Miller, Author at Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg

Listening to the Silence

Catholic Commentary, NewsBy Miller August 12, 2020

So many of you have asked me, “Where do you get your ideas? Is it hard to come up with new articles week after week? Do you ever get tired of writing?”

All these questions are very good ones! The writing ideas come to me, I believe, through the workings of the Holy Spirit. I always seem to have a plan running through my mind, since it is churning, but it is the Holy Spirit who pokes me and says, “Write about this.” The danger when I don’t listen to Him is that these articles can degenerate to a column about “Sister Says” rather than Him using me as His instrument.

Diocesan Notebook – August 6

Diocesan Notebook, NewsBy Miller August 6, 2020

Pilgrimages & Retreats

The Carmelite retreat planned at Villa Sacred Heart in Danville for Sept. 18-20 has been cancelled due to the pandemic.

Fundraisers & Events

Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Lancaster’s virtual “Recess: At Home,” Greek take-out dinner (Pastitso, lasagna, baklava) will be available for pick-up on Aug. 28. Tickets must be purchased in advance. A virtual silent auction opens Aug. 28 and ends Aug. 29. To order tickets and view the auction items, visit https://www.accelevents.com/e/sacredheartschool.

St. John the Baptist School in New Freedom, Food Truck Fundraisers, Aug. 24 and Sept. 16 from 4-7:30 p.m. Events support the school. Bring your lawn chair or blanket to sit and relax while enjoying your food. Follow the Food Truck Fundraiser event on Facebook to get the most up to date information as to what food trucks will be in attendance. For your safety, CDC, state and local guidelines will be followed by patrons and vendors. For any questions or comments, email sshaffer1@sjbnf.org.

Protocols and Enhancements in Play as Student-Athletes Return to Sports

Diocesan News, NewsBy Miller August 6, 2020

As teams return to their fields, courts and tracks for summer workouts and the official start of practice in a few weeks, the safety of student-athletes is the ultimate goal.

Diocesan high school administrators, athletic directors and coaches welcomed hundreds of student-athletes back to campus in June and July, and they did so with well-defined protocols to safely resume athletics.

In a recent interview with several high school athletic directors, The Catholic Witness learned about the schools’ safety measures for returning to sports, and how students are responding.

Obituaries – August 6

NewsBy Miller August 6, 2020

The names of the following deceased persons have been submitted by their parishes. Please remember in your prayers the happy repose of these recently departed souls and the consolation of their loved ones.

All Part of God’s Plan

Bishop's Blog, NewsBy Miller August 5, 2020

A few weeks ago I wrote about the young Italian boy, a wiz at computers, who used his skills to create an exhibition of Eucharistic miracles that has travelled around the world. He died of leukemia at age 15. His Beatification was postponed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Vatican has announced that Carlo Acutis will be beatified in Assisi on October 10. With that announcement more information about this very normal yet so amazing teen has surfaced. The new insights come from an interview given by his mother, Antonia.

Diocesan Event Celebrates Life and Legacy of Venerable Augustine Tolton, First African-American Priest

Diocesan News, NewsBy Miller August 5, 2020

“In this Church, we do not have to fight for our rights because we are black. She had colored saints: Augustine, Benedict the Moor, Monica. The Church is broad and liberal. She is the Church for our people.”

Father Augustine Tolton, the first African-American priest, delivered these words at the First Black Catholic Congress in Washington, D.C., in 1889.

The words are as relevant today as they were then, said the presenters of a Zoom session the Diocese hosted July 31 to promote Venerable Tolton’s cause for canonization and a film about his life and legacy.

Hauntings, Possessions, and Exorcisms

Book Reviews, Catholic Commentary, NewsBy Miller August 5, 2020

Even though as a book reviewer I have a steady stream of books coming to my doorstep, occasionally I will revisit books that have impacted me. I have often written – and in my podcasts spoken of – the very real battle surrounding all of us. Spiritual warfare is real. When it is said that the devil prowls around the earth looking to ruin the souls of man, it’s true. Adam Blai explains the demonic in his must-read book Hauntings, Possessions, and Exorcisms.

What Blai does in this book is offer a guide for readers to understand how to defend themselves against the demonic. You might ask just what credentials Blai has that make him the perfect person to write this book. Well here’s your answer. Blai is an auxiliary member of the International Association of Exorcists in Rome. He regularly trains priests on how to perform exorcisms, and he has written the “training manual” currently used by exorcists.

The Called: Father Timothy Marcoe

News, The CalledBy Miller August 5, 2020

Father Timothy Marcoe
Hometown: Allentown, Pa.
Education: White Hall public schools; Millersville University; St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pa.
Current Assignment: Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Danville

Stop and Hear the Whisper of God

Catholic Commentary, NewsBy Miller August 5, 2020

Last night was the first time in a very long time that I made a point of watching the national news. It’s not that I’m not interested in what’s going on in the world, but I’m not interested in the almost panicked way in which the opening reports are shared. I actually can feel my pulse increase and fear rise in my heart, even after all this time.

This morning, as I opened the internet to a news site, I took notice that of the top 20 stories, the first 10 of them were all about COVID-19 and the effects of the pandemic on each of us, as well as how the economy has been harmed. All of the reports sound the alarm of “Be prepared for the next moment of doom!” It is enough for me to run from my computer and shut myself in my bedroom and declare that I’m hibernating until 2021 or until the pandemic ends.

Annual Pilgrimage for World Peace to Be Held at Basilica and Grotto

Diocesan News, NewsBy Miller July 30, 2020

The annual Pilgrimage for World Peace through Mary, which draws attendees to from the Diocese to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, Md., on the first Thursday of August, will take place Aug. 6 this year.

Due to COVID-19 protocols and guidelines, the pilgrimage will take place at both the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the National Shrine Grotto.

Father John Hoke, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Milton, and Father Michael Reid, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Hanover, will lead the retreat. Participants should make their own travel arrangements and bring their own lunch.

Author Archives: Miller