We have no idea whether appeals will be filed in either lawsuit, or what the cost will be of answering them. The Louisiana office had, tragically, to be closed, but some of the office equipment will move to the temporary Provincial Office in Alexandria, Virginia. The AAF will be an important ongoing factor in the Church s life. I am fond of quoting the late Speaker of the House Tip O Neill s truism, All politics is local, and revising it to read, All religion is local. What I mean by that is that the test of any church is not the elaborate character of its hierarchy or foundational documents, but whether its local parishes are preaching the Gospel, administering the sacraments, and taking care of their members.
Dioceses are strong when their parishes are strong.
A Province is strong when it encompasses strong dioceses which are based on strong parishes. I ll be looking forward to seeing all of you at the Congress on Evangelism in August.