I once visited a church that gave me a welcome packet in a red folder. While I held it, people kept coming up to introduce themselves. After I returned the folder, the greetings stopped. They were trained to look for the red folder, but they didn’t do well seeing a new face without one.

My mother talked about working the graveyard shift at Children’s Hospital in NY, caring for kids in iron lungs. On her first night, she was told to choose which child you like—because in a blackout, you could only hand-pump one at a time. There were 20+ kids in the unit.

I'm struggling to understand why parents in Fall River would bring their schoolchildren to a protest in support of a priest who is under investigation.

The young South Sider working behind the counter chimed in, "And with the way Dr. Tracy loses his glasses, you could do that every week."

I was getting new glasses in Hyde Park, and the only seat at the counter was between two U of C professors. One of them said, "I heard you're moving to DC. Why would you do that? Chicago is the only place where you can get new glasses while sitting next to the greatest theologian in the world."1of2

There is no transparency in mass firings without cause via email. While news agencies are starting to pick up on this story, we need to stand up for these young people and protect the civil service. 3 of 3
www.cnn.com/2025/01/31/p...

Here in D.C., many of these employees are young professionals who uprooted their lives to take these jobs. They signed leases, paid moving expenses, and made sacrifices to be here. And now, they’re learning about their pending dismissal via bulk email. 2 of 3

The US Bishops' Conference is shrinking as they cut programs and staff, adding to the national leadership vacuum.

At the same time, a vacuum was created that well-funded organizations, many conservative, were able to fill nationally. Some, like one using the logo, are no longer membership-based, while others operate for profit.

Cutbacks had a huge cost for national organizations. With fewer dues and reduced funding for ongoing formation, many reduced staff or closed. This ripple effect impacted programming, catechesis, and pastoral ministry, affecting parishes and the wider Church.

It's also unfair to those of us in the Archdiocese of Washington to expect our archbishop to focus primarily on national issues rather than the local needs of our community.

While I understand the sentiment behind the editorial, I think it's unreasonable to expect a single person to serve as an antidote to the deep divisions in both society and the church.