Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers of the parish and the mothers of all our parishioners! We all know how important our mothers have been to us as we grew up and so we join with our nation in honoring them today. And, as we are still in a stay-at-home state due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we become even more aware of the essential role they play in our homes in ways that we may have taken for granted in the past.
So often I hear Mother’s Day derided by […]
We celebrated the feast of our patron, St. Catherine of Siena, this past Wednesday and, as I reflected on her life, I also turned to our stained glass window in church for inspiration. Like so many of our stained glass windows, this one is filled with symbolism that teaches us about our patron saint. So, I would like to tell you about this window. First, however, allow me to offer you a brief biography of our patron saint; you may be surprised how much our time has in common with […]
I hope you are staying healthy – physically, mentally and spiritually – during these ongoing stressful times as we all try to weather the coronavirus pandemic. I’m delighted that so many of our parishioners are watching the live streamed Masses; it’s a very important way for us to stay together as a faith community. Over the past several weeks, I’ve had a number of parishioners ask about some of the details of our church that they hadn’t noticed before but now see on the live streamed Masses. They have asked […]
Happy Easter! As we bring the Octave of Easter to its conclusion, know that I have kept you in my prayers all week, that you may experience the joy of the Resurrection! Today is also Divine Mercy Sunday. Heeding the call that our risen Lord gave to St. Marie Faustina Kowalska in the 1930’s, the Church decreed on 23 May 2000 that “throughout the world, the Second Sunday of Easter will receive the name Divine Mercy Sunday, a perennial invitation to the Christian world to face, with confidence in divine […]
Alleluia! Our Lord is risen and offers us new life! We certainly need to hear this message this year as we find ourselves surrounded by suffering and death. The Paschal mystery proclaims that Jesus, truly man – the son of Mary – really died on the cross and then overcame death as he rose on Easter. The resurrection of the body, the central mystery of Easter, is an essential Christian doctrine. As the apostle Paul declares so clearly: “[I]f the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If […]
By Kristi B (with a nod to Dr. Seuss) ‘Twas late in ‘19 when the virus began, Bringing chaos and fear to all people, each land. People were sick, hospitals full, Doctors overwhelmed, no one in school. As winter gave way to the promise of spring, The virus raged on, touching peasant and king.
“Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” (Mt 21:9). On Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, we are called to join with our Lord, Jesus Christ, as he makes a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and then suffers derision and mockery, scourging and finally crucifixion because he comes to offer a new way of life and claims to be who he truly is – the Son of God. This week is, indeed, what we Christians call it: […]
The Season of Lent is given to use every year to recognize and admit how we have drifted away from God and then to turn back to him as we prepare to accompany his son through his suffering, death and Resurrection. It is a time to focus again on the eternal life God promises us rather than remain caught up in pursuing momentary pleasures here on earth.
Lent always falls during spring – after all, that’s what the word “lent” means – and this is, for most of us, a very […]
