REVEREND DR. GREGORY WEBSTER is a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate by Francis Cardinal George in May 2014. Besides degrees in Chemistry, he has an M.A. in Theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary and a D.Bioethics degree in Catholic/Research Ethics from Loyola University of Chicago. An interest in Ignatian Spirituality led him to receive a certificate in spiritual direction from Fairfield University as well. Deacon Greg and his wife have been married more than thirty years and are blessed with three beautiful daughters, two awesome son-in-laws and several great terriers along the way. When not busy with family, work or spiritual matters, you can find Greg shooting sporting clays or with his dog boating on the Chain of Lakes outside Chicago, IL.
I say stupid things. Not really intentionally, but sometimes the circuit leading to my mouth bypasses the brain. This can be a dangerous thing in our culture today. I grew up with the limerick that “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words...
One of the major issues in bioethics continues to be when a being has “rights.” This is referred to as having “moral status.” For example, if you argue that a child in the womb has no moral status, aborting such a life has less challenges. Abortion...
I had a college ring that my parents gave me upon graduation with my PhD. I imagine these days this ring is not worth much but, to me, it is priceless. Getting my doctorate in chemistry was a victory for someone who dropped out of college as an...
Our focus on using Ignatian spirituality is to have personal experiences of Jesus. A spiritual director recently shared this experience with me: Recently, a directee shared with me her experience of awakening with tears in her eyes because her dream...
One of the joys in men’s ministry, and I imagine the same is true for women’s ministry, is learning that I am not so alone in my challenges. Specifically, a lot of guys my age struggle to balance job, faith, family and financial demands while...
When I was younger, I recall being asked if I was allergic to “eggs” before I got a flu shot. Oh, for the good old days. Vaccines were produced in eggs and no one worried about the morality of a vaccine. Today is different. A COVID-19 vaccine cannot...
In the Christmas season, the differences in the Gospels become glaringly apparent. Why do Matthew, Mark, Luke and John start so differently? Theologians have several thoughts on this, and the Church considers none as definitive. Even the identity of...
Several weeks ago, after writing that Jesus would love his neighbor enough to wear a mask in a pandemic, I received an email challenging my position; not challenging whether Jesus would wear a mask, but whether Jesus could actually get sick or not...
