Column | Dreaming into the New Year
BIshop Bonnar: “As we complete one year and prepare to enter into a new one, let us give thanks to God who has allowed our dreams to take flight in 2021, and give ourselves a chance to dream anew in 2022.”
Letter | Christmas Message
Bishop Bonnar: “We rejoice not only over the lasting memory of that first Christmas, but also over the glorious reality of our present experience rooted in the Good News of the Word made flesh that dwells among us.”
Column | Moving our Parishes Beyond Comfort to Mission
Bishop Bonnar: “We need to think less of the Church as a building and more of it as a community called to action.”
Clergy Official | November 26, 2021
Personnel Appointments for Very Rev. Martin Celuch, Rev. David Bridling, and Rev. Daniel Finnerty and Administrative Leave for Rev. Marian Babjak.
Column | Understanding the ‘Why’ of the Parish
Bishop Bonnar: To be adaptive for mission, the Church needs to “steer away from the rear-view mirror and the sense of nostalgia to the front windshield and a whole new way of seeing and being.”
Homily | Opening Mass for Synod on Synodality
Bishop Bonnar: “The Synod on Synodality . . . is the continuation of Pope Francis’ missionary dream seeking to bring the Good News to the world, especially to the peripheries with the hope of bringing renewal to the Church, a renewal that breathes new life and change into the Church from the Holy Spirit.”
Column | Pastoral Planning: Moving Forward Together
Bishop Bonnar: “I know that we have a rich past filled with special memories, many of which involve our church buildings. I believe our future can be just as rich if we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and invest our efforts in becoming missionary disciples.”
Homily | Kent Newman Center
Bishop David Bonnar’s homily at Kent State University Parish Newman Center/Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel on Sunday evening, October 3, 2021.
Column | Things Are Not What They Used to Be
Bishop Bonnar: “Our local Church, the Diocese of Youngstown, finds herself in a time of change. Things are not what they used to be. My late predecessor, Bishop George Murry, knew this so well when a few years ago he established a Regional Plan for parishes and providing for the needs of the faithful. . . . As we have fewer and fewer priests for ministry, time is of the essence. We cannot stand still.”
Column | Convocation Affirms Priestly Brotherhood
Bishop Bonnar: “Through our baptism, we are all called to be one. In fact, that is Jesus’ great priestly prayer for all of us: “That all may be one.” (John 17:21) That very prayer of Jesus serves as my prayer and episcopal motto. Every day I pray “That all may be one.” This “all” of course includes the clergy, religious and faithful. In a particular way, priests are called to model this unity with one another.”