News - March 2024 RSS Feed

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, During Lent, many of us have the tradition of giving things up — whether it’s chocolate or social media or abstaining from our favorite beverage. We intentionally join our sacrifices to the sacrifice of Christ and thereby participate in his work of redemption. As we rediscover every year, what we give up is far surpassed by what we receive. In his triumph over evil, Jesus has given us new life in Him, a life that will have no end.

Some time ago I was despondent after receiving disappointing news. I thought I had done everything right to get my hoped-for outcome, and as insurance (OK, pleading) I prayed a novena and I enlisted my family and friends for prayer and support. I was confident it was just meant to be — that it was God’s plan for me. In other words, I knew best and was just getting God on board.

Barely two months into his retirement as Bishop Emeritus for the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Bishop Paul Bradley received yet another call from the Apostolic Nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre. The preceding call from the nuncio (the pope’s designate) this past May was to accept his retirement as bishop of the Diocese of Kalamazoo; this call was to relay the news that the Holy Father had appointed him the Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Steubenville (Ohio).

In this second of three in our series on the Sacraments, we look deeper at the two Sacraments of Healing. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states: “The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.” (CCC 1421)

The McNamara house is bursting with energy this Sunday afternoon. The family has already been up early to get to 8 a.m. Mass and Mom and Dad have successfully checked off two mealtimes — breakfast and lunch. The oldest child, sits before the TV, mesmerized by Sunday football as he recuperates from a recent tonsillectomy, while his younger brothers spar over toys one moment and then erupt into collective giggles when one lands a pretzel right in the other’s forehead. Tim and Amy McNamara are like many young couples today who are juggling the demands of their professional lives while raising young children. Tim is the Director of Religious Education at two parishes (St. Martin of Tours in Vicksburg and St. Philip in Battle Creek), and Amy is a social worker for St. Augustine Cathedral School. Married in 2014, their family has grown to include their three sons: Davey, 8; Ollie, 5; and Micah, 2 (as well as their child “Baby Chip” in Heaven). To their families and friends they are known for their infectious smiles as well as their inspiring joy and love for the Church. So how do they f ind time for each other and for their sons all while maintaining focus on their shared ministry to be the primary educators of the faith? With hearts centered on prayer, connection with their communities and a heaping dose of humor and humility.

Every year as the Advent season rolls around, the great debates of when Christmas begins and ends pick up. Should you wait to put up Christmas decorations until Christmas Eve? Or perhaps you roll them out slowly over the Advent season. Do you take them down the day after Christmas or Epiphany or the Baptism of our Lord or not until Candlemas? Following are some ways to honor the season all the way until Candlemas on February 2, 2024.

During these past months since my ordination and installation as your bishop on July 25, I have enjoyed numerous opportunities to meet many of you in our parishes, schools and in the community. I have met youth and young adults at their gatherings and have confirmed many young people at the cathedral. I have visited the different religious communities of sisters in their convents and religious houses and spent time with the Knights of Columbus. I have had the chance to celebrate Mass at some of our Catholic schools, with the Knights of Columbus, and with the graduates of the Instituto San Agustin (ISAK). And I have participated with the broader Christian community at ecumenical events.

“WHO EVEN ORDAINS A NEW BISHOP?” This is a question that I’ve heard repeated several times over the last two weeks. We know that, after a man in the seminary has finished his studies and formation and is ready to become a priest, his bishop is the one who ordains him to the priesthood. We also know that the bishop is the one who ordains men to the diaconate. But who ordains a man to become a bishop? To ordain a bishop (which is also referred to as “consecrating a bishop”), you need two things: First, you need another bishop; second, you need approval from the Holy Father. In today’s Church, the pope must approve the ordination of a new bishop, who may be consecrated only by other bishops. Let’s explore why.

No one was more surprised to receive a call from the apostolic nuncio, (Cardinal-designate Christophe Pierre) then Bishop Edward Lohse. So surprised in fact that he hung up twice, not recognizing the Washington, D.C., phone number and assuming it was a spam call. He then received a text message from the Nuncio asking him to call him back. Bishop Lohse laughed when recounting this story to diocesan staff gathered on the day the Holy Father announced he had appointed the priest from the Diocese of Erie as the fifth bishop for the Diocese of Kalamazoo.

By heraldic tradition, the arms of the bishop of a diocese are joined to the arms of his jurisdiction, in this case the Diocese of Kalamazoo. The coat of arms of Bishop Edward M. Lohse combines the coat of arms of the Diocese of Kalamazoo with his personal coat of arms using traditional elements. The cleric’s hat, called a “galero,” in bright green designates one who is ordained to the episcopate, and three tassels indicate the rank of bishop.

In his 14 years of the Shepherd of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Bishop Paul Bradley’s accomplishments are many and his indelible mark on our hearts, immeasurable.

During the Mass of Thanksgiving held July 9, 2023, Bishop Paul J. Bradley honored the 2023 distinguished winners of the Bishop Paul V. Donovan Founder’s Society Award for Outstanding Service. The honorees, Rev. Robert Flickinger and Deacon John and Mrs. Jane Bodway, were chosen for their witness to tireless service in the name of Jesus and for reflecting a love for God through devotion to the Catholic Church and others.