Archbishop’s Monthly Column

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair For those of us Christians who live in the northern hemisphere, the meaning of Easter is reflected in [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Once again this year, at Pope Francis’ direc-tion, the third Sunday of January has been designated “Word of [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair In this season between All Souls Day in November and Christmas in December I’m prompted to write about [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Some weeks ago a piece in the Wall Street Journal told the story of two ordinary men who [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Recently in these pages I wrote to you about the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation in our [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair At Easter we proclaim that Jesus Christ — in his human body, and not as a ghost, phantom [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair In the Fall of 2021 the Sacrament of Confirmation began to be celebrated seasonally on Saturday mornings and [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair June 10/11 is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, “the Body (and Blood) of Christ,” which He Himself gives [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Pope Francis has been quoted as saying that today we live, not just in “a changing world,” but rather in [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair This edition of the Transcript is devoted in great part to the re-cent archdiocesan pilgrimage to the Holy [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair One of the signs of human maturity is an honest acknowledgement of how little we really know, of how much [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair I wish everyone a happy and healthy Year of Our Lord 2023. “All time belongs to Him,” we [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Advances in science over the last century or more have revolutionized our ideas about the origin of the [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day during this month of November, it is timely to reflect on something that [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair It’s that time of year when the Church has traditionally focused on what lies beyond this life, the [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair In late June, I published a letter about the Supreme Court decision overturning abortion on demand as a [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair When I was about to be ordained a bishop in 1999, I was required to make a “Profession [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair If you’ve ever attended a big public fireworks display, you will know how it begins and ends with [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Articles for the Catholic Transcript must be submitted far in advance, and as I write this for the [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair As Easter draws near, my wish for you is that the crucified and risen Lord will fill your life [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair I have been asked occasionally about the synod which Pope Francis has announced, and about our participation in it. [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair In this new year, the 2,022nd Year of Our Lord, may our archdiocesan family of faith and each of [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair For a person dedicated to their religious faith, whether Catholic or not, today’s decline in religious self-identification and practice [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Para una persona dedicada a su fe religiosa, ya sea católica o no, el declive actual de la autoidentificación [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair If I were asked what is the Church’s greatest treasure, I would have to say the holy Eucharist because, [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Si me preguntaran cuál es el mayor tesoro de la Iglesia, yo diría que es la Sagrada Eucaristía, porque, [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair On Aug. 13, we will celebrate for the first time on our liturgical calendar the Memorial of Blessed Michael [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Este año, el 13 de agosto, en nuestro calendario litúrgico, celebraremos por primera vez en la Memoria del Beato [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair On May 23, we celebrated the solemnity of Pentecost, the day on which the gift of the Holy Spirit [...]

In an op-ed piece published in January in the Italian press, Cardinal Gerhard Muller, former prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the [...]

AMOR Y VERDAD, no ideologíaEn un artículo de opinión publicado en la prensa italiana, en enero, el cardenal Gerhard Muller — ex prefecto de la [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair As a seminarian many years ago, both philosophy and theology had pride of place in the curriculum of those being [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair The Lenten season always challenges us to step back and take stock of our lives in light of [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair As we move into 2021, I’m reminded of the beautiful prayer at the blessing of the paschal candle [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Amedida que nos acercamos al año 2021, viene a mi memoria la hermosa oración de bendición del cirio [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair This edition of the Transcript comes to you during Advent. It is the Church season that signifies expectation, [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Esta edición del Catholic Transcript les llega durante el Adviento. Es el tiempo litúrgico que expresa expectativa, preparación y esperanza. [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair When New York’s Cardinal Dolan was president of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference, in one of his annual addresses [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair En un mundo de “lo hice a mi manera”, en el que se idealiza al que es individualista, [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Over the last half century, there has been a great upheaval in the life of our society. Consensus about fundamental [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Durante este último medio siglo ha habido una gran conmoción en la vida de nuestra sociedad. El consenso [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair To be, or not to be, that is the question.” So wrote Shakespeare so long ago. What does it [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Ser o no ser, esa es la pregunta”. Así escribió Shakespeare hace mucho tiempo. ¿Qué significa que algo [...]

ARCHBISHOP LEONARD P. BLAIR Once again I find myself writing early on, in preparation for the July-August edition of the Catholic Transcript. [...]

ARCHBISHOP LEONARD P. BLAIR Una vez más, me encuentro escribiendo temprano, en preparación para la edición de julio-agosto de Catholic Transcript. Y [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair A time of worldwide pandemic, with all the fears to which it gives rise, puts us all to [...]

El Arzobispo Leonard P. Blair Esta época de pandemia mundial, con todos los temores que da lugar, nos pone a prueba a [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair As I write this article for the Transcript well in advance of its publication date, we are in [...]

El Arzobispo Leonard P. Blair Mientras escribo este artículo para Transcript con bastante anticipación a su fecha de publicación, estamos en medio [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair In español The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead at Easter is what defines the world and [...]

El Arzobispo Leonard P. Blair La resurrección de Jesucristo de entre los muertos en la Pascua es lo que define al mundo [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair St. Augustine once referred to words as “precious cups of meaning” from which we are given to drink [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair As we begin a new year of grace, the Year of Our Lord, 2020 A.D., I wish all [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Soon, the season of goodwill and peace on earth will be upon us, and it will be celebrated [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair At every Mass, one of the prayers proclaims that those present are “in communion with Francis our pope [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair On Sept. 23, we celebrated the memorial of St. Pio of Pietralcina, popularly known as Padre Pio, a [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair The public advocacy that is made on behalf of our Catholic schools is featured in this edition of [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair THIS MONTH’S FEATURE STORY on the work of the Connecticut Catholic Conference highlights an important aspect of our engagement [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair June is traditionally devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. One of the earliest recollections I have of my [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair During this month of May dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, I would like to reflect a bit on [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair For those of us Christians who live in the Northern Hemisphere, the meaning of Easter that we will soon [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair As archbishop of Hartford, I am in a position to get an overview of the life of our local [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Sometime ago, I made a resolution that I would abstain from eating meat on Fridays. I reflected on the [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair July 25, 2018, marked the 50th anniversary of Blessed (soon to be saint) Pope Paul VI’s encyclical letter Humanae [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel,” says St. Paul (1 Cor 9:16). You and I [...]

