Fr. Charles Bouchard, OP

Fr. Charles Bouchard, OP, S.T.D., is senior director, theology and sponsorship at the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA). He counsels and assists sponsors and members of Catholic healthcare organizations in carrying out their canonical responsibilities for the health ministry of the Catholic Church and provides guidance for CEOs and boards regarding the distinctive roles of sponsorship and governance. He also works with Church leaders and bishops at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and at the Holy See on a range of issues involving health care, social justice, public policy and the Church.

Videos

10 April • Keeping Our Covenant: Beyond Abraham's Fertility

God promised Abraham incredible fertility (Genesis 17), making him the father of nations. But the covenant wasn't just about God's promises; it required faithfulness from Abraham and his descendants. In this Word of Hope for Thursday, 5th Week of Lent (April 10, 2025), Fr. Charlie Bouchard OP asks: How are we keeping our side of the covenant?

The Fifth Sunday of Lent

This week, we explore God's promise of "something new" from Isaiah, St. Paul's relentless pursuit of Christ in Philippians, and the powerful Gospel story of Jesus, the woman caught in adultery, and the law written in stone versus the mercy written in sand.

13 Mar • Earnest, persistent prayer

Today in our reading we hear the prayer of Esther, who in a seemingly hopeless situation turns to God in earnest prayer and prevails against all odds. We are reminded of the importance of persistent prayer, especially when things seem impossible to resolve on our own. God is there for us.

12 Mar • Redeeming the whole world

When the Ninevites believed the preaching of Jonah, they all repented in sackcloth and ashes—even the animals! We are all bound up in sin together, so while we begin with ridding ourselves of our own sinful behaviors, we do not end there. We have to deal with all the sins of society against one another and against the environment.

The Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Charlie Bouchard, OP breaks open the readings for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time with its warnings against hypocrisy. While this is always difficult, we can help by working on shortening the gap between who we are and who we want to be.

Readings: Sirach 27:4–7; 1 Corinthians 15:54–58; Luke 6:39–45

11 Feb • Working with the holy and the common

In today's Gospel, Jesus has an argument with the scribes and Pharisees over Jewish purity laws. As Christians, we need to know when to let holy things be holy and when to go out into the world not letting purity laws hold us back from doing the work of God.