Diary Entry #36: A Good Samaritan It was a dark, cold, and rainy night. I was on my way to a gathering of the faithful at a parish in a remote area to which I had never been. I really hate driving at night. I really hate driving in the rain. And I really hate…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #35 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #35
Diary Entry #35 The Angel Plate Experience shows that all sorts of unusual people visit inner-city Catholic churches for a variety of reasons. Some are Catholics who never attend Mass but stop by the church regularly to practice their personal devotions. Others, Catholic or not, come to panhandle from the priest or other people who…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #34 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #34
Diary Entry #34 The Death of a Chapel and a Ministry One day I received a phone call from a fellow teacher at the inner-city high school at which I once served as a teacher and chaplain many years ago. I was surprised to hear from him, for I had not for a long time.…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #33 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #33
Diary Entry #33: Walking with Tony In my last entry I wrote that experience suggests that there are two ways that people enter their twilight years: their bodies wear out, while their minds remain lucid; or their minds wear out while their bodies remain vivid. Which is preferable, I will leave to my readers to…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #32 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #32
Diary Entry #32: Walking with Mary Experience seems to suggest that there are two ways that people enter their twilight years: their bodies wear out, while their minds remain lucid; or their minds wear out while their bodies remain vivid. I have seen many examples of both. I offer two stories to illustrate these two…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #31 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #31
Diary Entry #31: Mr. Santa Clause Man This is not really a Christmas story. The event I am about to relate took place on a hot summer day, as I recall. But because it involves an inner-city character that my parochial vicar at the time and I called Mr. Santa Clause Man, it comes to…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #30 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #30
Diary Entry #30: A Christmas Story For most of us Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. For a parish priest it can be the most burdensome time of the year. I will not pretend to speak for other priests, but only for myself. I do not look forward to Christmas in the…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #29 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #29
Diary Entry # 29 The Mysterious Case of the Missing Dish Soap: a lesson in communication. At all the parishes in which I have lived and served there has been a cleaning lady who visits the rectory at regular intervals. In no way do I intend to disparage the work of these ladies by recounting…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #28 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #28
Diary Entry #28: Trees and Treehouses I have always loved trees. There is something about them that draws me to them. They are impressive, stately, majestic. They are silent unless the wind causes their leaves to rustle. Untouched by original sin and concupiscence, they don’t ask for anything. They don’t complain. They don’t need to…
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THE DIARY OF AN INNER-CITY PRIEST #27 – EL DIARIO DE UN SACERDOTE URBANO #27
Diary Entry #27: The Annual Bishop’s Appeal Being a pastor has its advantages and its disadvantages. To make things clear to those who may not be familiar with the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church, a bishop is the priest responsible for an entire diocese, a pastor is the priest responsible for a parish church,…
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