November 23, 2025 – The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Dear Sisters & Brothers,
This weekend, we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the last Sunday of this liturgical year. Next weekend, we will enter a new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent.
The gospel passage we hear today (Luke 22:35-43) does not present Christ in glory, seated upon a royal throne. Instead, it offers us the image of Christ our King, who reigns from the cross and who dies in weakness and seeming defeat. Seeing Jesus dying on the cross, the religious leaders mocked him as a failure.
St. Paul, in his letter to the Colossians (1:15-20), instructs his readers to look upon Jesus Christ, not with human eyes, but with eyes of faith. When we look upon Christ with eyes of faith, Paul says we will see what Jesus truly is: the image of the invisible God, the head of the body, the church, the firstborn of all creation. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the beginning, the firstborn of the dead. The fullness of God dwelt in him, and through him, God has made peace with all of creation and reconciled all things for Christ.
As we end this liturgical year, perhaps it is a good time to take stock of how we have grown or not grown in our relationship with Christ over the past year. We do not need to look for extraordinary growth; we only need to recognize and be grateful for the little steps we may have taken with the help of Christ himself. This will enable us to make one or two resolutions for the new liturgical year ahead. One or two resolutions worked on consistently are far better than many that are forgotten after a few weeks.
As we gather with friends and loved ones for Thanksgiving, let’s also remember to thank Christ for the reconciliation he has won for us and for his enduring presence in our lives.
On behalf of Fr. Tim, Fr. Silas, Fr. Ariel, and the entire pastoral staff of the Family of Five Parishes, I extend to you our wishes that you have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.
With my love,
Fr. Brian
November 16, 2025 – Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
“To live is to change, and to be
perfect is to have changed often.”
(St. John Henry Newman)
Dear Friends,
As we approach the end of the Church’s liturgical year, this quote seems so appropriate, with days shortening, leaves falling, temperatures dropping, and the hint of snow and frost in the air. And with the changes approaching our parishes these days, a spiritual reflection on the positive aspect of change seems appropriate!
Last weekend, the following was announced at all Masses of the Family of Five:
We would like to share an update with you regarding priest assignments.
As you all know, Family of Five is currently undergoing a few transitions, the biggest of them being the Cathedral becoming its own parish under the new Rector/Pastor, Fr. Edward Sanchez. Starting January 1, 2026, we will become the Family of Four Parishes again, under the continuing leadership of Fr. Tim Kitzke, our Pastor. With that, there are a few changes with our other priests.
Fr. Ariel Orozco has been assigned as Associate Pastor of Lumen Christi Parish in Mequon, effective January 1, 2026. His last day with the Family of Five is December 28, 2025.
Fr. Silas Henderson, SDS, who is a member of the Society of the Divine Savior, will be reassigned by his religious community next June, 2026, as part of his community’s own pastoral planning process.
Fr. Brian will remain as Associate Pastor of the Family of Four.
Please continue to pray for our beloved parishes in the structural changes, knowing that God is with us all as we strive to bring the mission of Jesus to our community. Our amazing staff will continue to help us as we navigate change, sustain growth, and move forward in ever increasing faith, hope and love!
Sincerely in Christ, with love,
Fr. Tim
November 9, 2025 – Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
The anniversary of the dedication of the Roman Basilica of St. John Lateran, which was built by the Emperor Constantine in the year 324, has been observed throughout the Catholic world on November 9 since the 12th century. Over the centuries this historic church has come to be honored as the “Mother and Head of all the churches in the City [of Rome] and the world.”
Originally dedicated to “The Most Holy Redeemer,” the church’s title later came to include the names of both St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. Because the Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome, and the principal church of the Holy Father, our celebrations of this anniversary of its dedication remind us that each local church is ultimately tied to the mother-church of Rome.
This feast reminds us that, as members of a local church, we should look beyond the limits of geography and culture and work to have a dynamic sense of the universality of the Church. As the sixth-century bishop Saint Caesarius of Arles wrote, “Although the universal Church of God is constituted of distinct orders of members, still, in spite of the many parts of its holy body, the Church subsists in an integral whole, just as the Apostle says, ‘We are all one in Christ,’ (Galatians 3:28) nor is anyone separated from the office of one another in such a way as to that the lower group has no connection to the head.”
In the Divine Savior,
Fr. Silas, SDS
November 2, 2025 – The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
Do Not Be Left Out of the Party!
November is a month of celebrations. In fact, did you know that the Roman Calendar celebrates a memorial or feast every day of November? Beginning with the feast of All Saints on November 1st, All Souls on the 2nd (those for whom we pray to be made saints), St. Martin de Porres on the 3rd, St. Charles Borromeo on the 4th, to name a few, makes November the most “festive month” of the year. Rome loves to party, does it not? And we should too, for celebrating is what we do best, and in fact, it is what we will do in heaven. And this will not be the kind of party that produces mere euphoria, a state of excitement that lasts but a moment. No, the heavenly festivities will be never-ending, increasingly joy-filled, and “partiers” or “celebrants” will be joining at every moment, producing thus an ever-greater degree of perfect happiness. Who would not want to go? Would you? Would I?
Heaven truly is a perpetual feast, the never-ending celebration of Christ’s triumph over evil. The saints are those who have already joined, for they are those who accepted Christ’s invitation to feast with Him. This reminds us of something worthy of consideration – will I be able to join the heavenly feast? Sadly, although we are all invited, not everyone will make it. Some, as Jesus tells us in Mt 22:1-14, “will ignore the invitation,” others will “excuse themselves,” and yet others will show up “without the proper garment.” As Jesus himself puts it, “many are called but few are chosen” (Mt 22:14).
Good news is, we are all invited to the heavenly feast. Let this month remind us of our highest calling—to be a saint. Take time to read briefly about each saint. If something about their life stands out, let it become your motivation. Take their lives as your model.
Lastly, as we anticipate the end of the liturgical year with the feast of Christ the King, let us call to mind the “Last Things,” that is, death, heaven and hell, and whether we are living a life oriented toward heaven. It is never too late, or too early for that matter, to start living as someone chosen for heaven, unless we want to be left out of the party.
