Thursday, August 6th, we celebrate the feast of The Transfiguration of the Lord. All three Synoptic Gospels tell the story of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 9:28-36). With remarkable agreement, all three place the event shortly after Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus’ first prediction of his passion and death. Peter’s eagerness to erect tents or booths on the spot suggests it occurred in the fall during the week-long Jewish Feast of Booths. (Read more…)

Today, we celebrate the Feast of Sts. Joachim Anne. Joachim and Anne were the parents of Jesus’ mother, Mary. We don’t know many details about their lives because they are never mentioned in the New Testament. Everything we know about them comes down through tradition — the stories people told about them.

We believe that they were respected members of the Jewish community and that they wanted to become parents so much that Joachim went into the desert to fast and pray that God would hear their prayer. (Read more…)

On Thursday, July 16th, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Hermits lived on Mount Carmel near the Fountain of Elijah in northern Israel in the 12th century. They had a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. By the 13th century they became known as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” They soon celebrated a special Mass and Office in honor of Mary. In 1726, it became a celebration of the universal Church under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. (Read more…)

I can’t believe it’s already July. Time is just going by so quickly. As we celebrate this weekend the birth of our nation, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. Holidays are special times when we can enjoy one another’s company in a relaxing setting. Whether we are home, at the beach, or in the mountains, we have an opportunity to slow down. So much goes by us so quickly. Pause. (Read more…)

Saturday, July 4th, we will celebrate our countries 250 year anniversary of our Independence. On this day, we call to mind the birth of our nation. As Catholics, we are called to truly cherish, in a very special way, the many freedoms we enjoy in this country, freedoms not available to many people in other parts of the world. Our bishops have called on us to reaffirm our commitment to appreciate and guard our freedoms, especially our right to religious liberty. (Read more…)

Today we celebrate Father’s Day remembering fathers in a special way. Being a father is a great privilege and also a great responsibility. Many of our parishioners are fathers, and they are challenged to set a good example for their children as they grow in wisdom and knowledge.

In one of his weekly addresses, on Father’s Day, late Pope Francis specifically addressed fathers, saying, “I ask that you have the grace to be very close to your children, letting them grow, but being by their side. (Read more…)