Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Your Head or Your Heart? Which do you follow? In literature, movies, and everyday life, this question comes up. Regarding work, relationships, society, government, ethics, and just about everything. In any decision our head says one thing while our heart says another. By “head” we usually mean our logical intellectual side, and by “heart” we usually mean our emotional side. Think of Mr. Spock, the logical Vulcan from Star Trek versus Dr. McCoy, the one who isn’t afraid of sharing his more emotional outbursts.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Fr. Sal from Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church to talk on May 16 at 6pm at St. Paul’s. Change in Faith Formation schedule! In light of the ongoing struggle in Ukraine, we have invited Fr. Sal, the pastor of Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church to come and speak about the hardships that priests and their families suffer in Fr’s home country. I will reschedule my talk for a different time. His talk will be in the church during a time of prayer, which will include adoration and solemn benediction.

Gianna Miller made her first Holy Communion on Saturday May 7, 2022 at the 4:30 Mass. May your love of Christ grow as you enter this new journey in your faith life. 

April 30, 2022 Susan professed her faith, received her Confirmation, and first Holy Communion. We welcome her into full communion with the church. May Christ's light be with you and continue to shine through you!

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Easter Season Continues! Just as our Lord stayed with His disciples for forty days until His Ascension, so we meditate during this time on the truth of the Resurrection in our lives. How are we living and witnessing to that truth, the truth on which the whole world is now hinged, whether the world knows it or not. People often speak of being on the “right side of history.” Well history is centered on the person of Christ and His victory over death. That’s the side we want to be on.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Easter Season Continues! Just as our Lord stayed with His disciples for forty days until His Ascension, so we meditate during this time on the truth of the Resurrection in our lives. How are we living and witnessing to that truth, the truth on which the whole world is now hinged, whether the world knows it or not. People often speak of being on the “right side of history.” Well history is centered on the person of Christ and His victory over death. That’s the side we want to be on.

Faith Formation Returns in May - 1st and 3rd Monday Nights We are just getting back into a more formal and scheduled Adult Faith Formation. So, we will try 1st and 3rd Monday nights from 6-7pm. Faith Formation sessions will be in the church and include at least some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This month’s topics: May 2 - Near or Far?: The Transcendence and Immanence of God in the Liturgy. May 16 - What about Virtue? Being Christian amidst the Enlightened and Woke. The Formation sessions will also be recorded and posted on our website for those unable to attend in person

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Happy Divine Mercy Sunday! We began praying the Divine Mercy Novena on Good Friday and it concludes today, the Second Sunday of Easter. Following all the Masses this weekend will be a brief time of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, including the praying of the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Happy Easter! Happy Day of Resurrection!! Rejoice in the Lord Who fulfills His promises and Whose love is overflowing even conquering death! I pray Lent was a grace filled time for you and that you made time to enter into the holy time of this past week. Now we begin to celebrate in a new way for now we focus on how the Lord is risen, not just was risen, but IS risen and continues to share with us the new life of God’s grace.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Entering Holy Week We now enter into the holiest week of the year. Hopefully we have persevered through Lent and we have grown in our trust of the Lord. Perhaps we feel that we have failed miserably. Even so rejoice for the Lord is merciful. There is still time this week to renew your commitment - God can do a lot even in a short time. All of our penance and prayer and fasting is meant to lead us to deeper trust. Ever more reliance on God’s grace is what leads us to holiness.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Entering Passiontide This week we enter traditional Passiontide. It is at this time that crosses, images, and statues are covered in the Church. This practice comes from our tradition of proclaiming John’s Gospel when Jesus, conversing with the Jews in the Temple and challenging them to know He is the Messiah, “hid himself and went out from the temple.” Thus we “hide” the images to help us prepare for Palm Sunday and Holy Week.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Happy Laetare Sunday! Rejoice! We have reached the halfway point of Lent! You will notice the rose-colored vestments at Mass. Also, in Lent the church requires less use of the organ with our singing at Mass, but today more (but still moderate) use of the organ is allowed. Today teaches us that even in the midst of the desert there is an oasis. As we journey with our Lord for forty days, He gives us consolations to carry on toward the goal of Easter, toward our ultimate goal of Heaven.

If you were unable to attend one of the sessions for the Synod on Synodality, you are in luck. There will be final sessions held in the PAC on Saturday, March 26th, after the 4:30 Mass, Sunday, March 27th after the 11:30 Mass, and Tuesday, March 29th at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend so we can get your thoughts and feelings about anything regarding the Catholic Church. Please join us!

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, How’s your Lent Going? Hopefully we are all learning to trust in the Lord more. Keep persevering through the desert. It is the perseverance, even through failure and struggle, that helps us trust - that gives God more of an opening to work his grace in us. Remember too that Lent leads us to deeper charity. How about spiritual and corporal works of mercy? Let’s make sure those are on our list too as we journey together through this holy season.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, How’s your Lent Going? Hopefully we are all learning to trust in the Lord more. Keep persevering through the desert. It is the perseverance, even through failure and struggle, that helps us trust - that gives God more of an opening to work his grace in us. Remember too that Lent leads us to deeper charity. How about spiritual and corporal works of mercy? Let’s make sure those are on our list too as we journey together through this holy season.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, New Process for Distribution of Holy Communion - Trial Period We are experimenting with this for Lent. Again, this is a trial period. As people come to receive Communion, I notice that sometimes people seemed rushed, not because of an inattentive disposition, but simply the practical matter of going up in a line. There is a person in front and behind which naturally “pushes one through the motions.” Some people prefer to kneel as well. This too can feel a little rushed. Also, there are some who find it difficult physically to walk and receive unhurried (perhaps having a cane or walker or carrying a child). Receiving Holy Communion is a privileged encounter with the Lord so we want to make sure people can be prepared and comfortable.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Ash Wednesday and Lent The beautiful penitential season of Lent begins this Wednesday. Take these last few days of preparation to discern well how you can open your heart to more graces through the practices of this holy season. Remember the focus of our penances is to help us prioritize rightly service of God and neighbor. The discipline trains us so we can love better. This can be a time also of reparation as well as reconciliation with God and others. It is like a six-week long retreat for the whole church.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Synod on Synodality: Communion, Participation, Mission We continue our discussion as we prepare for the Synodal Listening Session to be held at St. Paul’s. Specific dates are listed at bottom of this column. One may ask why all this preparation time? Well, I want people to know what it is we are trying to accomplish in the sessions. Because of its potential spiritual fruit, it deserves proper preparation rather than throwing it all at everyone at the meeting itself. Plus, proper preparation means the meetings will be more gracefully efficient in order to respect everyone’s time.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Synod on Synodality: Communion, Participation, Mission We continue our discussion as we prepare for the Synodal Listening Session to be held at St. Paul’s. Specific dates are forthcoming but will be in the month of March. One may ask why all this preparation time? Well, I want people to know what it is we are trying to accomplish in the sessions. Because of its potential spiritual fruit, it deserves proper preparation rather than throwing it all at everyone at the meeting itself. Plus, proper preparation means the meetings will be more gracefully efficient in order to respect everyone’s time.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Don’t forget to keep praying that St. Paul Novena! Even though I am out of town, I am praying it with you! Synod on Synodality: Communion, Participation, Mission We continue our discussion as we prepare for the Synodal Listening Session to be held at St. Paul. Dates are forthcoming but will be later February and into March. One may ask why all this preparation time? Well, I want people to know what it is we are trying to accomplish in the sessions.