “What do you like most about being the archbishop?” My reply is always the same. In addition to preaching the word of God and celebrating the sacraments, which I do since I am a priest, the thing I like most about being the archbishop is that I am blessed with seeing so many good things that most people don’t get to see.