My sisters and brothers in Jesus Christ,
We celebrate Labor Day this weekend.  We remember that while many of us have the day off to enjoy with friends and family, there are many who still labor under heavy burdens.  There are people unjustly held as slaves who labor for others.  There are people who labor in occupations and in work that dehumanizes them and fails to recognize human dignity.  We pray and must work to end exploitation, child labor, and work that destroys than builds up.
​
The last couple of weeks required a lot of labor.  Bishop Rob Lyons has been hard at work on a Catechism for the Ordinariate, re-writing Eucharistic liturgies, and working on a Daily Office.  I have been trying to make contributions when and where possible.  I know the hope is to have texts available for publication near the end of this year.  I am very excited about this process.

Once these texts are published, I will begin working towards establishing this as an extended parish ministry with recordings of the liturgy and participating in daily prayer rotations for the Daily Office.  I am waiting on the final version of the texts as it does not make sense to begin this ministry and revise it so soon after beginning.  Please pray as we work towards making this next step a reality.

Another labor has been the creation of videos for our faith formation channel.  I uploaded a couple of videos on topics of Sacraments of Vocations as well as the issue of being Sacramentalized but not Evangelized.  I will link these videos below.  Moreover, the YouTube short videos are gaining traction.  There are a couple of ideas I am thinking through to expand the shorts later next year.

Next Lent, I am working on a series of videos to focus on the liturgical season – both longer videos as well as YouTube Shorts.  I recorded videos regarding Holy Week, Repentance and Conversion, Models of the Atonement, Sacraments as making the Paschal Mystery effective as longer videos.  I still have a few longer videos I want to record on topics such as the Passion narratives and the Descent into Hell.  I have also been working on YouTube Shorts on Ash Wednesday, a brief history of Lent, and Lenten conversion.  I hope to record several more on topics such as the Stations of the Cross and discipleship.  I am very excited to be working through this Lenten project.  I pray that it may be a fruitful season to listen to the call of Jesus.

There is much work that we have done to make Jesus Christ visible and alive to the world but much more is needed.  I pray that our work is fruitful and faithful to the mission of Jesus Christ.  Pray for us who are at work and laboring in the Lord’s vineyard.  We lift you up in our prayers.  May you find that the yoke and burden of Jesus is light so that we can rejoice together in the house of the Lord.
Peace,
Rev. Ben

My sister and brothers in Jesus Christ,
The end of the school summer vacation is upon us.  Children are returning to school.  Summer vacations are over.  We return to the usual routine of constant activity.  It is important that we pray for families, teachers, and students during this time of year.  Returning to school can be a difficult transition particularly with children with special needs and their families.  The new school year provides families with hope of what lies ahead but also uncertainty and challenge.  We must pray for families and students that this year may be a time to see God at work in the assignments, extracurricular activities, and friends and family.  Saint Oscar Romero Ministries lifts up in prayer all students and families during this time of transition.

This week provided an opportunity to work on several YouTube shorts for next year by looking at important days in the liturgical year including Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, and Ash Wednesday.  There are a number of longer videos whose scripts I am working on as I desire to provide a more in-depth study on the Trinity, Triduum, and Baptism in the Holy Spirit.  All of these take time but I am looking forward to recording these in the weeks ahead.
​
Speaking of videos, this weekend a video was released on the importance of laity in the church.  So often, we think of clergy as members of the church first and neglect the common baptism that we all share in.  Jesus Christ does not simply call the clergy to follow him but all the baptized are made priests, prophets, and kings.  The waters of baptism provide a new identity to each of us.  We must never forget the dignity that we have as members of the Body of Christ.
May God bless and keep you.
Peace,
Rev. Ben

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,
May God’s love and peace be with you this day. Years ago, I remember hearing a story about a medieval person witnessing people all working the same job – moving stones to build a medieval Cathedral.  Each worker saw their job differently.  One person saw the superficial labor as just moving a stone. Another saw the labor he was doing as providing for his family. Another worker could say with pride that he was building a cathedral.  It was all the same work of moving stones, but each worker understood their job differently.
​
Our desire should focus on building the kingdom. So often, we let our anger, frustrations, and so much stuff get in the way of accomplishing what we should do.  Yes, I want to build God’s kingdom, but this person is being a jerk and cut me off in traffic.  We have high ideals, but our execution falls short.

