Sunday afternoons at a parish center - or a community center - is familiar territory for me.

Sunday afternoon is for papers and writing.

Bootleggers quake in fear of me ringing them on a Sunday afternoon. I call after dinner, usually.

I'm indebted to the teachers who shaped me - from the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Croix Catholic elementary to the monks of St. John's in Minnesota to my professors at Georgetown.

Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

As a husband, father and public servant, I'm thankful for the counsel and wisdom of my older brothers - Bill, who was a priest, and Kevin, who is a priest.