To everyone about the age of 70 or above, a moment for us. I appreciate the word elder, but I’m not fond of its adjective, elderly, or the term old age so often used to suggest impairment or irrelevance. Middle age, on the other hand, conveys years of full-bodied fervor and keenness embracing both present and future. Peggy Lee’s song “It’s a Good Day” expresses this well, “You know you gotta get going  /If you're gonna make a showing  /And you got the right of way.” Middle age, it seems to me, should go all the way through one’s 79th year...

he fact that I don’t speak Spanish didn’t stop me from going to Mexico as often as possible with bilingual Catholic friends. Our driving trips took us through many interior states. Hands down Guanajuato (birthplace of Mexican independence) is the most beautiful city I’ve seen. But the industrial city of Monterrey remains my favorite. There I found many of the beautiful things that have adorned our Saint Philip worship area over the years. You will recognize several of them, for example the framed Our Lady of Guadalupe portrait in the Day Chapel, the gold seashell I use when baptizing, the gold wine-and-water cruets tray used by altar servers in our Mass, and most especially, the gold and silver footed ciborium in our tabernacle which I gifted to St. Philip in honor of Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza appointing me pastor July 01, 2005...

The greatest and most powerful prayer we possess is the Mass! Our 2022 Liturgical calendar has many available Mass dates on which to offer your special intention.

Join us weekly in March for a special study and discussion on the Mysteries of the Rosary. This is the perfect time to join if you haven't had the chance yet.

A few days ago a Rhode Island Red chicken was apprehended at the Pentagon for trespassing in a secure area. As if on cue, the old shame and blame -- Why did the chicken cross the road? etc. -- detonated in the DC media, going viral. A Pentagon spokesperson refused to identify where exactly the hen was caught lurking. It’s classified, she said. We do know that the Rhode Island Red was photographed, likely footprinted and denied her Miranda rights. Then she vanished. Whisked off to an undisclosed Virginia farm, we’re told. “Virginia farm” is a well-known CIA euphemism for “interrogation facility”. Fowl play is suspected. So many questions....

One morning my mother walked through the backyard carrying a basket of freshly washed clothes to hang out on the line. She heard me crying, but I was nowhere in sight. She followed my voice to a nearby great elm tree. In a flash she tilted her head back and scanned inside the leafy canopy. Spotting me glued to a branch near the top of the tree, she told me to come down. I can’t Mom I cried, I’m scared. She repeated her words more forcefully. Dick you climb down right this minute. I can’t Mom I said, I don’t know how. After staring at me a minute or so, she called out NOW DON’T YOU MOVE, I’LL BE RIGHT BACK...

DSF kicks off this weekend! Follow the link to find out more about Cardinal Dinardo's charities and this year's theme, "All for the Glory of God." https://www.archgh.org/ways-to-give/diocesan-services-fund-dsf/