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Our Lenten journey is off to a good start here and we are looking forward to the celebrations to come. Unfortunately the snowpack has prevented us from putting up the outdoor devotionals that we had planned, but hopefully we will be able to have that up and running soon. I hope that you are enjoying the modified Soup and Scripture series. There is also another cooking and scripture reflection coming soon! Read more.

This weekend we will inaugurate the Annual Catholic Appeal in our parish. Those of you who are past contributors have already received the promotional materials in the mail. I am sure that some of you have already made your contribution, while others have put it aside to remit later this month. Read more.

This week we begin the Lenten Season. It is hard to believe that it was Lent a year ago when we went into the lockdown. To some extent it seems that our Lenten journey continues. This is the time when we take stock of all things in our spiritual and moral lives, and open ourselves to the challenges and growth where the Lord is calling us. It is a time to heal our brokenness, and to deepen our love of God, neighbor, and self. We will be providing many resources through our website to assist in this journey. We will also be offering Stations of the Cross (Wednesday evening) followed by a reflection in Scripture. Lent is our time to enter the wilderness with Jesus, allow ourselves to be tempted, and pray for the grace to overcome the weaknesses which beset us and cause conflict in our lives. We pray for healing for all of us, that we might come to know the Lord’s loving mercy and compassion in our lives. Read more.

Well, this was quite a week. It has been a long time since we had this much snow. While it is beautiful as it falls, it is certainly a challenge to clean-up (and for us, rather expensive). Unlike the “good old days” – and by that, I mean prior to 2019 – the students in our school did not get to enjoy any snow days as the virtual learning capability means that school can remain “open” even under the worst conditions. We did celebrate Catholic Schools Week, with a great line-up of on-line presenters. Each day the students had a chance to interact with people connected to our school. Unfortunately, many of the other formative and faith-filled aspects of CSW were sacrificed due to the virtual week.

We have just about reached the astronomical mid-point of winter. Tuesday, February 2nd might be famous around these parts as Groundhog Day, but here we will celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This is the traditional end of the Christmas Season, forty days after Christmas. Read more.

I hope this finds everyone well. Yes, there is still much around us to be disconcerting, but grounded in our life of faith and the certainty that such a wonderful gift bestows upon us, we all walk in hope. No matter our feelings about the happenings in our country and throughout the world, we respond always first in prayer and gratitude. As we maintain attitudes of gratitude for the many blessings which have been bestowed upon us our eyes are opened to see the positive and not the negative, hope not despair, love not hate. Read more.

As we celebrate this weekend the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, we also observe the relatively new “Sunday of the Word of God”. By an initiative of Pope Francis two years ago, this day reminds us that we are indeed a “People of the Book” – that our history, our tradition, and the core of our faith is grounded in and through the Bible – the eternal Word of the Father. As a sure sign of hope in the midst of the uncertainty of the world around us, it was reported this past week that: ”a Catholic podcast featuring a priest reading and analyzing the Bible has been at the top of the Apple Podcast charts since January 2nd, ahead of secular podcasts produced by such organizations as The New York Times, NBC News, and NPR. ‘The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz),’ produced by Ascension Catholic Faith Formation, part of Ascension Press, features episodes containing two to three scriptural readings, a reflection on those readings by Fr. Mike Schmitz, and a prayer. Each episode is about 15 to 25 minutes long, and a new episode is set to be released each day of 2021.” Read more.

Today, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, marks the end of the Christmas Season on our liturgical calendar. Now begins the short, yet important preparation for the coming Lenten Season, which begins on Ash Wednesday (February 17th). Given the pandemic restrictions we do not yet know what Ash Wednesday will look like, but I am sure that it will be much different than times past. Read more.

Hopefully, we all had a safe, healthy, and reasonably enjoyable Holy/holiday season. It was surreal in many ways, for sure. I am sure it’s not a stretch to say that I hope and pray that 2021 will be a much better year for all of us. With the hope and promise of a vaccine being available for most of us by this spring, the end seems around the corner. I hope that the letter in the bulletin a few weeks ago outlining the moral implications of the vaccine will have allayed any fears or doubts about receiving the vaccine. I am sure by the time that I am eligible to get it I will be in line. I cannot say that I don’t get a bit concerned each time that either Father JM or I have to go to the hospital, a long-term health care facility, or even a parishioner’s home. Read more.

