Church Priorities

The Catholic Church has been active for 2000+ years and has initiated and developed many valuable programs and services. Based on the vision and teaching of Jesus, though, probably the two most important responsibilities of the church are not building schools and hospitals—valuable, even necessary as that is–but [1] providing the eucharist in which the people of God are united with Jesus their head and [2] serving the poor which Jesus constantly spoke about. Today I was at St. Frances of Rome Church, one of the oldest parishes in Louisville.

The small neighborhood church, simply but tastefully appointed, provides a warm and welcoming space for the community to gather in.
The church also each weekend puts out baskets (under the table above) to collect non-perishable foods for community food pantries. Today I dropped off a couple boxes of cereal we had to donate.

Pegasus Wired

Louisville is famous as the home of the Kentucky Derby, one of the big annual events in US sports. Years ago the city made available to businesses full-size horse figures which a company was to decorate and then display outside their business location. It was a creative idea and the horses still proudly prance around the city. The Eye Care Institute where I receive treatment has this horse and yesterday I noticed that since the last time I was there, a solar power panel has been added to the back of the horse. Why it was added wasn’t immediately obvious but then I noticed several dark dots on the horse’s left flank and elsewhere. I’m guessing they must be lights of some sort, but adding an obtrusive solar panel seems to negate any aesthetic attraction the lights might have. I’ll have to go back there in the dark to see if my presumption is correct–and if the lights are a positive or negative.

Kentucky Primary

Kentucky holds its primary election for candidates for the November election on this Tuesday, May 19, 2026. A warning and information has been published by Sharp Objects, a progressive pro-democratic civic group:

Jefferson county elections for Mayor and Metro Council are now non-partisan, meaning there will be no party affiliation listed by the candidates’ names. 

So, you’ll need to know the names of the candidates you want to support in those races. Be sure to do your research and make a list of the candidates you’ll support before you go to the polls.

Why the change to our ballots? The GOP-led KY Legislature wants to gain influence over Louisville – one of two blue dots in a very red state. They passed legislation to change our elections – Jefferson County residents had no say! They hope to confuse voters and gain an edge, moving closer to a one-party system – the goal of the current regime. 

Given the fallen state of the Republican party, we cannot in good conscience recommend any of them.

Kentucky Primary

Kentucky holds its primary election for candidates for the November election on this Tuesday, May 19, 2026. A warning and information has been published by Sharp Objects, a progressive pro-democratic civic group:

Jefferson county elections for Mayor and Metro Council are now non-partisan, meaning there will be no party affiliation listed by the candidates’ names. 

So, you’ll need to know the names of the candidates you want to support in those races. Be sure to do your research and make a list of the candidates you’ll support before you go to the polls.

Why the change to our ballots? The GOP-led KY Legislature wants to gain influence over Louisville – one of two blue dots in a very red state. They passed legislation to change our elections – Jefferson County residents had no say! They hope to confuse voters and gain an edge, moving closer to a one-party system – the goal of the current regime. 

Given the fallen state of the Republican party, we cannot in good conscience recommend any of them.

Beautiful Louisville

Louisville is a really beautiful city, something I am becoming more aware of and am enjoying more since I returned from Cambodia and started riding my bike through neighborhoods I never knew before. Today I had a 28-mile ride from Nazareth Home Clifton where I live to Iroquois Park in South Louisville where I used to live. Here is a photo on one of the lookouts in the park. Basically all you see is trees but under those trees are 150-year old neighborhoods and city streets. The city is green, not barren suburbs (we have those, too).

Iroquois Park is one of five parks inside the city which were laid out by Olmsted, the celebrated urban planner who designed Central Park, a masterpiece of landscape architecture, in New York City.

My First Family Home

When I was born in 1944, my father was still in Germany in WWII. He never saw me until he came home when I was 2 years old. We lived in an apartment on South 4th Street in the Old Louisville neighborhood and I believe this is the building. I have only the vaguest recollections of our first family home but this is the only building on the block that I remember that matches my mental image. We lived here for a couple years and I remember Dad’s buddies from the war coming by.

Good to go…and stop

Gone are those days, 70 years ago, when I would flip my bicycle upside down and change a tire or tighten the chain or oil the gears there in the backyard. Today my rear brake–hydraulic, like on a motorcycle–was not working properly so a bike tech had to bleed some air from the brake line with special tools and relevant experience. My brakes work now but it cost me $20!

Theology Discussion

Every two weeks a group of us priests and lay people meet for two hours to discuss a theology book. Currently we are going through a book by an Irish theologian, Diarmuid O’Murchu who presents some challenging ideas about God and about humanity’s place in creation. Today for the first time we met at Nazareth Home Clifton in the lobby of the independent living building where the priests live.

This kind of gathering is really difficult in Cambodia because almost none of the laity would have the background in theology to participate and discussing a book in English would also present a big problem.