Father Edward Malesic’s appointment as the 5th Bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg is a moment of joy for the Church in Pennsylvania. I’m confident that he will carry on the work of his predecessors with joy and fidelity.

I was deeply saddened today to learn of the death of Cardinal Francis E. George, Archbishop Emeritus of Chicago.

Cardinal George was a close friend over many years, from the time I was a young bishop in Rapid City. We talked often. He was a constant source of good counsel and encouragement.

Earlier this month, on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis issued a special decree announcing a Jubilee Year of Mercy to begin on December 8. Divine Mercy Sunday – the first Sunday after Easter each year — was instituted in 2000 by St. John Paul II, who expressed his own profound understanding of mercy in the encyclical Dives in Misericordia (“Rich in Mercy”).

Violent conflicts in Syria, Iraq, the Holy Land, Libya, Nigeria and Kenya exemplify why Congress should support a bill that would advance international religious freedom, said the bishop who chairs the International Justice and Peace Committee of the U.S. Bishops.

Modern life is complicated. Sometimes we’re tempted to believe that an individual can’t really change things, but this isn’t true. As Pope Francis has said, good people of any religion can make a difference by taking an active role in the public square and “offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern.”

The 2015 class of men ordained to the priesthood report that they were, on average, about 17 when they first considered a vocation to the priesthood and encouraged to consider a vocation by an average of four people.

Dear friends in Christ,
For Christians, Holy Week is the most sacred time of year. It’s a time to reflect on what the “good news” of the Gospel really means.

The Friends in Faith program will provide high school students with the opportunity for Jewish-Catholic dialogue.

A bishop makes many friends over the years, and two of mine are Martha and Bill Beckman.
Bill worked for a time as my director of catechesis and evangelization when I was Archbishop of
Denver. Later he served as my staff theologian. Later still he and Martha entered the
Neocatechumenal Way, and today Bill serves as director of catechesis and evangelization for the
Archdiocese of Omaha.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. will be the principal celebrant and homilist. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the Proclamation of the Passion. It marks the beginning of Holy Week.