Father John A. Kiley | Rhode Island Catholic

Deacons are integral to Church life

The ministry of deacons was so widespread in the early Church that St. Paul went out of his way to encourage the men holding this office to maintain their high standards. The Apostle wrote to … more

5/30/19

Trust the Holy Spirit’s work in everyday life

An important portion of the Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass is the calling down of the Holy Spirit to transform the basic elements of unleavened bread and grape wine into the Sacred Body and Precious … more

5/23/19

Everyday acts of charity: Helping one another

Father Gerry Beirne, pastor emeritus of St. Phillip Church, Greenville, once remarked that when he was an active priest he visited the sick; now that he is a retired priest he visits doctors. I can … more

5/16/19

Pray for shepherds who guide and guard the faithful

Certainly among the most affectionate of Christian images is the depiction of Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd. Woolly lambs cozying up to the Savior’s knee and the Master himself embracing a … more

5/9/19

‘We must obey nature rather than society’

In a recent letter to the editor of the Valley Breeze weekly newspaper, Lincoln, Rhode Island, physician Paula Carmichael shrewdly describes abortion as a religious issue. A month earlier, Governor … more

Fr. John A. Kiley | 5/2/19

Celebrate the wonderful gift of reconciliation

It is surely no coincidence that the very first words out of the mouth of Christ to his chosen disciples gathered in the upper room were, “Peace be with you!” Peace had eluded mankind since Adam … more

4/25/19

Gaze upon Christ in the Eucharist

A number of Catholic and Protestant churches in the Woonsocket area have celebrated Lenten Scripture services weekly for a number of years, thanks largely to the inspiration and coordination of the … more

Fr. John A. Kiley | 4/18/19

Penance, fasting, prayer, silence allows us to help people in need

Two enlightening models of the desert/wilderness experience are Blessed Charles deFoucauld, the nineteenth century holy man of the Sahara Dessert, and Father Carlo Carretto, a twentieth century … more

4/11/19

A life of a solitary prayer and penance

The English word hermit comes from the Greek meaning desert or uninhabited. St. Paul of Thebes, St. Anthony of the Desert and St. Mary of Egypt were among the first Christians to embrace life as … more

4/4/19

Lenten season makes us strong in faith

For many years St. Joseph’s Abbey, the Trappist Monastery at Spencer, M.A., was the site of my annual retreat. Like the monks’ day — early to bed, early to rise — these hours on retreat were … more

Father John A. Kiley | 3/28/19

‘Personal prayer can have public results’

The appearance of Moses and Elias alongside the transfigured Jesus Christ is most appropriate. These two celebrated Old Testament prophets, like Jesus Christ himself, experienced the inner reality … more

Father John A. Kiley | 3/21/19

The desert experience is an opportunity to encounter God

Henry David Thoreau’s fame rests largely on his wilderness experience along the shores of Waldon Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Actually Thoreau’s cabin was less than a mile from the center of … more

Fr. John A. Kiley | 3/14/19

The spiritual challenge of the wilderness experience

The Diocesan Office for Religious sponsors a day of recollection for the congregations of sisters and brothers who staff the schools, nursing facilities, and parish ministries in the Diocese of … more

Fr. John A. Kiley | 3/7/19

All questions raised and all questions answered

The Hebrew Scriptures have a segment of seven texts called “The Books of Wisdom.” The seven traditional volumes are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom and Sirach. The Book … more

Fr. John A. Kiley | 2/28/19

Authentic Christianity strengthens our world

St. Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, comprising chapters 5, 6 and 7 of his Gospel, contains possibly the most famous Scripture passages within the New Testament — with the possible exception of the … more

Fr. John A. Kiley | 2/21/19

Authentic wealth is measured by how you work to improve the world around you, strive to live out God’s will

“Women and children first” has been the motto of gentlemen perhaps since the chivalrous days of the Middle Ages and certainly since the era of stiff courtesy that marked the nineteenth century. … more

Father John Kiley | 2/14/19

Belief transformed into faith

Jesus must have been pleased upon returning to his home town of Nazareth to find his opening words delivered on a Sabbath at the local synagogue to be well received by his neighbors and … more

Fr. John A. Kiley | 2/7/19

Love is patient, love is kind: A message for the global Church

Brides and grooms, or perhaps mostly brides, thumbing through the Church’s preparation for marriage booklets will often select some early verses of chapter 13 of St. Paul’s 1st Epistle to the … more

Father John A. Kiley | 1/31/19

Mutual responsibility, involvement and gratitude

The Sunday collection! It’s almost an eighth sacrament! The weekly envelope dropped into the collection basket and the all too frequent “special collections” envelopes that support all areas of … more

Fr. John A. Kiley | 1/24/19

God intervenes through his son and Holy Spirit

A speeding car hops the guard rail and tumbles down the grassy embankment. No one thankfully is hurt. “It was a miracle,” friends of the hapless driver and passengers celebrate. CT scans and MRIs … more

Fr. John A. Kiley | 1/17/19