Guest View

Growing up in Gilroy and coming from a campesino family, viewing such an impactful and humane story this past August, via a short documentary film, “Campesinos, America’s Unsung Heroes,” was an emotional and very moving experience. The audience reaction, many so personal, will forever...

Most Bibles begin with the words “In the beginning.” However, the more recently published Hebrew Bibles offer a different translation: “As God was beginning to create…”   A few lines later, we read that the sun, the moon and the stars are created on the fourth...

“Why didn’t you call me?” It's a phrase I've heard multiple times in the last couple of months. People who care about me ask why I didn’t reach out before I got to a very dark place and almost ended my life. It’s a...

My great-grandfather was a bishop in a small Christian denomination who got his start preaching on street corners. Crowds gathered to hear his message of God’s love. Eventually he founded a church in Dayton, Ohio’s poorest district, leading standing-room-only services. I admire my great-grandfather,...

A few weeks ago, my family and I joined the Fourth of July celebration organized by the Freedom Fest organization. As we enjoyed the parade and the beautiful weather, we met many community members and friends, all sharing in this beautiful, nearly 150-year-old Morgan...

Summer is my favorite season. Everything feels rich and lush. The days are long and the sunshine warms my soul. I see the beauty of so many flowers with vibrant colors. The sky seems a little bluer to me. Everywhere around me I am...

Aah! Summertime! Here we are, many of us stretched out in front of the television set, munching on snacks, with our iPhones stuck in one hand while playing video games with the other. Perfect, right? Actually, we should answer no! Summer has a higher purpose!...

Many years ago, I was invited to celebrate Mass with the Sisters of Charity (Saint Theresa of Calcutta’s Sisters). On the sacristy wall, there was a message for visiting priests: “Celebrate this Mass as if it will be your first Mass, your last Mass,...

With Memorial Day just a few weeks ago and Independence Day right around the corner, this time of year we often think about those who have gone before us and the legacies that they left behind. We often reflect back on those who have...

In Uvalde, one person changed the world.  A single individual—whose motives remain unknown—chose to commit a heinous act, and young lives full of promise ended abruptly. Twenty-one people whose journeys were cut short. Seventeen more wounded. Families plunged into grief. All because of one evil...