What Catholics Believe

At World Youth Day 2002 in Canada, Venerable Pope John Paul II proclaimed, “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.”

Back in 1992, I was a selfish young adult who had fallen away from my Catholic faith and my relationship with God.

The confirmation season, Easter through Pentecost, is an annual high point of my ministry as bishop. As I think about it, I have never met a bishop – and I have met hundreds – who does not thoroughly enjoy his role as the ordinary minister of confirmation.

As parish catechetical leader, I prepared second graders for the sacraments. The parents of one boy (David) who attended the parish school were not Catholic and never had David baptized.

Today, I would like to examine the central truth of our faith. As we continue our look at the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, we turn to Chapter 14 which wraps us in the Paschal Mystery.

I remember as if it were yesterday the times when I was blessed with the beautiful but painful privilege of offering the prayers of commendation of the dying for my mother and father – Mom in 1977 and Dad in 1998.

As we continue our review of the Catechism for Adults, we come to chapter 12: Mary: The Church’s First and Most Perfect Member.

Chapter Eleven of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults has to do with the four identifying marks of the Church: it is one, united under our pope and bishops, holy, catholic or universal, and apostolic.

This year on January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, I celebrated the Eucharist with the people of St. Mary’s Parish in Orono.

On the day of the Ascension, our Lord said to His apostles and disciples: “For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)

People always laughed when a seminary classmate of mine said: "Things always look darkest, just before they get pitch black." They chuckled because they appreciated the irony of the statement.

The occasion is the Annunciation, when the archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary, inviting her to be the Mother of God. Mary’s yes–her faithful fiat and great amen–has resonated throughout two millennia

Sr. Francine, my sixth grade teacher many years ago, was a woman of conviction who could drive a point home like a nail gun.

In Kris Kristofferson’s poignant song, “Me and Bobbie Magee,” there is the haunting line, “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose.”

Obedience is often thought of as suspect in our culture either because it is associated with being unnecessarily submissive or unduly authoritarian.

During 1970, I spent a semester in Rome. Just before Christmas, 20 priests from my group were given an audience with Our Holy Father, Pope Paul VI.

In the Rite of Ordination of a Bishop, the sacrament is conferred when the ordaining bishop lays his hands on the ordinand’s head and then offers the ordination prayer.

In 1992, the Catechism of the Catholic Church was published and promulgated by Pope John Paul II.