UPON THIS ROCK Neighborhood Justice I met George O’Laughlin in the early 1990s when I was assigned to my first pastorate; it was in the inner city. He was the first person I knew who was a member of two Catholic parishes at the same time: one in the suburban...
Mostly Catholic In an interview with Mr. Alvin Brooks, namesake of the Alvin Brooks Center for Faith-Justice at Rockhurst University, I praised him for his leadership role and servanthood within the Catholic Church. He clarified that he is “mostly Catholic.” Over...
Magis On the Rockhurst University campus, there is a building which everyone refers to as The MAC (Magis Activity Center). Most of its space is dedicated to equipment for training, shaping, and strengthening bodies’ physical well-being. “Magis” is an unusual word. ...
Judgment or Condemnation? A decade ago, at World Youth Day, Pope Francis spoke about God’s role as our judge: “God judges us by loving us. If I embrace his love then I am saved; if I refuse it, then I am condemned—not by him but my own self. That is because God...
UPON THIS ROCK Best and Worst of Times For local sports fans, it is the best of times and worst of times as major league baseball gives way to the national football league. The worst season the Royals ever had was in 2005 when we won only 56 games against 106...
UPON THIS ROCK Urban Connection I salute those who live, learn, work, worship, dine, or do volunteer activities in the inner city. Urban centers tend to get abandoned by sprawling populations, but we know that, just as with a human body, the core must be strengthened...
