Point Of View: 

Can we learn from suffering?

Can We Learn From Suffering?

July 17, 2020

It is hard for an old man like me to talk about suffering. Most people I know, including me, are in charge of our lives. No matter the losses and illnesses, we still have access to care, to security, and a decent life. Suffering is not a real part of my world. Just how far it is from my world...


Fr David ORourke

Fr. David O’Rourke, OP, is pastor at the historic Our Lady of Mercy parish in Point Richmond, an accomplished artist, gardener, translator, author, lecturer, family counselor...

" Pastor, Our Lady of Mercy in Point Richmond, CA "

Point Of View: 

Ideas on Conversion

Ideas On Conversion

July 15, 2020

Tied to my garden by a number of convalescing’s that have ganged up on me, I have been thinking of some words that we chew over a lot in religious settings. Words we use to pinpoint events, or human experiences. And one of them is conversion. Sounds very special—something that does not go in, in the life of normal people....


Fr David ORourke

Fr. David O’Rourke, OP, is pastor at the historic Our Lady of Mercy parish in Point Richmond, an accomplished artist, gardener, translator, author, lecturer, family counselor...

" Pastor, Our Lady of Mercy in Point Richmond, CA "

From The Pastor: 

The Bottom Line Remains the Same

The Bottom Line Remains The Same

July 15, 2020

July waves Old Glory and Le Tricolore. Jacques-Louis David based the French flag on the cockade of the Marquis de Lafayette, who had been urged to help the American colonists by the Duke of Gloucester, in a funk because his brother, King George III, disapproved of his marriage. At least there was no Reign of Terror in Philadelphia.    Our unofficial “National...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Reject Racism, But Know What You Are Supporting

Reject Racism, But Know What You Are Supporting

July 14, 2020

There’s nothing like sitting outside on the 4th of July, the birthday of the United States, listening to great patriotic music and hearing a new Lee Greenwood song. Yes, I missed watching the traditional parade due to Covid-19 concerns, but I find myself thinking of all the blessings that my family and I enjoy; things that make our lives exciting...


Tim Von Dohlen

View Articles If you’ve met Tim, you know that his life was shaped by good values that were imparted to him by his parents and he...

From The Pastor: 

Perspective Amid Cultural Chaos

Perspective Amid Cultural Chaos

July 5, 2020

Stalin, killer of at least 20 million people, said “A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.” In mid-nineteenth-century China, the civil war known as the Taiping Rebellion cost upwards of 30 million lives. The feast of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 companions, on July 9, is a reminder that the persecution of Christian...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Point Of View: 

Open for Masses Again

Open For Masses Again

July 3, 2020

I am happy, and even relieved, to be able to let you all know that we will again be open for Masses this weekend. And we will be celebrating the 4th of July. Open, but very Carefully Open. Which should go without saying. But when you are dealing with a lethal epidemic nothing goes without saying. We are accustomed to...


Fr David ORourke

Fr. David O’Rourke, OP, is pastor at the historic Our Lady of Mercy parish in Point Richmond, an accomplished artist, gardener, translator, author, lecturer, family counselor...

" Pastor, Our Lady of Mercy in Point Richmond, CA "

From The Pastor: 

The Present Culture War

The Present Culture War

June 27, 2020

As the local churches gradually open again, one is reminded of the persistence of Benjamin Stoddert Ewell, president of the College of William and Mary, ringing the school bell during seven years of closure after the Civil War. It is yet to be seen how many return to our churches after the quarantine, but the churches will be strengthened by...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Ceo Learnings: 

BOOK REVIEW: Which Pain Will You Choose? The Pain of Discipline or the Pain of Regret?

Book Review: Which Pain Will You Choose? The Pain Of Discipline Or The Pain Of Regret?

June 27, 2020

This review was first published in 2015, but given the times, the uncertainty of government lockdown decisions and more, we felt this book could be especially helpful to Catholic business leaders and entrepreneurs. -CBJ ed. In The Reinvented Leader, author Chuck Bolton shares the wisdom and tools he has developed from working with more than 1,000 executives and 100 top...


Thomas M. Loarie

(CEO, Bryologyx)

View Articles Thomas M. Loarie is a popular host of The Mentors Radio Show, the founder and CEO of BryoLogyx Inc. (BryoLogyx.com), and a seasoned corporate...

" Thomas Loarie is CEO of Bryologyx, a radio host of The Mentors Radio Show, and the former, seasoned and pioneering CEO of life science... "

From The Pastor: 

The Cruelest Illiteracy

The Cruelest Illiteracy

June 20, 2020

After the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Jews relied on literacy to preserve their culture, with the Mishna as the written record of what until then had been an oral tradition of rabbinic commentaries. While functional illiteracy seems to have been common, our Lord asked his listeners at least four times: “Have you not...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Catching Air: 

Contact Tracing, Mandatory Smartphone Apps and China

Contact Tracing, Mandatory Smartphone Apps And China

June 16, 2020

As our society gradually unwinds the Covid-19 shutdowns and people reenter the public workforce, we’re seeing new government efforts to “protect” us whether we like it or not. This increasingly involves mandatory health screenings and various forms of technology-assisted "contact tracing," including new smartphone apps to identify people who are sick or have associated with a sick person in order...