Due to publishing deadlines, I am forced to write this letter even before the Fourth Sunday of Advent, so I cannot honestly report just how things went during the celebration of Christmas. Father JM and I pray fervently that indeed it went well, and I sincerely hope that such will be the case when I pen my next missive for the bulletin. Read more.

¡Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noël! Frohe Weihnachten! Buon Natale! Wesołych Świąt! Veselé Vánoce! Maligayang Pasko! Jwaye Nwèl! Nollaig Shona! ... no matter how you say it with your family and friends ... Merry Christmas! Read more.

Advent seems to have flown by – I guess it always does. As we prepare for the celebration of Christmas this week (Friday, as if anyone needs reminding) there are a few important reminders and appeals from our end. Read more.

This week two important liturgical events occur. Once is deeply ingrained in the Liturgical cycle and goes unnoticed by most of us each year. The other is the beginning of the Simbang Gabi celebration, the unique Filipino pre-Christmas novena of Masses that we are pleased and happy to host this year.

It’s beginning to look a bit like Christmas. We celebrated the blessing and lighting of our tree on Friday night, providing light in the midst of darkness. I don’t know if it’s just me but I feel like more and more people have decorated already and that the Christmas cheer is beginning to break through the noise of all that is going on around us. Read more.

We mark the passing of seasons and of years through various milestones. While it remains 2020 in the Year of Our Lord, this weekend the church begins a new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent. This means on a practical level that subtle changes occur within the Mass itself. Although it is subtle, the readings for the Masses shift to new cycles. We will be using the readings for Year 1 (of 2) for daily Masses. While the Gospel remains the same each year, the first reading changes. On Sundays and major feasts we move into Year B (of A-B-C) where the Gospel is generally from Saint Mark, though there are some includes of John’s Gospel as well. These annual shifts of the readings enable us to read through virtually the entire Bible in the course of three years. A good reminder and point of discussion when someone says to you that we are not a Bible-based church! Read more.

With Thanksgiving this week it is a good time to think of all the blessings which come into our lives each and every day. Even in the midst of a ten-month long global pandemic, political turmoil, and economic uncertainty, we are blessed beyond measure, and it is through our prayers of gratitude that we can begin to become aware of the great need before us as we pray for healing for all of us in spirit, mind, and body, as well as for healing and peace in our homes, our streets, throughout the nation and the world. For many of us this Thanksgiving will be different than in the past. Many are afraid to travel --- even across town – to be with family and friends. Whatever you do, or cannot do, do it with a spirit of gratitude and generosity. As Christians we are infused with hope, and hope is the constant and necessary remedy for fear. Read more.

With the number of Covid positive cases in our area increasing, it is good to know that the Governor has placed no further restrictions on gatherings, and that the church, under the direction of our bishop, is open and functioning. Thank you for observing all of the necessary protocols, even though it is not always easy to do so. We are also most grateful that the school is still able to be open, even with other schools closing around us. Prudence dictates that we remain careful and attentive, and indeed we are. Read more.

As it is Wednesday morning as I pen this missive the final results of the presidential election are as yet unsettled. I know this is leaving many people a bit on edge. Of course, by the time you read this we will have – hopefully – a settled election, and we can allow the pieces to fall in to place. Regardless of the outcome, with the two houses of Congress under control of different parties, the inertia will continue and the battle lines will continue to be a challenge. Let us continue our ardent prayers for peace. Read more.

Happy All Saints Day! Today we celebrate what we all – hopefully – aspire to be: saints among the saints in the halls of Heaven! Tomorrow we are reminded of what we also will be – poor souls in need of purgation and preparation in order to enter the halls of Heaven. Today we celebrate and tomorrow we pray fervently for the souls of the faithful departed. In keeping with our usual custom we will celebrate an evening Mass for the families of those who have been buried from our parish since last November 2nd, we will also be live-streaming that Mass Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. It is an opportunity to remember all of our beloved dead and to pray for them. Read more.

As we embark on the last week of October and the days grow ever shorter, we are increasingly aware that things aren’t getting better any time soon. Let us continue to be vigilant and prayerful during these most challenging of times. Remember to continue to pray the Rosary for our country as we lead-up to election day next week. Also, remember to vote and exercise your moral civic responsibility. Though perhaps voting via mail or drop-off is highly unusual, it certainly opens the window for all qualified citizens to cast their vote. Read more.