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…)

We might have thought that before God created the angels and before he created the people on this planet, He must have been alone out there somewhere.  But when God sent His Son to save us, we learned that God was never alone.  He was always a family, a sharing community of three – Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The three Persons in God are so united in love and submission to one another that the three act as one, always in perfect harmony.  (Read more…)

This Sunday we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. On this day, we see the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus to send the Holy Spirit upon his Apostles. And as we know, the Holy Spirit will transform the lives of these Apostles. These frightened men who abandoned Jesus at his Passion will be transformed into bold witnesses who clearly show that they not only understand the teaching of Jesus but also are willing to put his teaching into practice. (Read more…)

Today, May 29th, we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, commemorating that day when Jesus was taken up to heaven, to the glory of his Father – 40 days after he rose from the dead and 10 days before the Feast of the Pentecost.  What is so significant or important about this feast?

Once, I was asked, “If Jesus loves us and lives forever, why did he leave?” It’s an excellent question. If we consider the Ascension simply in terms of Jesus leaving us, then we might wonder why He did it. (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…)

On Wednesday, May 11th, thirty-one young people of our Parish Family celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation. It was an uplifting celebration not only for the Confirmandi and their families but also for us who received this sacrament many years ago.

A special thank you to Bishop Emeritus Bootkoski for presiding at the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Also a special thanks to Mrs. Sandra Kopka for facilitating the Confirmation program. I am very grateful for her work and selfless efforts to prepare these young people for the Sacrament of Confirmation over a series of weeks. (Read more…)