David G. Bjornstrom

(Attorney)

David G. Bjornstrom is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar and retired California attorney at law with 38 years specializing in business, estate and...

From The Pastor: 

Christian, Remember Your Dignity

Christian, Remember Your Dignity

June 15, 2020

Robert Gould Shaw was born into an abolitionist Unitarian family in Boston in 1837. When he was ten, they settled on Staten Island. An uncle who became a Catholic priest paid for his tuition at what is now the Fordham Preparatory School.   As a somewhat distracted student, Shaw never completed his studies (who does?) but he was tutored in...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

From The Pastor: 

The Holy Spirit and the Tranquility of Order

The Holy Spirit And The Tranquility Of Order

June 9, 2020

Celebration of the Most Holy Trinity follows Pentecost, because it is through the Holy Spirit that the sublime truth of God as Three in One expands the limits of human intelligence. The perfect harmony of the Triune God is like music whose sound frequency cannot be registered by unaided hearing, but it reverberates in the systematic order of nature, evident...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

From The Pastor: 

I do not give to you as the world gives…

I Do Not Give To You As The World Gives…

May 31, 2020

In a letter Sigmund Freud wrote to his friend Edoardo Weiss on April 12, 1933, he reminisced about a visit to the Roman church of San Pietro in Vincoli: “Every day for three lonely weeks of September 1913, I stood in church in front of the statue, studying it, measuring it and drawing it until there dawned on me that understanding...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

From The Pastor: 

A light in the cultural darkness

A Light In The Cultural Darkness

May 26, 2020

In these days of closures, which must soon end, I am able to offer Mass quietly for the intentions of parishioners and others, and I often take the opportunity to use the Extraordinary Form, whose beautiful cadences end with the “Last Gospel.” This Johannine Prologue in hymnodic verse concluded the Liturgy from the earliest days of the Faith, as a...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Ceo Learnings: 

BOOK REVIEW: Ram Charan’s Guide to Catching Structural Transitions before They Arrive, Using Perceptual Acuity, Reinvention and Courage

Book Review: Ram Charan’s Guide To Catching Structural Transitions Before They Arrive, Using Perceptual Acuity, Reinvention And Courage

May 21, 2020

Best-selling author and global consultant to CEOs, Ram Charan has been a privileged insider and an acute observer of business for more than 40 years. He has written and lectured extensively on strategy, execution, innovation, executive leadership, the board’s role, alignment, and global competition. Best-selling author and global consultant to CEOs, Ram Charan has been a privileged insider and an...


Thomas M. Loarie

(CEO, Bryologyx)

View Articles Thomas M. Loarie is a popular host of The Mentors Radio Show, the founder and CEO of BryoLogyx Inc. (BryoLogyx.com), and a seasoned corporate...

" Thomas Loarie is CEO of Bryologyx, a radio host of The Mentors Radio Show, and the former, seasoned and pioneering CEO of life science... "

Catching Air: 

Do Shutdowns Save Lives?

Do Shutdowns Save Lives?

May 20, 2020

We have been “socially distanced” now for more than two months with widespread mandatory business closures. The purpose of this was to slow the spread of the Coronavirus, “flatten the curve” so that our hospitals will not be overwhelmed and possibly buy time for a vaccine to be developed.   The experts told us this was necessary to save thousands...


David G. Bjornstrom

(Attorney)

David G. Bjornstrom is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar and retired California attorney at law with 38 years specializing in business, estate and...

From The Pastor: 

The Power and Beauty of Love

The Power And Beauty Of Love

May 19, 2020

The French theoretical physicist Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) was amazingly prolific and contributed much to hydrodynamics and thermodynamics, but his most important influence may be his philosophy and history of science. He refuted the superficial analysis of the relationship between physical science and religion as distorted by rationalists since the eighteenth century. Drawing on the qualifications of reason as given by...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Management That Makes A Difference: 

How Nice Leaders Become Angry

How Nice Leaders Become Angry

May 18, 2020

Anger is a funny emotion. No, check that. It’s not funny. It’s angry. But it is often strange and hard to understand. That’s especially true when otherwise affable or thoughtful people become leaders and start to exhibit anger more and more frequently. Anger provokes the people being led to question what they thought they knew about their leader—CEO, department head,...


Patrick Lencioni

(President, The Table Group)

Patrick Lencioni is the founder and president of The Table Group, and a prolific author of best-selling books on business management, particularly in relation to team...

" Recognized as a true pioneer in leadership and business, Patrick Lencioni is a New York Times best-selling author. "

From The Pastor: 

Mentors of Perseverance and Hope: Athanasius, Matthias and more

Mentors Of Perseverance And Hope: Athanasius, Matthias And More

May 9, 2020

"As I was saying…” That, more or less, is how Saint Athanasius began his homily each time he returned from exile. Over seventeen years, he was banished five times by four Roman emperors for reasons political and theological, but he persisted in defying the heresy of the powerful Arians who had a flawed idea of the Trinity and the divinity...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

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