My mission is to share the wisdom and experiences gained over a lifetime dedicated to faith, service, and personal growth. In my retirement, I will use this platform to offer reflections, insights, and stories from my 80 years of life, 54 years as a priest, and 13 years as a bishop. Through openness and humility, I aim to inspire, educate, and resonate with readers, seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance in all that I write. May this endeavor bring glory to God and foster a sense of shared journey and mutual understanding among all who read.
Bishop Ray’s Blog
Finding Meaning in Each Day
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Our Beautiful Country – Happy 250th Birthday!
Read more: Our Beautiful Country – Happy 250th Birthday!God bless America, land that I love! We love to sing that patriotic hymn, and we sing it more emphatically and more enthusiastically at this time of the year. We say in the Pledge of Allegiance that the United States of America is one nation, under God. God has always been with us, and our Founding Fathers included mention of a Supreme Being from the very beginning. We are a country that celebrates religious freedom and we welcome people who worship in so many different religious expressions. The freedom of religious practice is one of our greatest blessings! Many…
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Babies Who Cry in Church: Welcome to God’s House!
Read more: Babies Who Cry in Church: Welcome to God’s House!For some parishioners, it is very difficult to remain focused when a baby cries in church. People might get distracted and annoyed, and parents can become very self-conscious trying to calm their children. A baby might cry at various times: during the homily, at a moment of silence, during the consecration … you never know when. Sometimes one baby hears another baby crying and then decides to join in … but that’s what babies do! For me, honestly, I have become accustomed to the sound of babies crying during Mass. For 55 years of being the presider at worship, I…
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3 Special Feasts: Three Great Gifts!
Read more: 3 Special Feasts: Three Great Gifts!As the Easter Season comes to an end, the Church calendar proposes three Sundays – before returning to Ordinary Time – three wonderful truths of our Catholic faith! The feast of Pentecost or the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles; the feast of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – our belief in one God who has revealed Himself as Father – Son – and Holy Spirit; and finally the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ – Corpus Christi – which reminds us of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread…
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Life Begins at Conception and Ends at Death!
Read more: Life Begins at Conception and Ends at Death!The gift of life is incredibly precious! God is the author of our life! He tells us when to be born and when to die. I believe that life begins at the moment of conception in our mother’s womb and ends when we close our eyes in death. Every day we are alive is another gift from God. We work to promote a “culture of life” in all its various stages. In all reality, each day is another day closer to the end of our earthly life and the beginning of the life to come; we Catholics call it eternal…
Bishop Ray's Blog 