Why attend Mass?

Dear Parish Family,
One of the precepts of the Catholic Church is: “To assist at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.” To assist at Mass is more than simply showing up. Although attending is necessary; in fact to miss Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of obligation, without serious or sufficient reason, is a serious (Mortal Offense). Thera are indeed serious or sufficient reasons to miss Mass, BUT inconvenience, or scheduling conflict with a social or athletic event are NOT (our Mass schedule gives ample opportunity to attend Mass as does the schedule of Masses at neighboring parishes which are listed on the front of our bulletin. We should also, to the best of our abilities, assist at Mass. This means being actively engaged (the word ‘Liturgy’ means work of the people.) We should participate in the Mass responses, listen as the Word of God is proclaimed: not read along in our Missal or (God forbid) read them on our cell phone or other ‘smart’ device. The Missal was originally for Masses that were in Latin with the English printed so that the faithful could follow. Now that the Mass is in the vernacular (language of the people) there is no need to read as the Mass is progressing. The Mass is neither a ‘spectator’ sport, simply a means of entertainment, nor is it a private devotion. We should not be reading the bulletin during Mass nor saying the Rosary, nor any other private devotion during Mass. We should also SING: I know that Catholics are notorious for not singing, but the tradition handed down by various Saints is ‘He/She who sings prays twice.’ I know people say; “I don’t like to sing” or “I can’t sing”. Everyone who has a voice can sing: some more loudly than others, some more in tune than others. As our music ministry is greatly improved, there is a tendency to sit back and let the Cantor, Choir or Musicians provide the music. Their ministry is not to take the place of the musical participation of the faithful, but to encourage and enhance it. (While I am here, we are always looking for more young people and adults to join the choir, folk group, and musicians). If God gave you musical talent, then by all means consider using it for His greater honor and glory and the good of His people. At Mass we encounter the Risen Lord Jesus in the gathering of the People, His Mystical Body on earth; where two or three gather in My name I am with them; when the Word of God is proclaimed; and in the reception of our Euchatistic Lord, Jesus. We can receive countless spiritual and temporal blessings and graces when we participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

God Bless,

Fr. Dan

Summer Spirituality

Dear Parish Family,

With August fast approaching, we are in the middle of our summer. Summer brings with it time to rest, renew, and recharge our batteries.  Vacations, time for play and ententainment, all help us to refocus and re-align with family and friends.  With a change in our usual schedules during summer, it is important not to forget the necessity for us to stay connected to our spiritual lives.  Praying, as an individual and family is still important.  Celebrating the Sacraments; especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on weekends and Holy Days keeps us in touch with our God and His people. Confession is a wonderful Sacrament for revitalization and re-alignment of our spiritual lives. Daily Scripture and prayer are gifts that help us relax and focus.  Whatever our summer brings; and wherever our summer takes us, it is important to remember that we should not take a vacation from our spiritual lives and our relationship with God.

God Bless,

Fr. Dan

Saints Peter and Paul

Dear Parish Family,

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul that we celebrate this weekend is one of the very few festivals that, when it falls on a Sunday, is celebrated in place of the Ordinary weekend.  Although they were very different people, that are celebrated together because both spent the last parts of the lives proclaiming the Gospel and both were martyred.  St. Peter is called the Apostle to the Jews; he was a fisherman and one of the first called by Jesus to follow Him.  Peter was the man who argues with Jesus when Jesus tells His disciples of His impending death.  Peter denies Jesus three times on the night of Jesus’ arrest, and it is Peter who the Lord asks three times, after the Resurrection if he loves the Lord, and is commissioned with feeding the Lord’s sheep.  It is to Peter that the Keys of the Kingdom are given, and it is Peter who becomes the first Pope.  Paul never knew the Lord during His public ministry, in fact Peter was present at the stoning of Stephen and death of Stephen.  Paul, a devout Pharisee, and a Roman citizen, made it his business to persecute the followers of the Lord; in fact on his way to Damascus to continue the persecution, has an experience of the Ascended Lord and subsequently becomes a great follower and herald of the Gospel.  Paul, called the Apostle to the Gentiles, goes on many missionary journeys, suffers multiple hardships, beatings and shipwrecks for the sake of the Gospel and eventually is martyred in Rome.  Both Peter and Paul are examples of the great transformation the grace of God can make in a person’s life, and the joy, and hardship, that bearing witness to Christ.  Neither is daunted by the world’s persecution because both have experienced the gift of grace, the joy of the gospel and the promise of the Kingdom of God.

