Fr. Dwight Longenecker

One of the favorite activities for young children is a book at bedtime. When parents, grandparents, or big brothers and sisters curl up with a young child to read a good book, relationships are strengthened, bonds are built, and both heads…

Five hundred years ago, the Church and the world plum­meted into crisis. The Protes­tant Revolution split Europe into warring factions. In the wake of Martin Luther’s preaching, Germany erupted in a revolt among the peasants that…

I first met Thérèse of Lisieux when I was an Anglican priest. I had three months free between jobs and decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem from England. One of my first stops was in the French town of Lisieux. I knew of St. Thérèse,…

All it takes is a few years or even months of dry weather before we realize how dependent all of us are on fresh water for life. When California was hit by drought conditions, the whole nation was affected. Because California grows a huge…

What's the difference?

BY FR. DWIGHT LONGENECKER Do you remember the children’s story about the three goats who had to cross a bridge? There was a troll under the bridge who threatened to devour the goats. Nowadays a “troll” is a nickname for someone who trolls…

BY FR. DWIGHT LONGENECKER It is not always easy to understand and explain our Catholic faith, and the word Mass is one of the difficulties. The Mass is the center of our worship, but what does the word Mass mean? The word is a shortened…

by Fr. Dwight Longenecker Jesus never says he is God, so why do Christians insist that he is divine?” So argued the young man on the internet. The fact that Jesus is God incarnate is the cornerstone of our faith. It is the bedrock of the…

by Fr. Dwight Longenecker After my talk at a parish mission, one of the women came up looking a bit flustered. “Father, can I ask you a question?” “Sure.” “I was at Mass yesterday and the priest said in his homily that the story of Jonah…

By Fr. Dwight Longenecker  So often we attend Mass and take things for granted. Not paying attention, we miss the meaning and overlook the significance of the little things. The bread and wine are brought forward during the offertory, and…