From the Pastor’s Desk

Catholics throughout the world are invited to recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice by observing World Mission Sunday on October 18th.  Instituted for the whole Church by Pope Pius XI in 1926, it is traditionally celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday each October.

Today, let us join our brothers and sisters around the world who gather at the Lord’s Table to celebrate, with great joy, our common vocation as missionaries.  (Read more…)

From the Pastor’s Desk

Our parish volunteers consist of dedicated lay men and women who do so much for our parish and our parishioners.

Pope Francis clearly appreciates those who work in some capacity for the Church.  Our Holy Father said, “The mission of the Church in the world proceeds through the contribution of those who are part of it.”  He also commented that “some think that there are only priests, the bosses, and then there are workers.  (Read more…)

Sunday, October 4th, we celebrate Respect Life Sunday.  As Catholics, we are encouraged to promote the dignity of all human life from conception until natural death.  We are called to promote the Gospel of Life, and protect and cherish the lives of the elderly, the physically and mentally challenged, and the unborn.  We should never forget that God is the Creator of all life, and all life is precious in His sight.

Pope Francis strongly criticized a “throwaway culture” that places too little value on human life. (Read more…)

Our election season is upon us, and Catholics are urged to embrace the opportunity to vote.  Pope Francis has addressed the issue of voting.  He stated, “We need to participate for the common good.  Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is not interested in politics.  This is not true:  good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern.”

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued and updated a document called, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”  (Read more…)

The drunken oath of a king with a shallow sense of honor, a seductive dance and the hateful heart of a queen combined to bring about the martyrdom of John the Baptist.  The greatest of prophets suffered the fate of so many Old Testament prophets before him: rejection and martyrdom. The “voice crying in the desert” did not hesitate to accuse the guilty, did not hesitate to speak the truth.  But why?  What possesses a man that he would give up his very life? (Read more…)

Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1954.  But Mary’s Queenship has roots in Scripture.  At the Annunciation, Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever.  At the Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary “mother of my Lord.”  As in all the mysteries of Mary’s life, she is closely associated with Jesus: Her Queenship is a share in Jesus’ kingship.  We can also recall that in the Old Testament the mother of the king has great influence in court. (Read more…)