From The Pastor: 

The Holy Cross, Medicine of the World

The Holy Cross, Medicine Of The World

September 23, 2020

In our days of widespread inarticulateness, the word “awesome” is so overused that it loses its power. It is rooted in the Old English “egefull,” which means causing profound reverence. So, to call a good dinner or a new dress “awesome” is overkill. Only in the nineteenth century did its equivalent, “awful,” come to mean something bad. It is said...

Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Community Unity, Ending Racism and Discrimination, Casting Your Vote

Community Unity, Ending Racism And Discrimination, Casting Your Vote

September 22, 2020

Pat and I have recently returned from a trip to Big Sky, Montana, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National Parks where we took our two recent high school graduate grandchildren – Logan Elisabeth Denmon and Wilson Luke Von Dohlen. This is a tradition for us as each of our 16 grandchildren accomplish graduation from high school. We feel there is nothing...

Tim Von Dohlen

View Articles If you’ve met Tim, you know that his life was shaped by good values that were imparted to him by his parents and he...

From The Pastor: 

Discerning the Truth in our times is critical

Discerning The Truth In Our Times Is Critical

September 15, 2020

In our city, accustomed to protest demonstrations of all sorts, a recent one was particularly dismaying and even frightening. The anarchistic chants were bad enough, but the frightfulness was in the glazed eyes of the expressionless marchers, like the “pod people” in the 1956 cult film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” Carrying signs supplied for them, they chanted refrains called...

Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

From The Pastor: 

The Prince of Lies, Our Modern Times, and the Power of the Rosary

The Prince Of Lies, Our Modern Times, And The Power Of The Rosary

September 6, 2020

The Prince of Lies cannot lie in the presence of Christ: “I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (Luke 4:34). And Christ who is the Truth knows him, too: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).   Satan does not want anyone to know him, and yet in the present discontent that afflicts our culture,...

Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Ceo Learnings: 

BOOK REVIEW: Manby Focuses on St. Paul’s Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders and Life

Book Review: Manby Focuses On St. Paul’s Timeless Principles For Effective Leaders And Life

August 28, 2020

Joel Manby’s Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders is an excellent book that is worth your time and money. Over the course of my career, there have been hundreds of books published on leadership effectiveness. While they all have their own twist, the best of them all share a common thread. They are all rooted in Biblical principles. While...

Thomas M. Loarie

(CEO, Bryologyx)

View Articles Thomas M. Loarie is a popular host of The Mentors Radio Show, the founder and CEO of BryoLogyx Inc. (BryoLogyx.com), and a seasoned corporate...

" Thomas Loarie is CEO of Bryologyx, a radio host of The Mentors Radio Show, and the former, seasoned and pioneering CEO of life science... "

Catching Air: 

History and Racism- who are the racists?

History And Racism- Who Are The Racists?

August 10, 2020

We hear a lot these days about systemic or institutionalized racism, especially in connection with the police and persisting economic disparity between races. Protesters say historical racism is so embedded in our western culture that we need to erase symbols of our tainted past like statues and the names of cities, schools and sports teams. But who are the racists...

David G. Bjornstrom

(Attorney)

David G. Bjornstrom is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar and retired California attorney at law with 38 years specializing in business, estate and...

From The Pastor: 

Chivalry, Courtesy, Honor, and Merciful to the Absurd

Chivalry, Courtesy, Honor, And Merciful To The Absurd

August 6, 2020

It may not be long before “Ladies and Gentlemen” ceases to start a speech, as the result of blurring the distinction between man and gentleman, and woman and lady. We may not hear at banquets, “Gentlemen, charge your glasses,” or understand the Victorian-era ballad: “My mother was a lady like yours, you will allow.” Putting aside the grotesquerie of gender...

Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

From The Pastor: 

We are now in a spiritual combat as monumental as World II

We Are Now In A Spiritual Combat As Monumental As World Ii

July 28, 2020

As a psychosis, “self-mutilation syndrome” is rooted in self-loathing and obsessive-compulsive behavior. Whole cultures can be afflicted with a similar compulsion to injure themselves. Nowadays it is called a “cancel culture.” To topple statues and burn churches is a metaphor for self-loathing rather than reason.  In  their modern aesthetic recklessness, nations begin to disdain what Matthew Arnold called “the best which...

Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Life, Truth & Justice: 

The Mugging of America

The Mugging Of America

July 24, 2020

When viewing the events of recent weeks I think most Americans share the common heartbreak, anger and confusion of a mugging victim. We have been violently assaulted by some thugs and something precious has been wrenched from us. Our mugging was not a one-time crime on the streets of Chicago or New York during which we were attacked and our...

Gregory N. Weiler

Gregory N. Weiler, Esq. is a founding board member of the St. Thomas More Society in Orange County, CA, a Fourth Degree member of the Knights...

" Gregory N. Weiler, Esq. is a founding board member of the St. Thomas More Society in Orange County, CA and a partner at Palmieri... "

Point Of View: 

Can we learn from suffering?

Can We Learn From Suffering?

July 17, 2020

It is hard for an old man like me to talk about suffering. Most people I know, including me, are in charge of our lives. No matter the losses and illnesses, we still have access to care, to security, and a decent life. Suffering is not a real part of my world. Just how far it is from my world...

Fr David ORourke

Fr. David O’Rourke, OP, is pastor at the historic Our Lady of Mercy parish in Point Richmond, an accomplished artist, gardener, translator, author, lecturer, family counselor...

