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Teachers and children alike rejoice as school is out for the summer. We all welcome a change in pace even if that just means lighter traffic for our morning commute. Graduation celebrations give way to summer schedules, family vacations begin filling the calendar and many of us look forward to a slower pace after a busy spring. Even though camps, travel plans, weddings and time away fill our schedule, summer can also become a sacred invitation to rediscover God’s presence in the ordinary moments of life.

Celebramos el próximo 250.º aniversario de la independencia de nuestra nación. Celebramos, tal como se canta en nuestro himno nacional, ser «La tierra de la Libertad». Sin duda, se trata de una celebración patriótica, pero también religiosa.

We celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the independence of our nation. We celebrate, as sung in our national anthem, being “the land of the free.” This is certainly a patriotic celebration, but also a religious celebration.

Long before Deacon Gaten Armstrong was preparing for priesthood, two seminarians assigned to Montgomery parishes spent a summer beating him in basketball while talking trash and also talking discernment.

Family life is hard. In case no one has affirmed that for you lately, let me be the one. Whether you're in the stage of diapers and bottles, wiping faces and losing sleep or whether you're worrying about the children who have grown, the now-adults making their stumbling way through a suffering world, families will always be holy, hard and humbling schools of love. Sometimes we look to Scripture and ask, "Does anything here speak to my life today?"

«Ven, Espíritu Santo, llena los corazones de tus fieles y enciende en ellos el fuego de tu amor». Esta oración invoca al Espíritu Santo para que esté presente en los corazones de los fieles, encienda en ellos el fuego del amor de Dios y actúe a través de cada discípulo transformado para ser el amor de Dios para todos. Celebramos la solemnidad de Pentecostés, la conclusión del tiempo pascual, el 24 de mayo.

Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love.” This prayer calls upon the Holy Spirit to be present in the hearts of the faithful, kindle in them the fire of God’s love and to work through each disciple transformed to be God’s love for all. We celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, the conclusion of the Easter season on May 24.

At my first Priest Personnel Board meeting, I shared my thoughts in discerning priest assignments. It is important to know our priests and their God-given gifts, know our parishes, schools and institutions and their pastoral needs, and then to discern the priests who are best suited/gifted to serve the pastoral need of these institutions. One of the pastoral priorities presented from the priests in their written assignment forms and the discussions at the Priest Personnel Board was supporting the Catholic high schools with full-time priest chaplains. These priest chaplains would assist the administration, faculty, and staff of our Catholic high schools in providing pastoral care, celebrating the sacraments, fostering Catholic identity, integrating the school’s mission in every aspect of the school community’s life and activities, as well as nurturing a culture of vocations to consecrated life and the priesthood.

As you may have noticed in the priest assignments, Fr. Victor Ingalls has been assigned full-time pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mobile. He is also pastor of Prince of Peace Parish, Mobile; St. Francis Xavier Parish, Mobile; Our Mother of Mercy Parish, Mobile; Our Lady of Sorrows Mission, Fairford; St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Chastang and St. Theresa Parish, West Mount Vernon. I have heard the comment, if the Archdiocese of Mobile gives him another parish to pastor, he could have his own deanery. I will show compassion and not add another parish to his pastoral responsibilities.

14 to be ordained permanent deacons on June 6

VATICAN CITY (OSV News) -- Pope Leo XIV published his landmark encyclical on artificial intelligence "Magnifica Humanitas" May 25, comparing the attempt to build an AI future that excludes God to the "Tower of Babel" and underlining the need to safeguard human dignity as it is "threatened by new forms of dehumanization."

Spring arrives with a certain energy: full calendars, celebrations and sacraments. The Easter season fills our churches with joy, while graduations, First Communions, weddings and the close of the school year fill our calendars with events. It is a beautiful time, but also a busy one. In the midst of it all, how do we continue to live out God’s call to Christian stewardship?

Have you ever been sick or badly injured? Did you feel lonely or discouraged? Most of us can relate to those feelings, even if not as intensely as those who suffer greatly or for long periods of time.

Una vez, cuando estaba en Milwaukee, Wisconsin, entré en una iglesia parroquial para rezar. Mientras rezaba, el músico de la parroquia se preparaba para tocar el piano. Pensé: «Qué bonito será tener una hermosa música espiritual como fondo para mi oración». Al instante siguiente, escuché la melodía que estaba tocando: no era un himno tradicional, sino la banda sonora de una película, concretamente el tema principal de «Los cazafantasmas». En su defensa, hay que decir que se acercaba Halloween. Aun así, me pregunté con curiosidad: «¿Qué es todo esto?». Mi curiosidad pudo más que yo y tuve que averiguar por qué se estaba tocando el tema de «Los cazafantasmas».

One time when I was in Milwaukee, Wis., I stopped into a parish church to pray. As I was praying, the parish musician was preparing to play the piano. I thought, this will be nice—to have beautiful spiritual music as a background for my prayer. In the next moment, I heard the tune he was playing—not a traditional hymn, but a movie soundtrack, in particular the theme from “Ghostbusters.” In his defense, Halloween was around the corner. Even then, I asked myself with curiosity, “What is this all about?” My curiosity got the best of me, and I had to find out why the “Ghostbusters” theme was being played.

Longtime McGill-Toolen Catholic High School President Fr. Bry Shields was honored May 1 with a schoolwide Mass and celebration in the school gymnasium recognizing 44 years of service to the McGill-Toolen community, including more than 36 years as president.

Archbishop Mark S. Rivituso announces the following have been called to be ordained permanent deacons on June 6, 2026 at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and we are called to be His faithful and loving flock. We are blessed to have such a shepherd, and we are blessed to be His flock, His disciples, His Church.

Fr. John Fletcher has been incardinated into the Archdiocese of Mobile, effective April 26, 2026.

Recently, I received a letter from a Confirmation candidate. She shared why she chose her Confirmation patron saint, St. Dymphna—the patron saint of mental health. This candidate has a brother who is affected by mental illness. In her loving concern and care for him, she is discerning a health care profession to assist others who also suffer from mental illness.