Lessons From the Peripheries: The Joy of the Gospel and our Continental Mission

Dear friends,

Thank you for your warm welcome. It is so good that we are here!

The Joy of the Gospel in America

As I write, I am preparing to leave for Orlando, Florida, to attend a historic gathering — “Convocation of Catholic Leaders,” organized by my brothers in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 

Summer of love and the seasons of God

In different places throughout the city of Los Angeles these days, you can see festive banners along the streets remembering the Monterey Pop Festival of June 1967.

In the Body of Christ, we meet as friends

Today we are celebrating the immigrant spirit that makes America great.

America has always been a beautiful collection of many immigrant peoples. And the immigrant spirit is still renewing the soul of America — even though we are going through some hard times and struggles in recent years.

Praying for immigrants

On Sunday, June 18, we will celebrate our annual Mass in Recognition of All Immigrants at our Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Renewing the face of the earth

At the dawn of creation, the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the earth’s deep waters.

I was thinking about this image from the Book of Genesis on June 4, as I was praying and preparing to celebrate Pentecost.

The Christian is one who has a vocation

On June 3, I will ordain seven fine men to the priesthood and the following week I will ordain 19 fine men to be permanent deacons.

The rosary is the prayer for our times

Recently, the Wall Street Journal had an interesting article about brain research.

Researchers are finding that people who use a “personal mantra” — mentally repeating over and over a positive word or phrase that reinforces their values — tend to be calmer, feel more in control and are less likely to get stressed out.

Saints in the heart of the secular city

My friends, you are graduating from a great Catholic university in a city that is named for God’s holy angels. That gives you some sense of your identity and mission after you graduate.

Mary’s message of peace and hope

May is a beautiful time here in Southern California — especially this year, when we have been blessed with an abundance of rain and an end to our long drought.