November 25, 2018 – Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
“Jesus is coming…
Look busy!”
Dear Friends,
So goes a refrigerator magnet a friend bought me, and that I laugh at every morning!
This feast of Christ the King does indeed remind us that at some point Christ is returning, in glory and in judgment. And it does remind us that we are called in our faith to truly live each day fully and in His image as if it were our last day, not in fear but in the incredible power of love to make the world the Kingdom Jesus started when he was here in the flesh.
It goes without saying, we miss so many opportunities to bring Christ’s presence into even the most ordinary circumstances. Preoccupations, worries, disagreements, all those seemingly important things that in hindsight weren’t that important at all, the tyrant ego that makes us the center of the universe, the insecurities that push us down—all these and more insulate us from the wonderful reality that our King loves us, and includes us in the dignifying and empowering work of self-sacrifice to make the world a better place!
Happy Feast Day! Look busy!
Sincerely, with the love and support of Fr. John and me, blessed to be your priests,
Fr. Tim
November 18, 2018 – Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Friends,
Fr Tim and I would like to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Please know of our gratitude for all that you are and do. Safe travels, and enjoy this time with family and friends.
Here is a prayer for the holiday:
Lord, we thank you
for the goodness of our people
and for the spirit of justice
that fills this nation.
We thank you for the beauty and fullness of the
land and the challenge of the cities.
We thank you for our work and our rest,
for one another, and for our homes.
We thank you, Lord:
accept our thanksgiving on this day.
We pray and give thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.
R: Amen
(from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers).
God Bless,
Fr John
November 11, 2018 – Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
This and That…
Dear Friends,
A number of things to plant in your heart this week-
+ Many thanks to all who shared in the listening sessions we held about the issue of Clergy Sexual Abuse. The process of addressing this terrible reality continues, and our staff and Fr. John and I will be discussing next steps that we as parishes will be offering as we all search for healing and work to make sure these atrocities never happen again.
+ The theme of healing is so important that two major events will be held this week that we encourage all to attend: Our parish mission, led by Jeanne Cotter will be held this Sunday until Tuesday, November 11-13. Its title says it all—By Your Love: A Healing Parish Mission. Please plan on attending. Schedule and info in this bulletin or online.
The second event is a wonderful chance to reflect on grief in the many ways we all experience it. Its title too says it all—Coping with Grief During the Holidays. It will be on this Friday, November 16. Again, please come for this awesome way to have faith help in the trials of life. Schedule and info in this bulletin or online.
+ I have noticed (and have been told!) that announcements at Mass are becoming a bit long. Fr. John and I and the staff will be working on a policy to deal with this. PLEASE take a bulletin or go online. There is so much happening in our wonderful family of 4 parishes; we don’t want you to miss even one opportunity for growth in your faith and service to your community.
+With the midterm elections over, we need to pray for unity and civility in this great country of ours. Please take more time to pray. I know I have, with special prayer to Mary, our national patroness, to intercede and help us to be the nation we are called to be.
+ Finally, we congratulate our dear friend and help-out, Fr. Mike Hammer, as he was presented with the Vatican II Award for Priestly Service, given by the Archbishop and the Archdiocese. Please drop him a note addressed to any of our 4 parishes to congratulate him! We are so proud of him and grateful for his faithful priestly ministry!
That’s it for now! Know of Fr. John’s and my gratitude and love as we all work together for God’s greater glory!
Fr. Tim
November 4, 2018 – Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,with all your mind, and with all your strength […] You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31)
Dear Friends in Christ,
Our hearts and prayers go out to all of the victims and their families of the shooting that took place at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday, October 27th. In his recent statement on the shooting, Archbishop Listecki asked that “we all strive to bring back the common humanity in ‘loving thy neighbor’ needed in our culture to eliminate violence as a response to religious differences. Understanding and accepting the differences between people politically, racially, and religiously is what God calls upon us to do at all times”.
This week the Church in the United States celebrates National Vocation Awareness Week. The word “vocation” comes from the Latin “vocare”, which means “to call”. Our Gospel reading today reminds us that we all have a common vocation, which is to love God and our neighbor. However, all of us are called in different ways to live out this common vocation to love by our particular vocations: as lay men and women, religious, consecrated single persons, deacons, or as priests. May all of us be strengthened in our respective vocations as we daily strive to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
On behalf of myself and Fr Tim, please know of our love, prayers, and gratitude for all that you are and do.
God Bless,
Fr John
