Fr. Bill Peckman is a priest in the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri. He is the pastor Immaculate Conception Parish, St. Mary Parish, St. Patrick Parish, and Sacred Heart Parish.
Anything we deem as important, we usually will try to master. You see this with athletes. They will alter exercise routines, nourishment, and upend their schedule to grow better at a sport. You see this with gamers. They will spend inordinate amounts of time and energy to up their skill...
It is not my job as a pastor to protect my flock from having to make hard decisions. We have gotten this mistaken notion in parishes that we must maneuver around every secular activity and only verify that matters of faith are wholly secondary to anything else… We accommodate, dumb...
Being a good pastor is like being a good parent. Like a good parent, a good pastor has to watch out for the good of those placed in his care. He is there in their joys. He is there in their sorrows. Like a good parent, he has to be...
There are times in ministry when you come across a moment out of the blue that just becomes hard to shake off. Once in a while you come across a person you don’t know and might well never see again who has been bruised, beaten, and defeated by life...
According to stats on the Catholic Church in the United States, there are 74.3 million Catholics in the US. There are an additional 30 million who self identify as former Catholics. Of the 74.3 million, only 23% go to Mass on any kind of regular basis. Yes, only...
I feel the necessity to say this at least once a week to parents when it comes to their role in the spiritual development of their children: You. Are. The. Parent. When your child was baptized, you said you would take the lead in the spiritual and moral development of...
