From November 1 to December 26, I did not use social media. That means no posting of pictures or videos, but it also means no consumption of videos either. It was an important detox. Now, I’m ready to be back. And boy do I have a lot to share.

Men are in Crisis

In my time away, I did a bit of reading, including Richard Reeves’ book Of Boys and Men. This was an eye-opening experience. What it helped me see, with data and sociological studies, is that many men are struggling to adapt to a changing world, slipping into isolation and depression. As a Church, I think we can do something about this.

Have You Read the Gospels Lately?

Of course, I also read Scripture. In fact, I read all four Gospels in four days. I don’t think it’s enough to get little snippets of the Gospels at Mass, you need to read the books in their entirety to really understand them. I decided to make a five part series, released all at once, as a guide for anyone interested in growing closing to Jesus.

Is Our Economy Just?

As Catholics, it is not enough to be pious, saying prayers and being devoted to God. Our prayer must issue forth into the world, seeking peace and justice. There is nothing beyond God’s control. This includes our money and economic systems. While capitalism is widely regarded as the most just system when it works, it rarely works for everyone. This video looks at the issues Catholicism has with our modern economy and provides recommendations to fix it.

I’ll Let You Guess the Subtext

Speaking of justice, we have some issues facing our country right now. Unfortunately, some of the worst offenses against the dignity of the human person and family are being done by people who claim to be followers of Jesus. We need to do better.

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A Little Fun with the Brothers

There is a gross trend on social media where strangers are asked to rate each other based on attractiveness. I thought it might be fun to subvert this trend by asking the friars to rate each others’ beards, all in good fun. (Note, the first guy was commented on the friar holding the camera. He said afterwards, “I didn’t know what I was going to say, but I knew it was going to be low!”)

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New “Short” Series

It doesn’t have a name, per se, but each week I’m going to answer a common Catholic question in under a minute. So far I’ve talked about the sign of the cross, whether swearing is a sin, why we suffer, and the “infallibility” of the pope.

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Just for Laughs

Do you like Harry Potter? Do you know the difference between Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, and diocesan priests? Then this video is meant for you.

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So Much More…

This is just a taste of what I’ve posted over the past three weeks. I’ll get back to sending out the newsletter every week now, hopefully with a few important announcements to come!

Peace and good,

Fr. Casey