THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #46: The Laughing Ladies at the Funeral Home I have witnessed many strange things during my years as a priest; so many strange things that it takes something particularly novel or extraordinary to stop me in my tracks. That happened to me recently as I was conducting…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #45 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #45
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #45: Singing at Mass In 1991 author and Catholic Church musician Thomas Day published a book entitled Why Catholics Can’t Sing. In it he proposed many explanations for why Catholics can’t, don’t, or won’t sing at Mass. It was a book very popular among Catholic musicians at…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #44 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #44
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry #44: “You saved my daughter’s life.” I was invited to a neighboring parish one evening for a round of the game “Stump the Priest”. Typically, this “game” involves a panel of two or three priests and a crowd of interested Catholics who gather for dinner. During the course…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #43 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #43
THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST Diary Entry: #43 “We Hate Latin!” “We hate Latin!” I will never forget these words hurled at me one Monday morning by an old Polish couple who had come to the rectory office to complain, just after I had assumed the role of pastor at an inner-city parish. Prompting complaints…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #42 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #42
Diary Entry #42: The Guy Who Stole My Newspaper I had been the new pastor of an inner-city parish for a few months. I enjoyed the fact that the previous pastor had taken a subscription to the local newspaper. While a newspaper subscription costs relatively little, it does cost something. I had never taken one…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #41 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #41
Diary Entry #41: The Priest’s Nun’s Tale I have written before about a young lady, a former student, who wrote to me several years ago to inform me that she had entered a cloistered Carmelite convent. She explained that in part, her decision to become a cloistered nun was influenced by my preaching, teaching, and…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #40 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #40
Diary Entry #40: Gift Card Girl; or, Another Mystery Woman. As we have learned along the way, unusual people show up at inner city Catholic Churches. I realize that they show up everywhere, but I am not everywhere. I have spent the major part of my priesthood in inner city parishes and schools. I can…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #39 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #39
Diary Entry #39: Pizza and Beer with Plumbers on a Super Bowl Sunday I am not much of a sports fan, but I remember a particular Super Bowl Sunday very fondly. I had recently taken charge of an inner-city parish which was bankrupt. Completely bankrupt. So bankrupt that there was no heat in the rectory. …
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #38 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #38
Diary Entry #38: Turning Toward the Lord Readers may remember a story I once related of how I avoided being transferred to a parish whose pastor and I had absolutely nothing in common regarding the offering of the Mass (or much of anything else, for that matter). I deliberately wore a cassock to my initial…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #37 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #37
Diary Entry #37: The Eucharistic Minister Weddings can be joyous occasions for priests, couples, and their families. Weddings can also be stressful occasions for priests, couples, and their families. Guests, not knowing what may be going on behind the scenes, generally enjoy the event. After months of preparation and planning, the wedding rehearsal at the…
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