Posted by Carol Johnson on 9/01/24
This is one of the strangest things I have personally encountered in the celebration of the sacraments. At the time, I was the associate priest at a large parish. One day, a baptism was scheduled at the same time as Mass, so I performed the baptism in a hall ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 8/26/24
There are times in each person's life when we must make very important decisions; decisions that mark a critical before and after. Either we go this way, or we go that way. I, for example, had to choose between priesthood and non-consecrated life. I also had to choose between ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 8/18/24
There is no homily this week as Deacon Steve was the homilist.
Posted by Carol Johnson on 8/18/24
When you walked into the church today, many of you thought you were entering a different church: the statue of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton prominently displayed in the nave, the pictures of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Divine Mercy hanging on the back wall.
The pedestal now allows ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 8/11/24
In today’s gospel, the Lord tells his followers that He himself is the bread that came down from heaven. He promises that anyone who eats his flesh will not die but will live forever. The Church pairs this gospel reading with the story from the First Book of Kings ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 8/07/24
Monsignor Ismael Baracaldo was a retired priest who lived in the seminary in Colombia. He celebrated Sunday Mass in two hotels in a nearby tourist city. For a couple of years, I accompanied him to these Masses and helped him with the music and logistics of the Mass. For ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 7/29/24
Finding authentic relics of Saints available as a personal possession is very rare. However, Deacon Steve Canali was gifted with a relic of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton on his ordination day. Deacon Steve has treasured this precious gift for four years, but he knew from the very moment he ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 7/15/24
Bishop Joseph Gossman, who served the diocese of Raleigh for 31 years until 2006, used to say that he ordained priests to make them pastors, not just priests who help pastors. You may think that all priests are pastors, but they are not. There are many other opportunities within ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 7/07/24
My two nephews from Savannah, Andrew 22 and Nico 19, remarkably, had not being in my sisters’ native country of Colombia until two weeks ago. The reason for this is that they have strong food allergies, and my sister did not want them to have a bad reaction away ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 6/10/24
After walking a mile in the procession with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Emmitsburg, I was given the amazing privilege of carrying the Lord in the monstrance for the last leg of the procession. I took the monstrance back into the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann ... Read More »