Father Richard Donnelly, once pastor of St. Mark Church, Garden City, described the Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse, as “a spiritual pep talk in code.” No doubt one of his professors at St. …
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Fr. John A. Kiley
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9/13/18
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Two disciples among the Twelve Apostles are known by the name “James.” St. James, sometimes called “the greater,” was a fisherman, the brother of St. John, and a son of their father Zebedee …
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Father John A. Kiley
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9/6/18
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The canonization of St. Joan of Arc was delayed more than 500 years because, get this, she wore men’s clothing. Arrayed in battle garb, the French heroine famously led her nation to victory over …
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Father John A. Kiley
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8/23/18
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A congratulations card or a recovery card or a condolence card arrives in the mail from a Catholic friend and the greeting begins, “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be offered for…” Yes, the …
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Fr. John A. Kiley
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8/9/18
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Saints Matthew, Mark and Luke, as well as St. Paul, recall the institution of the Holy Eucharist in their Gospel narratives in phrases that fairly well parallel the words of consecration heard every …
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Fr. John A. Kiley
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7/26/18
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The publication of a 50th anniversary commemorative edition of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical On Human Life by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a bit perplexing to say the least. The …
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Fr. John A. Kiley
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7/12/18
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From St. Martin of Tours ripping his cloak in half to shelter a homeless wanderer through St. Vincent dePaul and his Daughters of Charity rescuing unwanted babies from the streets of Paris right up …
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Fr. John A. Kiley
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6/28/18
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The honors and formalities afforded the Reverend Billy Graham after his death were a refreshing religious break from the secularism that pervades today’s Western society. Tributes offered in the …
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Father John A. Kiley
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6/21/18
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Pope Francis has clearly gone out of his way to project an image of the Church as a merciful, reconciling community. On a grand level he initiated in 2015 a Jubilee Year with the Papal bull, …
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Father John A. Kiley
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6/14/18
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The Diocese of Providence has more than 30 churches dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The diocese’s two oldest parishes, St. Mary’s in Newport and St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in …
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Fr. John A. Kiley
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6/7/18
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An old adage instructs, “As we pray, so we believe.” On this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, it is certainly worthwhile to look carefully at the contemporary Church to analyze how …
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Fr. John A. Kiley
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5/31/18
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One line of Scripture that makes Roman Catholics easy prey for fundamentalist Christians is Christ’s demand in St. Matthew’s Gospel account: “Call no one on earth your father; you have but one …
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Father John A. Kiley
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5/24/18
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Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens caused quite a stir a month ago when he proposed in a New York Times Op-Ed piece “…a constitutional amendment to get rid of the Second Amendment.” …
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Father John A. Kiley
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5/17/18
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Father Peter J. Gibbons, once pastor of St. Teresa Parish in Providence, was among the first priests to come under the Diocese of Providence clergy retirement policy in the 1970s. Father Gibbons, …
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Father John A. Kiley
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5/10/18
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Like most old people, I wake up very early, usually 5 a.m. My morning coffee is already perking, set the night before on automatic timer. Perhaps I’ll have a slice of toast. But then I take my cup …
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Father John A. Kiley
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5/3/18
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Catholic education has been part of the Church’s ministry since Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after his resurrection. “Go, therefore, and teach all nations,” Jesus instructs his …
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Father John A. Kiley
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4/26/18
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The Vatican, with the approval of Pope Francis, recently issued a document entitled “Placuit Deo” dealing with certain faulty trends in modern religious thought that are familiar to most …
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Father John A. Kiley
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4/19/18
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While the Franciscans and the Dominicans were busy evangelizing South America and French Jesuits were converting the Hurons of Quebec and Ontario, other zealous Jesuits were reaching out to the …
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Fr. John A. Kiley
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4/12/18
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The Woonsocket Call caused quite a stir recently when the local newspaper highlighted the questionable future of some of the city’s older parishes.
No one sympathizes more with the parishioners …
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Fr. John A. Kiley
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4/5/18
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The splendor of Easter is rightly reflected in the decorative elegance of even the humblest parish church. Budding tulips, blossoming azaleas, blooming hydrangeas and emblematic lilies accompany the …
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Fr. John A. Kiley
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3/29/18
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