Pastoral Message

Easter Monday I was feeling a bit lethargic so I decided to go and get a foot massage. I don’t do this very often but my budget allowed for a $40 splurge, plus tip, so I “yelped” it, found a spot and went. At the well-reviewed massage place, a young dude named Joe began beating the stuffings out of me. I have found with this kind of body work, there is no gain without ample pain – and Joe made

Happy Easter! Christ is risen! Alleluia! Blessings and peace be with you. May Almighty God continue to bless, guide and grant us good health and strong faith in the risen Lord. As we are joyfully celebrating Easter, let us recall all the blessings that the Lord has bestowed on our families and us. We also remember Jesus' sacrifice and give thanks to Him for bringing salvation to the world. Today, I will share a story, which summarizes how much Jesus loves us. One day,

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus riding into Jerusalem to the cheers and adulation of onlookers. They are shouting, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” Until this moment, Jesus has resisted attempts to honor Him. Instead, He has worked tirelessly as a servant of all of the people of the region: teaching the curious, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, raising the dead, forgiving the sinners, and comforting the neglected. He opened His heart to every

Back in the day- around this time of year- I was preparing to become a Roman Catholic Christian. I was part of a group of candidates and catechumen who made up an RCIA class. For those who don’t know, RCIA is the acronym for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. Candidates are folks who are already baptized in another denomination of Christianity. Catechumen are unbaptized folks. So, I was a Candidate since I had already been baptized in the Baptist

Happy Laetare Sunday! The fourth Sunday of Lent is referred to as, “Laetare” Sunday. “Laetare” means “Rejoice” in Latin and “Joy” is the theme of today’s liturgy. Traditionally, the liturgical decorations and the priest’s vestment will be changed to a rose or a light-violet color to highlight the fact that Easter is drawing near. We observe our Lenten sacrifices of prayers, fasting and almsgiving, but is also a time for us to rejoice and celebrate even as we do penance. In

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” That’s great advice, but how do we know when we are hearing God’s voice. It’s probably not coming to us from a burning bush or from a cloud. It might come through our families, friends, neighbors, priests, or teachers. However, sometimes it comes to us unexpectedly from surprising sources. We’re happy to call any voice, “God’s voice” when it agrees with our own plan for our lives. The problem arises

Last Friday, I was driving thru a local fast-food place where, I guess, I am known. I didn’t know anybody working there knew me. I usually like to remain anonymous at the drive-thru. And I’m not sure exactly how I came to be known by the workers – maybe I had worn a roman collar once driving-thru, or maybe they had seen me at Mass? I’m not really sure. But the dude at the window said… “It’s a good thing

Happy Lenten season! Blessings and peace be with you. May our loving God continue to bless and guide us during this special penitential time of reflection and renewal. We began our Lenten Season on Ash Wednesday by receiving ashes to remind us to: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15) or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Receiving ashes signifies repentance as the prophets proclaimed in the scriptures: “I turned to the Lord

Our relationships, whether at the parish or at the school, are based on mutual respect and trust. The quickest way to erode that trust is to speak poorly about one another. That’s why I get frustrated when folks within our parish communicate negativity, discontent, and general unhappiness. I have been praying about how that situation might be addressed for the benefit of the parish as a whole. The Holy Spirit heard my prayer and gave me an amazing opportunity. It

As you’re reading these words, it’s the weekend of the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time on the Roman Church’s calendar. In today’s readings, we’re tracking through some fundamental stories to help form us as Christians. These readings appear to be simple, but they’re not easy. The 1st reading this Sunday tells the story of David being faithful and merciful in his complicated relationship with King Saul. Even though David is given what looks to be an opportunity to overcome an enemy