Your Excellency, Bishops, Rector, members of the Board, faculty, families, Graduates of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary— I should begin with honesty. I dislike commencement speeches. Honestly, I despise them. Not the commencement. Not the granting of degrees. The commencement speech. The genre itself. Commencement speeches usually fall into two categories: The first is inspirational optimism … Continue reading Commencement Address, St Charles Borromeo Seminary, May 23, 2026
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It’s Only Friday
There are sermons that outlive the moment in which they were preached. Dr. S. M. Lockridge served as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego from 1953 to 1993 and was a master of the African American preaching tradition, using repetition, rhythmic cadence, and dramatic contrast to make the room itself feel alive. On this Good … Continue reading It’s Only Friday
The Well of Thirst and Healing
Third Sunday of Lent (Year A) Ex 17:3-7 | Ps 95 | Rom 5:1-2, 5-8 | John 4:5-42 There is a well in Samaria that has never run dry. Not because the water table is particularly reliable in that part of ancient Palestine. But because a conversation happened there—a conversation so strange, so subversive, so … Continue reading The Well of Thirst and Healing
The Joy of the Gospel 