Tuesday, 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…)

A little boy is telling his grandma how “everything” is going wrong.  School, family problems, severe health problems, etc.  Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake.  She asks her grandson if he would like a snack, which of course he does.

“Here, have some cooking oil.”

“Yuck,” says the boy.

“How about a couple raw eggs?”

“Gross, Grandma!”

“Would you like some flour then?  Or maybe baking soda?”

“Grandma, those are all yucky.”

To which Grandma replies: “Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves.  (Read more…)

Thursday we will celebrate the Fourth of July, Independence Day. 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…)

Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.  All the things you collected, whether treasure or baubles, will pass to someone else. There will be no more surprises, no minutes, hours or days. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel into irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.  (Read more…)

Today we celebrate Father’s Day remembering fathers in a special way. As we know, Pope Francis has placed great emphasis and focus on fatherhood, reminding us that 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, 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…)

When I’m standing up there at the altar, I sometimes wish I could take a time-out and explain what I am doing or why I am doing it, because so much of what we do has long forgotten origins.

One example would be kissing or “reverencing” the altar. I’m kissing the “altar,” which has crosses cut into its corners and a silver dollar sized circle that covers a few bone splinters taken from the catacombs of Rome, a reminder of our ancient roots and the blood of the martyrs. (Read more…)