CATECHETICAL SUNDAY
“This is my body given for you,” we hear Jesus tell his apostles at the Last Supper; we hear similar words every time we gather to celebrate the Eucharist. As we celebrate Catechetical Sunday this weekend, with its theme this year of “This is my body given for you,” we recall our Lord giving himself to us for our spiritual nourishment. It is also the only worthy gift we can offer to our heavenly Father in thanksgiving for all that he has given us. What a precious gift we have […]
TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Did any of you fly anywhere this summer and lose your luggage? I didn’t have the occasion to fly recently but I’ve lost my luggage a few times over the years and, as those of you who have had it happen to you know, it’s a very frustrating experience. Unfortunately, it seems to be even more prevalent now for a variety of reasons and reclaiming your luggage seems to get harder and harder.
It’s sad when anything – or anyone – is lost. And yet, it seems that there are millions […]
INTRODUCING OUR NEW PASTORAL PLAN
After more than four years of preparation, I am excited to introduce our new Pastoral Plan for our parish! Working closely with our Parish Pastoral Council for several years and especially its envisioning team last year, we are now ready to present it to everyone in the parish as we invite you to embrace our three priorities: transformative liturgies, parishioner engagement and faith sharing. We all know that the primary purpose of our parish – like every parish in the world – is to draw everyone closer to God through […]
TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
How many of you have known someone who seemed to be lost in his/her life, may even have done something seriously wrong, and then, one day, declared they have turned their life around, claiming that they have “found Jesus.” I’ve heard a number of people tell me that. My first reaction is to thank God! That is the very definition of “repent and believe!” And while some may be skeptical, it is remarkable to see how God can work in someone’s life. In fact, it’s good for us as Christians […]
TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
As we prepare to celebrate Labor Day next weekend, I’m sure many of you are planning a get together with family or friends. And, for most of us, that will include a meal – a barbeque, picnic or dinner. How fitting for us to hear about Jesus in today’s gospel at a meal. Jesus is the guest at a fancy dinner. His host is a leading Pharisee; a person with great status in the Jewish community. And, he has invited some friends to dinner to meet this newest celebrity in […]
CATHOLIC CHARITIES APPEAL UPDATE
Every year, you are invited and encouraged to join with all of the parishes throughout our archdiocese in participating in the annual Catholic Charities Appeal and every year you respond with great generosity! Although there are 60 parishes in the archdiocese with more parishioners than we have, only one or two parishes contribute more than we do to this very important appeal which provides a variety of services to people throughout our archdiocese. To date, your contributions to CCA total $107,932, 71% of our $152,390 goal for […]
CONGREGATION OF ROGATIONISTS ANNUAL MISSIONARY COOPERATIVE
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!’” (Lk 12:49) we hear our Lord teach us in today’s gospel. As Jesus was sent by his heavenly Father to “set the earth on fire” so he has sent all of us followers to share his saving mission with the whole world. We recognize our missionary mandate – to make disciples of all nations – to be our primary task; every other work we do flows from it.
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