Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Sometime ago, I made a resolution that I would abstain from eating meat on Fridays. I reflected on the fact that every time I pray an act of contrition, I pledge “to do penance.” Yet it occurred to me how rarely I do any voluntary penance (there are plenty [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair July 25, 2018, marked the 50th anniversary of Blessed (soon to be saint) Pope Paul VI’s encyclical letter Humanae Vitae “on the regulation of birth.” (For an interesting historical newsreel, go to https://bit.ly/2JMBjCd) In the words of Peter Kreeft: “In 2,000 years of the Church’s history, there’s not a [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel,” says St. Paul (1 Cor 9:16). You and I believe in Jesus Christ because Catholics over the last 2,000 years have not failed to hand on the Christian faith. Christ has been “preached,” as St. Paul says, and not [...]

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 some trial or tribulation, he says this: The everlasting God has in his wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that he now presents to you as a gift of his [...]

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair As I grow older and look back at my life, like all of us, I have much for which to be grateful. I realize just how blessed I have been with the opportunities that have been given to me by the Church from my seminary days until now, including [...]

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 has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. … But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of [...]

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 confessions of second-graders, in particular, called to mind the words of Christ: “Unless you become like little children you cannot enter the kingdom of God.” There is an openness and [...]

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 to say something about an important aspect of archdiocesan life, namely, our stewardship of financial resources. In the Bible, and the New Testament in particular, there are many references to [...]

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 at Mass, to be sung at Christmas. In the words of our former pope, Benedict: “God’s glory and peace on earth are inseparable. Where God is excluded, there is a [...]

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 the most striking is the massive sculpture that covers the wall under the choir loft. In the sculpture, people are shown from various walks of life, social classes and ethnic [...]