I think of my own high ideals with this ministry.  I want to share the Good News of Jesus Christ both virtually but also with each person I encounter.  At the same time, I betray these high ideals by my words and actions.  Each of us is made in God’s image and likeness but I need to be more like John the Baptist who decreased so that Jesus could increase.  Or I think of Mary who gave her life entirely over to God and desired to be a vessel of God’s love and presence in the world.  When seen that way, our jobs, struggles, and conversion take on a new perspective.

This week, I was working on a few more YouTube shorts that will debut in November and December.  A YouTube short on sin and despair was released this past week.  I am working to get the number of shorts caught up with my full-length videos.  Speaking of which, a full-length video was released this weekend based on a book on ministering to inactive and alienated Catholics.  There have been many programs and books written since the book I explore in the video was published.  At the same time, this is such an important ministry. 

There are so many people who are no longer practicing their faith for a variety of reasons.  I spend a lot of time listening and loving people alienated from their faith communities.  Sadly, I can understand why so many fall away – inadequate presentations of God in their religious development, the scandal of how Christians do not live according to their beliefs, judgement, authoritarian structures, and so much more.  Atheism is often the only legitimate response to false presentations of God and Christianity.  We have work to do if we want to share the Good News so that people can experience and participate in it.
Peace,
Ben

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,
My prayer is for you to see God at work in your life.  Sometimes we do a lot of work for the Kingdom and fulfil many roles and responsibilities.  Life can seem like a never ending series of tasks.  I have one image at my workplace of an animal typing away frantically saying, “work, work, work, work.”  I spend a lot of time always thinking about what has to be done and rarely relaxing as there is work to be done.  Christianity is not about a list of job requirements we must accomplish otherwise we will be terminated.  Christianity is about a relationship with God.  When we are overwhelmed, we have a God who shoulders some of our burdens. There is work to be done but the work is a labor of love.

This week we recorded a few YouTube shorts for the next month on a variety of topics.  The next month or so will be focused on developing more shorts to catch up to the full-length videos.  The weekend, the final video on Cardinal Avery Dulles was released.  Also, this past week a short was released regarding the problem of Christianity today.
Within a couple weeks, I am expecting a new tabernacle for the Saint Oscar Romero Chapel to arrive.  I had a video set to be released in September with a walk through tour and explanation but upgraded so much of the chapel since I filmed it earlier this year.  Once the tabernacle arrives, I want to remake that video.  There is a very specific reason I want to make this video as I want to connect theology with the life of prayer.  I see them as an integrated whole and the chapel makes that connection.
​
Please know that you are in my prayers and I ask for your prayers as well.
Peace,
Rev. Ben

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,
Updates from the past week.  A second video analyzing Cardinal Avery Dulles’s book “The Resilient Church” was released over the weekend.  We also published several shorts on Youtube reflecting on several topics including the Eucharist.  Why are we now releasing Youtube shorts on top of the full-length videos?  I am opposed to simplifying complex theology to soundbites.  In prayer, I rediscovered how the desert fathers only a few words to radically impact lives.  Perhaps a short word is all someone needs or can accept at the moment.  If we start where people are, maybe God can lead others where they should be as God's beloved.  I will pull some shorts from full-length videos but most will be a brief word and standalone video.  Going forward, I hope we release a full-length video and a short per week.
​
This week, we also recorded two videos on the book “Renewal Pains in the Orthodox Church” which reminds us that faith is a living tradition.  Our churches not only must be faithful to the Scriptures and the Tradition but also must be enlivened by the Spirit.  Without the Spirit, we will truly be fulfilling the mission of Jesus.  These videos will be released in January 2026. 

I also participated in the first clergy gathering for The Old Catholic Ordinariate for Specialized Ministries - U.S.A.  It was a brief meeting focused primarily on the clergy getting to know each other.  We spent time concentrating on how we can be a healing presence especially in a wounded church.  Please pray for our newly formed jurisdiction that we can be signs of God’s love in this world.

Finally, I registered to attend an upcoming conference on polarization in the church.  While we are not in the Roman Catholic tradition, I believe we need to be aware of how fragmentation within the church mirrors the fragmentation we see in society.  Division is truly a scandal in our churches.  People are no longer speaking across ideological lines.  Paul could boldly proclaim the unity Christians have in Jesus Christ.  Sadly, the barriers are being erected.  We should strive to recognize the dignity each person has in being a child of God.  I look forward to attending the conference and finding ways to maintain common ground and charity.  If this sounds interesting to you, please consider registering for the conference.  It would be great to have the presence of Old Catholics and Independent Catholics at this event.  More details are available here: Conferences | Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology
May God bless and keep you now and forever.  Amen.
Peace,