Archbishop's Column Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Let me share with you some spiritual wisdom from a great bishop, St. Francis de Sales. When we face [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair As I grow older and look back at my life, like all of us, I have much for which [...]

Archbishop's Column Archbishop Leonard P. Blair May the crucified and risen Christ fill your life with light and joy! As St. Paul says: “If Christ [...]

Archbishop's Column Archbishop Leonard P. Blair When I was a parish priest, I often heard confessions of the elementary and religious education students. The first [...]

Archbishop's Column Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Now that we’ve begun a new year, I wish you a happy and healthy 2018. This month I want [...]

Archbishop's Column Archbishop Leonard P. Blair “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will.” Thus reads the Gloria [...]

Archbishop's Column In the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., there are many significant works of art. One of [...]

Archbishop's Desk At the beginning of July, in Orlando, I was privileged to attend the National Convocation of Catholic Leaders organized by the bishops of [...]

Archbishop's Column This year, 2017, marks the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima in Portugal. At the end of September, I will [...]

Archbishop’s Desk “To live is to change; and to be perfect is to have changed often.” This favorite saying of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman [...]

See Spanish Version Not too long ago, media attention was focused on a comment by Pope Francis about studying the possibility of priestly ordination for [...]

Archbishop's Desk by Archbishop Leonard P. Blair During Holy Week we are going to celebrate the work of our salvation that once took place in [...]

Archbishop's Desk During Lent, we hear the refrain: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” What exactly does this mean? Get rid of your bad habits [...]

The Archbishop’s Desk Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, I wish all of you a holy Advent [...]

In the year 1965, there were almost 46 million Catholics in the United States served by a total of 58,632 priests.  Today there are over [...]

The Archbishop’s Desk Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” (http://bit.ly/2cgjg7j) is the title of the document approved by the bishops of [...]

Archbishop's Desk Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair Not long ago, Pope Francis made an unexpected appearance at a “Judges’ Summit on Human Trafficking and Organized [...]

The Archbishop's Desk Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair Of human solidarity and forgiveness As I write this column in July, plans are already under way [...]

  The Archbishop’s Desk Hearing and heeding God’s voice The American poet Robert Frost once said that his life’s challenge was to join his vocation [...]

The Archbishop's Desk Harbingers of hope and healing Almost six months into the Jubilee Year of Mercy, we have to ask ourselves how we can [...]

The Archbishop's Desk Stewards for tomorrow  This month, I am happy to share with you the following homily, which I delivered at a service in [...]

The Archbishop's Desk Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair In announcing the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis wrote that “a Jubilee also entails the granting of [...]

Archbishop's Desk It’s already February going on Lent, but I need to express my very belated appreciation to all of you who sent me greetings [...]

Archbishop's Desk From Paris to Mumbai to London; from Colorado Springs to San Bernardino, we have witnessed murderous rampages motivated by terrorism and/or mental derangement. [...]

Archbishop Blair's Column The Catholic Transcript – December Issue, 2015 ‘Spotlight’ As a bishop who experienced firsthand the unfolding of the sexual abuse crisis in [...]

Next month, on Dec. 8, a special event will take place in Rome that has great significance for the whole church. Pope Francis will inaugurate [...]

September 22, 2015. 4:55 p.m.  Archbishop Blair, five minutes to 5 in the afternoon (4:55 p.m.), Tuesday, September 22nd in Arlington, VA After having a [...]

“More precious than gold is faith which stands the test" (1 Pt 1:7) One of the great figures of the nineteenth century who became a [...]

What we have heard I hope that you are enjoying the summer season and many blessings from our loving God and Father. As our archdiocesan [...]

Archbishop Blair's Column The Catholic Transcript – July Issue, 2015 Made ‘At the beginning’ Like so many others in our country, I am dismayed at [...]

Archbishop Blair's Column The Catholic Transcript – June Issue, 2015 A challenging mission in challenging times   On Saturday, May 16, it was a great [...]

Archbishop Blair's Column The Catholic Transcript – May Issue, 2015 Repositioning for a spiritually rich and vibrant future Some weeks ago, I asked that a [...]

To all of you and to your loved ones, I would like to extend a Blessed Christmas – a Christmas centered on the person of [...]

For this November issue of the Transcript, I want to anticipate the coming holiday and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. Let’s remember that it [...]

At the very beginning of November, we will be celebrating two important feasts that are deeply rooted in Catholic faith and piety: All Saints Day [...]

Last month, I was happy to join other bishops from New England for our annual retreat. One Catholic dictionary defines a retreat as “an individual [...]

On June 29, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, I was blessed to receive from the hands of Pope Francis the vestment known as [...]

It is probably safe to say that everyday life has changed more in the last 100 years than it did in the previous 1,000. The [...]

If you’ve ever attended a big public fireworks display, you will know how it begins and ends with a bang, and is marked by many [...]

There is a passage in St. Paul that reads: “Even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no [...]

Pray for those who are tempted to lose hope: Most of us wake up each day and face our problems with the hope that we [...]