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Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15-Oct. 15. As an archdiocese, we are blessed by the multicultural heritages represented in our parishes and parish missions. In particular, the Church recognizes our Hispanic Catholic brothers and sisters who, by their heritage of faith, witness and loving service, enrich the Archdiocese of Mobile.

On a warm Sunday afternoon, I boarded the MV OMIROS with Deacon John Archer, maritime deacon of Stella Maris Mobile, to meet 19 seafarers experiencing a difficult and uncertain time far from home. Their ship arrived at Mobile Anchorage on July 10, expecting to load coal at the McDuffie Terminal before continuing to Mexico. After several delays, the vessel was scheduled to berth Aug. 1. However, on July 30, the U.S. Coast Guard boarded the ship and served a warrant of arrest connected to a legal dispute between the Greek shipowner and a creditor bank in Greece.

Earlier this year, I was invited at Little Flower Catholic School to participate in preparing Easter baskets for the elderly residents at the Little Sisters of the Poor Residence. I thought to myself, would the lower grades understand the word "elderly"? The teachers were using the phrase "old people."

When Mildred Blount became interested in the Catholic faith, there was no priest serving Tallassee and no Catholic church in the community. So she wrote to a priest whose voice she had heard on the radio: Fulton J. Sheen. Sheen, then a professor at The Catholic University of America in Washington, invited Blount to visit him. She traveled to Washington, received an intensive course of instruction from him and returned to Alabama, where she was baptized at St. Peter Catholic Church in Montgomery.

Our family has a beautiful vegetable garden, one that I spend a great deal of time in during the summer months. Our raised beds are bursting with life and flavor. My mother has a green thumb, and I learned early on in life that gardens are the work of years, not months, and that gardening is work to be done in all seasons.

El Mes de la Herencia Hispana se celebra del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre. Como arquidiócesis, tenemos la bendición de contar con las herencias multiculturales representadas en nuestras parroquias y misiones parroquiales. En particular, la Iglesia reconoce a nuestros hermanos y hermanas católicos hispanos quienes, con su herencia de fe, testimonio y servicio amoroso, enriquecen a la Arquidiócesis de Mobile.

A principios de este año, me invitaron a la Escuela Católica Little Flower a participar en la preparación de canastas de Pascua para los residentes de la tercera edad de la Residencia de las Hermanitas de los Pobres. Me pregunté: ¿entenderían los alumnos de los grados más bajos la palabra «tercera edad»? Los maestros estaban usando la expresión «personas mayores».

On August 14, the Church celebrates the Feast Day of St. Maximilian Kolbe. This priest and martyr was a prisoner in the concentration camp of Auschwitz. A group of 10 prisoners were condemned to death as punishment for the escape of a prisoner. With heroic virtue, St. Maximilian Kolbe offered his life in exchange for the father of a family.

When Sr. Damiana Pickett professes her first religious vows Sept. 8 in Kraków, Poland, it will mark another step in a journey of faith that has included conversion, disappointment, perseverance and a call to serve those in need.

MOBILE — A steady stream of well-wishers waited to greet Msgr. Warren Wall following Mass on Aug. 15 at St. Ignatius Parish. And Msgr. Wall had time for everyone.

I recently moved my youngest son to Auburn to begin a new chapter in his life. As we unpacked boxes, settled into his new space and prepared for the moment when we would drive away, I was reminded of how quickly the years have passed.

El 14 de agosto, la Iglesia celebra la fiesta de San Maximiliano Kolbe. Este sacerdote y mártir estuvo prisionero en el campo de concentración de Auschwitz. Un grupo de diez prisioneros fue condenado a muerte como castigo por la fuga de uno de ellos.

Small sparks of feeling that become all-consuming conflagrations can happen at any time, even, sadly, as one is preparing for Mass. I write, of course, from experience.

During the month of August, we celebrate International Youth Day. I have been blessed in my pastoral visits to parishes, schools and college campuses to interact with our youth and young adults. They have a great love for the Catholic Church and cherish the gift of our Catholic faith. That same spirit was reflected in Pope Leo’s video message regarding vocations to young Catholics attending SEEK 2026 in January. The Holy Father called the thousands of youth and young adults to “be open to what the Lord has in store for you.”

For nearly 15 years, Archangel Radio has invited listeners to tune in on the radio. Now the Fairhope-based Catholic station is placing an even greater emphasis on reaching people through their smartphones.

The Little Sisters of the Poor joyfully celebrated Sr. Cecilia Brotmeyer and her 50th jubilee of religious profession on Aug. 1 Msgr. William Skoneki celebrated the Mass.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Eucharistic Renewal initiative tells us that “through the Eucharist, God desires to heal, renew and unify the Church and the world.” As the Church grows in our loving devotion to the Eucharistic Lord, Jesus calls us also to grow in our loving devotion to the Mystical Body of Christ (the Church) and the world. He calls the Church to nurture such devotion in opportunities to experience healing, renewal and oneness with Him, the Church, and the human family.

Reverend Adrian L. Cook, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Mobile who served as pastor of St. Maurice Parish in Brewton and St. Elizabeth Parish in Greenville during more than four decades of priestly ministry, died July 31. He was 80.

A recent set of experiments at Columbia University seeking genetically to modify human embryos has rightly generated shock waves.

As Catholics, we are meant to be constantly turning our hearts to the Lord. As parents, we are meant to be teaching our children how. That can feel impossible, especially in the summer.