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 the United States. I was accompanied by 25 members of our archdiocese whom I had invited to participate because of their present involvement in the life of our local Church. [...]

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 be leading an archdiocesan pilgrimage to Fatima to commemorate the centenary. Fatima is an example of a “private revelation” made to chosen individuals, the authenticity of which is accepted by [...]

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 offers some timely wisdom as we implement a pastoral plan for the Archdiocese of Hartford. Some individuals will no doubt be upset, hurt or alienated as a result of change, [...]

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 select married men in remote places that are in dire need of a priest to celebrate the sacraments. “But,” he cautioned, “optional celibacy isn’t the solution.” It is true that [...]

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 time, and that now continues sacramentally until the end of time. Familiarity with the story can blind us to the reality of these great events. The Paschal Mystery (the Passion, [...]

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 and vices? Accept the teachings of the New Testament? Yes, indeed, but first and foremost it means cleaving — heart, mind and soul — to the person of Jesus Christ. [...]

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 and a Christmas filled with joy and peace. Once again this year, I urge everyone to “keep Christ in Christmas,” because without him there is no joy or peace. In [...]

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 70 million Catholics with less than 38,000 priests whose average age is increasing rapidly. In 1965, there were 535 active priests in the Archdiocese of Hartford. As of 2015 there [...]

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 the United States in anticipation of this year’s November elections. For many years now, the bishops of our country have followed this practice in order to help Catholics to be [...]

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 Crime,” a two-day conference at the Vatican organized by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. To the judges and prosecutors from around the world, Pope Francis said: “Victims … need [...]