God Bless, Fr. Dan

The Mission continues

Dear Parish Family,
We have celebrated the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven and await the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. While we believe that Jesus will return in
glory at the end of time, in the interim it is up to us, His Church to continue the proclamation of the Good News of the Gospel. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are in the final chapter of Salvation that began at creation, continued through the People of Israel and is now ours. We hear the Lord’s impassioned plea that His People remain one in Him. Unfortunately this prayer has not yet come to fulfillment. Each of us has a role to play in proclaiming the Gospel by our lives and promoting unity among the People of God. We need to look for and embrace those things that unite us, while we do not diminish our differences, we should not focus on them. The Holy Spirit gives us the graces necessary to carry out this Mission; through prayer, the Word and Sacrament. How, then, do I, bare witness to the Lord Jesus Christ? How does my life evidence my faith, hope and trust in Him? How do I draw others, not to myself, but to Christ and Salvation? We are now Christ’s hands, feet and voice. Together we can make Him and His message of Hope and Redemption known.
God Bless,
Fr. Dan

Who is Pope Leo XIV?
Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, became the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church following his election on May 8, 2025. He is the first Augustinian and the second Pope from the Americas, after Pope Francis. Prior to his election, he served as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Early Life & Formation
Born in Chicago, Illinois on September 14, 1955 to Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martinez
Earned a degree in Mathematics and studied Philosophy at Villanova University (1977).
Entered the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977; made solemn vows in 1981.
Ordained a priest on June 19, 1982 in Rome.
Earned a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum).
Missionary & Pastoral Work
Served over a decade in Trujillo, Peru
Elected Provincial Prior (1999) and then Prior General of the Augustinians for two terms (2001-2013).
Episcopal Ministry
Appointed Apostolic Administrator of Chiclayo, Peru in 2014.
Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru (2015 – 2023).
Served in the Peruvian Episcopal Conference in leadership and advisory roles.
Service in the Universal Church
Appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023.
Created Cardinal in September 2024 by Pope Francis; assigned the Diaconate of Saint Monica.
Promoted to the Order of the Bishops with the title of Suburbicarian Church of Albano in February 2025.
“In the One Christ, we are one.” – St. Augustine

So it begins… It has begun…

Dear Parish Family,

This past week we commemorated and celebrated the last days of Jesus before His Resurrection.  For Palm Sunday through Holy Thursday and Good Friday, the Church proclaimed the mystery of God’s immersible love for us.  He gave us the gift of the Eucharist:  His very Body and Blood to be with us until the end of time and the Sacrament of Holy Orders to perpetuate the Eucharist.  He suffered and died for our Salvation and rose again on Easter for our justification and the gift of the restoration of our nature; a return to the original dignity of being created in the Divine image and likeness. The last words that Jesus spoke from the Cross were … “It is finished.”  Jesus had done all that the Father asked of Him for us.  With Jesus’ Resurrection, something new was begun.  New life, restored life, renewed faith and restored hope for all who acknowledge Jesus as Lord and God, and come to Him with an open, humble heart .  The anger of “Crucify Him” has turned into the new cry:  ‘Resurrexit sicut dixit’ (He has Risen as He said) and we respond:  “Alleluia!”

Happy Easter!

God Bless, Fr. Dan

Encountering God

Dear Parish Family,
Where do we encounter God? Certainly in the Eucharist: the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, in the proclamation of the Word and in the people gathered, the body of Christ. We also meet God in all of the Sacraments, in our private and communal prayer and in reading Sacred scripture. God also is found in the daily business of living, if we just look and listen with an open heart and soul. God can be found in music, both liturgical and secular, that lifts us up and brings delight. Certainly God can be found in the gathering of family and friends, enjoying life and laughter; in the sound of children playing, adolescents exploring new things and in the wisdom of the elderly. St. Bonaventure teaches us that God can be found in nature; in nature we see the (Vestigia Dei), the footprints of God: in the wonder of spring, the power of a storm, the spectacle of Autumn and the quiet peace of winter. God can also be found in adversity and struggle, even pain can give us a glimpse of God’s sacrificial love for us. Even sorrow at loss can bring us an experience of God. We feel sorrow at this loss because of love, and where there is love there is God. Look for God, be open to God, let God in at every moment and every experience. God knows us intimately as our Creator, and in the Incarnation of Jesus, God became like us in all things but sin; experiencing the fullness of what it means to be truly, authentically, human. God loves you!

