These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.

Saint John XXIII, Pope, October 11

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an Apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God, to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 1:1-7)

Paul’s Letter to the Romans is the masterpiece of all his letters. Today we begin the continuous reading of this letter. Paul and Peter were both martyred in Rome. And so, the Church of Rome claims the two greatest apostles, Peter and Paul, and its founders. Today is the feast of Pope Saint John XXIII, the successor of Saint Peter in the Church of Rome. He convened the Second Vatican Council.