As we celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of adoption and signing of the Declaration of Independence, I thought that I would devote several columns to individual Catholics who have had a profound impact in our nation’s history. Today I want to look at Charles Carroll of Carrolton (1737-1832), the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence and the only Catholic to do so.

Recently a parishioner asked me what an annulment was. He was interested in pursuing it but was concerned if he were successful in obtaining an annulment, that his children be considered illegitimate. I promised to do some research on this question. I found a good explanation of this topic on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Here you are:

Last week we celebrated Father’s Day. I thought that it might be interesting to write a column about the origin of this national observance, which is held on the third Sunday of June in the United States of America.

I want to call your attention to a resource guide published by the Archdiocese of Washington. This document is entitled “End of Life Issues: A Pastoral Resource from the Archdiocese of Washington. “It has been designed to present some important information about end-of-life care, the many options for funerals and burials in our region, and some grief resources.

On May 25, 2026, the Vatican released Magnifica Humanitas (“On safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence”). Cardinal Robert McElroy issued a statement on Pope Leo’s first encyclical that is well worth a careful reading on our part. I produce it here for your convenience.

Last week I devoted the column to the social encyclicals published from the time of Pope Leo XIII to the present day. Pope Leo XIII who reigned from 1878 to 1903. Today I want to devote this column to Rerum Novarum, the ground-breaking encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on May 15, 1891.

On May 15,1891, Pope Leo XIII issued an encyclical entitled Rerum Novarum, which provided the foundation for modern Roman Catholic social teaching. It set forth the late nineteenth century Catholic position on social justice, especially in relation to problems and issues caused by the Industrial Revolution. Pope Leo XIII also asserted in Rerum Novarum the church’s right to make pronouncements on social issues as they relate to social questions. Rerum Novarum is considered by many to be the first social encyclical, a pastoral letter that addresses a specific social issue. Many popes of the 20th and 21st century have issued encyclicals that expand on the teaching of Rerum Novarum. Here is a list of the social encyclicals issued in the twentieth and:

In the summer of 1997, I was a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington. James Cardinal Hickey, who was the Archbishop of Washington at that time, used to take the archdiocesan seminarians on a daylong tour of Southern Maryland. That summer Cardinal Hickey and his seminarians visited several parishes in Saint Mary’s County. The last church we visited that day was St. John’s in Hollywood. Cardinal Hickey was the principal celebrant at Mass there with the Pastor, Msgr. Martin P. Harris and the Associate Pastor, Father Gary R. Studniewski. After Mass the parishioners of St. John’s treated us to a fabulous picnic organized by Laverne Schaefer and Betty Johnson. Toward the end of the picnic, Father Gary announced that he was going to be an Army Chaplain and that one of the seminarians at the picnic was likely going to take his place as the Associate Pastor of St. John’s, Hollywood. I was one of four men scheduled for ordination in 1998. I turned to my classmate, David Werning, and said to him, “Well it is 50/50, that it is one of us.” A year later I found out that I was going to succeed him as the Associate Pastor in Hollywood. Once I arrived, Fr. Gary stayed for three weeks before he was to report for a duty in Chaplains’ School. Msgr. Francis Glenn, former long-time Pastor of St. Paul’s Church in Butler, and a mentor to me, died about two weeks after I arrived in Hollywood. Fr. Gary covered for me so that I could concelebrate at Msgr. Glenn’s Funeral Mass. I remain very grateful for that kindness.

On Friday, May 1, 2026, Robert Cardinal McElroy held a press conference at the archdiocesan pastoral center in which he announced that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington would be getting two new auxiliary bishops. one is Bishop--elect Gary Studniewski, and the other is Bishop-elect Robert Boxie. Cardinal McElroy also mentioned that Bishop Roy Campbell, who is currently an Archdiocese of Washington Auxiliary Bishop, will be retiring and that Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, also an Archdiocese of Washington Auxiliary Bishop, has been named the new Bishop of Wheeling Charleston WV. Bishop Mark Brennan, currently Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, will be retiring. Many here will remember that Bishop Brennan was, for many years, Pastor of St. Martin of Tours Parish, in Gaithersburg.

The “just war” doctrine has been in the news a lot these days.  I thought it would be useful to go to a reliable source to see what the Catholic Church teaches about this.   There are six paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church which I want to cite in this column: 2307-2312.   

On Saturday, April 11, 2026, Pope Leo XIV officiated at a Prayer Vigil for Peace and preached an important message for us to consider. In my column last week, I presented the first half of the message. This week I present the rest of the Holy Father’s remarks.

Pope Leo XIV announced during his Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi address to the city of Rome and the world, that he would celebrate a Prayer Vigil for Peace on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 6:00 pm Rome time. I want to present the message he gave at the Prayer Vigil to you. Owing to space limitations, I need to do this in in two parts. Here is the first part for your reflection and prayer.