Lent is upon us… and that means that the Spirit of God is upon us! – inviting us to grow closer to Jesus and to our God, the Source of Life. At our Ash Wednesday services, I commented on the First Reading from the prophet Joel that calls the nation as whole to repentance and [...]
National Events The events in Minneapolis and the current immigration and deportation enforcement in our country have been much in our news, and in our minds and hearts… and in our prayers. Many Catholic church leaders have spoken out about these events, including our new Archbishop, Edward Weisenburger, whose letter to the editor was published [...]
PASTOR’S PEN 7/03/2025 July’s Appeal It’s July! – an appealing time for the outdoors, vacations, and… our annual Appeal. Its name, the “G.I.V.E. Appeal,” reflects the spirit of our parish life: Gather, Inspire, Volunteer, Envision. We had a great celebration of that parish spirit this past Sunday – many thanks once again to all the [...]
Pray, Pray, Pray! When I first thought about today’s eNews article, all that came to my mind was “It’s Holy Week! – Pray, Pray, Pray”! (One “Pray” for each of the three sacred days: Holy Thursday of the Last Supper, Good Friday of the Passion, and Easter/Vigil of the Resurrection.) Then an email arrived yesterday [...]
The weather is not great today as I write this: it’s gray and drizzly… and besides, I’m “under” it! So this will be brief, but I have two reflections for Women’s History Month, at the intersection of women’s history and our Catholic faith. There are many great women saints of the past; it’s easy to [...]
THE POPE’S LETTER, THE BISHOPS’ LAWSUIT, AND US Lent begins in less than two weeks! We have a wonderful array of opportunities for you to participate in for your growth in the Lord Jesus under the headings of Spirituality, Sustainability, and Service. Watch for a special eNews that will come out just before Ash Wednesday [...]
MATTERS ON OUR MINDS AND HEARTS “Doom-scrolling.” At a recent meeting of the Ignatian leadership program, our young adults introduced me to this phrase, which names our current temptation to get sucked into minutes (or hours) mindlessly taking in bad news, stories of doom and gloom on our phones or devices. Take a break and [...]
Some parishioners have inquired about our response to the disastrous wildfires in the Los Angeles area that have destroyed Catholic and other churches, synagogues, schools, and of course thousands of people’s homes, neighborhoods, and businesses. We will be collecting funds here to send in the name of our whole parish for one month (from now [...]
Thankfulness and Hope In our last eNews just before Christmas, I wrote about HOPE and also made that the focus of my Christmas preaching. On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis launched the Jubilee Year 2025, a special year of prayer for the whole church, with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” Now that the whirl of the [...]
This is my opportunity to say “Merry Christmas” to all of you, and to pray blessings for you in the New Year. May this holy season renew in you the gift of hope. No matter how dark our world seems – literally at this time of year, and metaphorically – as disciples of Jesus we [...]