The sacraments are a visible gift from our invisible God. Jesus celebrated the Last Supper, the First Eucharist with His friends and gave us the bread and wine to be transformed into His Body and Blood weekly at Mass in remembrance of Him. This gift gives us spiritual nourishment. But are all gathered at His table, or have our brothers and sisters with developmental disabilities been left behind?

During the month of July two national gatherings will take place. The first is the 73rd annual Tekakwitha Conference to take place in Albany from July 18 through July 22. The theme is “Walking in the Footsteps of Kateri at her Birth Place.” The other is the National Black Catholic Congress XI which will also take place from July 18 through July 21. The theme for the congress is “Faith Engaged: Empower. Equip. Evangelize.”

It’s a good thing the Lord hears the cry of the poor, because Congress is barely listening.

It is good to see people are still feeling strongly about the religious freedom issue.

Bishop Richard J. Malone visited his new diocese on May 29. If how he handled the fury of offering Mass, a press conference, meeting people and visiting various sites is any indication, the diocese is in extremely capable hands. In what could easlily be a time of confusion and stress, Bishop Malone was the epitome of being calm and focused as he got his first impression of the Diocese of Buffalo.

“Alive, alive, alive forevermore, my Jesus is alive, alive forever more.” As I sang this during Easter, I could hardly contain myself. I felt as though it touched my soul. I looked out into the assembly and got distracted by so many that were just standing expressionless, not singing, no clapping, nothing. Do we really believe that Jesus is alive, that He died and rose from the dead for us sinners? There is nothing more exciting than the love that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit has for us. 

As a Church, we remain steadfastly opposed to the Health and Human Services mandate that will require Catholic employers to pay for health coverage that includes contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs. This fiat, which is an unprecedented assault on religious liberty, will force the Church to violate our own beliefs.

If there’s any one arm of the Communications office that has expanded more than others in the past year, it’s been our efforts to employ social media to spread the message of the Diocese of Buffalo more effectively.

As I write this, it is World Communications Day as proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI. It is a typically quiet, breezy day in Butende, Uganda, with occasional passing clouds on an otherwise sunny afternoon. The temperatures fluctuate generally between the low to mid 80s but the sun, given that we are just south of the equator, burns with an intensity we are certainly not used to in Western New York.

This could be one of the most important times for the Catholic press in its entire history. With the assault on religious freedom taking place, the role of the Catholic press will be more important than ever.