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78 results total, viewing 1 - 20
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August arrived disguised as May, and we ventured on a short hike with some of kids and grandkids.
The children ranged in age from 10 to 1, the exact odds against them all enjoying the same …
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By Mark Saucier
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8/6/20
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I’ve read that in Senegal, when an elder dies, they say, “A library has burned.”
It is appropriate when you think about it. Every person blessed with many years has …
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By Mark Saucier
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7/9/20
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It was the best Father’s Day.
For the first time in many months, we had all the kids and grandkids together. The weather was beautiful, with a gentle sun, a whispering breeze and comfortable …
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By Mark Saucier
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6/25/20
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On June 21, 2020, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the patroness of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight preached a homily at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, in which he …
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Bishop W. Shawn McKnight
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6/25/20
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“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
That quote of Martin Luther King Jr. has reappeared in recent days, encouraging a hope that we will get beyond the …
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By Mark Saucier
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6/11/20
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It’s summer, and for some it’s a time of vacation and relaxation.
For our pastors and parish pastoral councils, it’s a time to gather the discernment of parishioners and develop …
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Bishop W. Shawn McKnight
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6/11/20
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“It’s time to quit patting the mule and start packing the wagon,” my grandfather would say, and I’d know it was time to get back to work.
Like many of his time, and …
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By Mark Saucier
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5/13/20
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The past weeks have been extraordinary and, by extraordinary I mean a singular time we hope never to repeat.
It’s not just the number of cases and COVID-19 deaths. There are the lost jobs, …
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By Mark Saucier
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4/30/20
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It’s hard. Children are off school, but playgrounds are taped off like crime scenes.
In the fear of sickness and death, so many of the frightened are not allowed the comfort of a …
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By Mark Saucier
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4/16/20
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This will be a Lent to remember.
Almost everyone has accepted the challenge of sacrifice.
You might say that all this self-denial and social concern wasn’t entirely free will. You might …
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By Mark Saucier
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4/2/20
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When my adult children were young, they would occasionally inquire on a Sunday morning when having a hard time waking up, ‘Do we have to go to Church?”
To which I would reply, …
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By Denise Barnes
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3/24/20
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I was standing on a furrow of stripped leaves in a sugarcane field, waiting among the workers as they gathered for the five kilos of rice we were giving each of them.
Something tickled the side of …
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By Mark Saucier
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3/19/20
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It’s Lent. You pass on the steak and settle for shrimp.
It’s a small sacrifice — very small, even meaningless, some would say.
Others think we need to ramp up the …
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By Mark Saucier
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3/11/20
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CLICK HERE to read a related article.
Now that I have reached my two-year anniversary as your bishop, I find myself grateful every day for the opportunity to be the shepherd for God’s …
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By Bishop W. Shawn McKnight
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2/19/20
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Over the past few weeks, I have spent hours poring over dated files and faded pictures from some 40 years of work.
There were black and white prints of people long gone, but suddenly and fondly …
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By Mark Saucier
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2/19/20
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“Hey Grandpa. Come quick. You got to see this,” shouted my 3-year-old grandson. He was standing at the back door, staring out the glass panels.
I got there just before his second …
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By Mark Saucier
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2/6/20
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I’ve attended three funerals in five days.
One was a priest of 57 years. He was challenging but rewarding. You had to slog through a slough of opinions, but the trek would often lead to deep …
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By Mark Saucier
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1/22/20
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In our church, the Magi begin their journey at the far left side of the sanctuary. Over the 12 days of Christmas, they make their way across the apse, arriving at the Nativity scene just in time for …
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By Mark Saucier
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1/9/20
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When men and women are trying to conquer addiction — and all its bad judgments, bad actions and bad outcomes — a punch bowl and urns of coffee are all you will find at the Christmas party …
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By Mark Saucier
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12/19/19
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Advent is simple, unpretentious and sadly ignored. I often hear, “I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas.” No one, however, seems concerned about the dwindling days of …
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By Mark Saucier
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12/12/19
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