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By Catholic News Service

PHILADELPHIA -- When Fr. Joseph Donnelly became pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Southbury, Conn., in 2003, there was "no 'parish staff' to speak of" except a secretary and a religious education director, he said.

Since his arrival he has hired "a full-time pastoral associate, full-time director of religious education, associate religious education director, administrative assistant in faith formation, custodian, secretary/business manager and director of music ministry," along with "a part-time youth minister."

By DANIEL BURKE, Religion News Service

The archbishop of Canterbury said conservatives' plans to usurp his leadership in the Anglican Communion are "problematic in all sorts of ways," saying Anglicans must renew -- not dismiss -- their frayed connections.

Archbishop Rowan Williams responded June 30 to a Jerusalem summit of more than 1,000 conservatives who announced plans on Sunday to create a new council of top archbishops to oversee likeminded Anglicans.

A few weeks ago, I was in Oaxaca, Mexico, on retreat with Maryknoll Lay Missioners who serve and accompany the poor. One of the most beautiful places in Mexico, Oaxaca has a gorgeous main plaza and never-ending market, but 75 percent of its people, most of them indigenous, suffer grinding poverty, thanks to NAFTA and multi-national corporations.

Two years ago, 70,000 pre-school, primary and secondary school teachers staged a sit in protest for higher wages in the downtown area (about 50 city blocks surrounding the main plaza). Before long, traffic came to a standstill. Banks, highways and government offices were blocked. And the city shut down.

Editor’s Note: Bishop Gumbleton preached this homily at Ss. Peter & Paul Church in Detroit, Michigan at the celebration of the 160th anniversary of the parish. It is a Jesuit parish in downtown Detroit.

First of all, I express profound thanks to Fr. [Carl] Bonk [S.J.] and to all of you, who are the community of this parish at Ss. Peter & Paul, for the opportunity to be the main celebrant today on this very important occasion when you celebrate and remember 160 years of the presence of this parish community here in the city of Detroit. It truly is a privilege to be among you and to experience your faith and your joy as this celebration takes place.

I hope that, as we listen carefully to the scriptures today, all of us will have an even deeper understanding of how important it is that this community has been here for these 160 years, and that it will continue to be here for many, many decades to come.