" Pastor, Our Lady of Mercy in Point Richmond, CA "

Point Of View: 

Ideas on Conversion

Ideas On Conversion

July 15, 2020

Tied to my garden by a number of convalescing’s that have ganged up on me, I have been thinking of some words that we chew over a lot in religious settings. Words we use to pinpoint events, or human experiences. And one of them is conversion. Sounds very special—something that does not go in, in the life of normal people....

Fr David ORourke

Fr. David O’Rourke, OP, is pastor at the historic Our Lady of Mercy parish in Point Richmond, an accomplished artist, gardener, translator, author, lecturer, family counselor...

" Pastor, Our Lady of Mercy in Point Richmond, CA "

From The Pastor: 

The Bottom Line Remains the Same

The Bottom Line Remains The Same

July 15, 2020

July waves Old Glory and Le Tricolore. Jacques-Louis David based the French flag on the cockade of the Marquis de Lafayette, who had been urged to help the American colonists by the Duke of Gloucester, in a funk because his brother, King George III, disapproved of his marriage. At least there was no Reign of Terror in Philadelphia.    Our unofficial “National...

Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Reject Racism, But Know What You Are Supporting

Reject Racism, But Know What You Are Supporting

July 14, 2020

There’s nothing like sitting outside on the 4th of July, the birthday of the United States, listening to great patriotic music and hearing a new Lee Greenwood song. Yes, I missed watching the traditional parade due to Covid-19 concerns, but I find myself thinking of all the blessings that my family and I enjoy; things that make our lives exciting...

Tim Von Dohlen

View Articles If you’ve met Tim, you know that his life was shaped by good values that were imparted to him by his parents and he...

From The Pastor: 

Perspective Amid Cultural Chaos

Perspective Amid Cultural Chaos

July 5, 2020

Stalin, killer of at least 20 million people, said “A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.” In mid-nineteenth-century China, the civil war known as the Taiping Rebellion cost upwards of 30 million lives. The feast of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 companions, on July 9, is a reminder that the persecution of Christian...

Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Point Of View: 

Open for Masses Again

Open For Masses Again

July 3, 2020

I am happy, and even relieved, to be able to let you all know that we will again be open for Masses this weekend. And we will be celebrating the 4th of July. Open, but very Carefully Open. Which should go without saying. But when you are dealing with a lethal epidemic nothing goes without saying. We are accustomed to...

Fr David ORourke

Fr. David O’Rourke, OP, is pastor at the historic Our Lady of Mercy parish in Point Richmond, an accomplished artist, gardener, translator, author, lecturer, family counselor...

" Pastor, Our Lady of Mercy in Point Richmond, CA "

From The Pastor: 

The Present Culture War

The Present Culture War

June 27, 2020

As the local churches gradually open again, one is reminded of the persistence of Benjamin Stoddert Ewell, president of the College of William and Mary, ringing the school bell during seven years of closure after the Civil War. It is yet to be seen how many return to our churches after the quarantine, but the churches will be strengthened by...

Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Ceo Learnings: 

BOOK REVIEW: Which Pain Will You Choose? The Pain of Discipline or the Pain of Regret?

Book Review: Which Pain Will You Choose? The Pain Of Discipline Or The Pain Of Regret?

June 27, 2020

This review was first published in 2015, but given the times, the uncertainty of government lockdown decisions and more, we felt this book could be especially helpful to Catholic business leaders and entrepreneurs. -CBJ ed. In The Reinvented Leader, author Chuck Bolton shares the wisdom and tools he has developed from working with more than 1,000 executives and 100 top...

Thomas M. Loarie

(CEO, Bryologyx)

View Articles Thomas M. Loarie is a popular host of The Mentors Radio Show, the founder and CEO of BryoLogyx Inc. (BryoLogyx.com), and a seasoned corporate...

" Thomas Loarie is CEO of Bryologyx, a radio host of The Mentors Radio Show, and the former, seasoned and pioneering CEO of life science... "

From The Pastor: 

The Cruelest Illiteracy

The Cruelest Illiteracy

June 20, 2020

After the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Jews relied on literacy to preserve their culture, with the Mishna as the written record of what until then had been an oral tradition of rabbinic commentaries. While functional illiteracy seems to have been common, our Lord asked his listeners at least four times: “Have you not...

Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Catching Air: 

Contact Tracing, Mandatory Smartphone Apps and China

Contact Tracing, Mandatory Smartphone Apps And China

June 16, 2020

As our society gradually unwinds the Covid-19 shutdowns and people reenter the public workforce, we’re seeing new government efforts to “protect” us whether we like it or not. This increasingly involves mandatory health screenings and various forms of technology-assisted "contact tracing," including new smartphone apps to identify people who are sick or have associated with a sick person in order...

David G. Bjornstrom

(Attorney)

David G. Bjornstrom is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar and retired California attorney at law with 38 years specializing in business, estate and...

From The Pastor: 

Christian, Remember Your Dignity

Christian, Remember Your Dignity

June 15, 2020

Robert Gould Shaw was born into an abolitionist Unitarian family in Boston in 1837. When he was ten, they settled on Staten Island. An uncle who became a Catholic priest paid for his tuition at what is now the Fordham Preparatory School.   As a somewhat distracted student, Shaw never completed his studies (who does?) but he was tutored in...

Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

1 … 7 8 9 10 11 … 23