THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #65 Ghost Busting From time to time, I receive calls from people who think they are the victims of demonic activity. They may be, and they may not be. I do not relish these calls as I want nothing to do with such things. I…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #64 / DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #64
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #64 “Good Paper” On occasion I recall my days in the seminary and how, against all odds, I was finally ordained to the priesthood. I am not sure how the average Catholic imagines the life of a seminarian, if he ever does at all,…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #63 -DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #63
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #63 The Unity Candle In the late 1970s and early ‘80s, while I was working as a musician, long before I was ordained to the priesthood, the Unity Candle was not only a staple at every wedding, but a sine que non. A wedding without a Unity…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST # 62 – DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO # 62
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #62 A Long Story Having completed some of the most pleasant years of my priestly life at my first assignment at a suburban parish, I was sent to teach in an inner-city Catholic high school. I continued to live at the first parish, about a…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST # 61 – DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO # 61
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #61 The Weird Smile There have been numerous unintended negative consequences of the historically relatively recent push for versus populum i.e., “priest facing the people” celebration of the Mass in the Novus Ordo Missae. (For the uninitiated, the New Order of Mass, which…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #60 / DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #60
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #60 “Too Many Rules.” From time to time, priests receive letters of complaint from dissatisfied customers. I have received more than my fair share of those letters. The reason I have received more than my fair share of those letters is probably that I insist on upholding…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #59 / DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #59
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #59 The Motor Scooter One of the crosses most inner-city pastors must bear is the presence of a dumpster on his property. At first thought, it might seem attractive to the average homeowner or apartment dweller to have a dumpster handy; after all, one can throw a…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #59 – DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #59
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #59 The Motor Scooter One of the crosses most inner-city pastors must bear is the presence of a dumpster on his property. At first thought, it might seem attractive to the average homeowner or apartment dweller to have a dumpster handy; after all, one can throw a lot…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #58 – DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #58
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #58 My Name is “Father” I have a very common first name, or baptismal name, which was given to me by my parents at my baptism. I never use it. The reason I never use it will become clear as we proceed. When I was assigned…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #57 – DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #57
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #57 Homeless people, Panhandlers, addicts, and plain old-fashioned Thieves As I begin this diary entry, I realize that it could grow to be an entire book of its own. My stories like those which follow are endless. Every priest everywhere is called upon almost every day to…
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