(This is a reprint of a column from last year. In these days a good bourbon augmenting the Spiritual Life seemed somehow appropriate – Fr George)
Bardstown, Kentucky, is not a large town; the population is only 12,000 or so. It was the first center of Roman Catholicism west of the Appalachian Mountains in the original western frontier territories of the United States. The Diocese of Bardstown was established on Feb. 8, 1808, by Pope Pius VII to serve all Catholics west of the Appalachians. The diocese served Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and parts of other states. This area is now served by 44 dioceses and archdioceses across 10 states. Bardstown and the local surrounds are home to the Basilica of St. Joseph (the first Cathedral before the diocese center moved to Louisville), the Sisters of Loretto Motherhouse and the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemane, the Trappist monastery that was home to Thomas Merton. If that weren’t enough, several distilleries operate in and around the Bardstown area, including Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Barton 1792 and Maker’s Mark, among others, and thus the town is known as the Bourbon Capital of the World. And perhaps bourbon and the spiritual life are connected and not just a consequence of history. Continue reading
In the well known parable of 
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Next Sunday is the celebration of the 
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These days there are lots of ways in which we get our news – the classics: the evening news and the daily newsprint. The more modern 24-hour television and radio news – and even that gives way to the online, instant news that is a click away, a pop-up notification or just a swipe away. While the modality changes, these days what is common is that each is a venue in our hunger for good news. Perhaps “hunger” does not describe our condition. These days we are starving for good news as we are offered an unending buffet of devastating headlines about the pandemic, the economy, Beirut, civil war, the rise of intolerance, … all fueled by rumor, innuendo, and the well-placed lie …. I could go on. 
This summer marks the 15th year since the Franciscan friars arrived at Sacred Heart (2005). The friars assumed pastoral leadership from the Jesuits of the Southern Province, who had well served the people since 1882; diocesan priests serving the parish from 1860 until the Jesuit arrival. The Jesuits have left their mark in downtown by the amazing edifice that is our church. Their legacy also is appropriately displayed in their motto, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, to the greater glory of God,” which adorns the arch over the transept/sanctuary in the church. 
Next Sunday is the celebration of the 
Several years ago, I was fortunate to have the time and opportunity to go to Israel on pilgrimage. I remember when I first caught sight of the Sea of Galilee…. I thought it would be bigger. Trust me it is big, but not “Lake Michigan” big. The Sea of Galilee is 8 miles across at it widest and 13 miles in length. So it’s big… I just thought it would be bigger. 
friarmusings 