God Bless, Fr. Dan

Lent: a Season of HOPE & JOY

Dear Parish Family,

Most people view Lent as a penitential season, which it is, but it is so much more! It is not just about ‘giving up something’ or ‘sacrificing something’, it is about growing in our honesty with ourselves and deepening our relationship with God and the Church.  As we move through this season we should be filled with a great joy and hope. Joy that our God offers to us: the gift of true freedom and unconditional love. Hope, that in Jesus our sins can be forgiven, and we can be restored to our Baptismal dignity of being a daughter or son of God.  When we are at Mass and the consecrated Host is elevated, the priest proclaims:  “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.  Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”  What a great gift, what a great joy, what inextinguishable hope. Look at and gaze upon the Eucharistic Lord, do not hide your face from Him or look down or away.  Jesus Christ is present and wants you to have a deeper relationship with Him. He wants you to experience that great joy and hope of His gift of sacrificial love for you. Certainly, you and I are not worthy to have Jesus come to us, no one is yet the Mass continues: “… but only say the word and my soul will be healed.”  What could be a greater joy?  What could fill the human heart and soul with greater hope.  Celebrate Lent, this great penitential season that ends with the victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death; a victory the He invites all of us to share.

God Bless, Fr. Dan

Church
Dear Parish Family,
While it is true that the celebration of the Eucharist is the summit and perfection of the Church and our worship; I was reminded last Saturday night at the St. Patrick’s/St. Joseph’s dinner of the many ways the Church is expressed. First, thank you to all who worked so hard to make the dinner a great success: for those who shopped, prepared and served to those who helped clean up. Thank you to all who came together to enjoy a good meal and a lot of fellowship: for the very young to the ‘not quite so young’, there was a true expression of the Church as the Body of Christ. The more we come together as a family: at our annual picnic, golf outing, Turkey Raffle, coffee and donut hours and the St. Patrick/St. Joseph’s dinner; we deepen our sense of community and enhance our prayer experience as we celebrate the greatest gift of Jesus: His Body and Blood.

God Bless, Fr.Dan

Spiritual Checkup

Dear Parish Family,

Most of us take time to get our annual physical; dental checkups and cleanings, and eye exams; I thought that this would be an appropriate time to focus on our Spiritual Life,with a Spiritual Check up.

Lent and Advent are the ‘usual’ times that we focus specifically on our Spiritual Lives, but when these are over, the passing of time and the business of life can get in the way of our prayer resolutions and time for our spiritual life.

Some questions for individual consideration:

Do I pray daily:  not just when I need or want something, or in a time of crisis, but do I take the time every day to praise God and thank Him for the many gifts and blessings He has given to me?

Do I regularly celebrate the Sacraments:  Mass every Sunday and Holy and regular Confession (If I can’t recall the last time I went to Confession, then it has been too long)

Do I use my gifts and talents to help the Parish Family and those less fortunate than I?

Some questions for families:

Do we, as a family, pray together?  Say grace before meals?  Do my children see me pray, or know that I do pray?

Do we make it a priority to go to Mass together, go to Confession together, pray together before the children, and when we go to bed for the night?

Come to Adoration and/or Benediction as a family?

Have we considered praying the Rosary together as a family?

Maybe read a passage of Scripture daily and discuss it as a family?

Talked together about Mass and the homily?

Some questions about our environment:

Would someone entering my house know that it is a Catholic household?

Do we have a Crucefix prominently displayed?

Pictures of the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart?

Statue of  our and our children’s patron saint?

Do we own and use a Catholic Bible?

These are just a few suggestions that I offer to help us, our families and our parish stay truly connected to our Catholic faith in the midst of so much turmoil, secularism and anti-religious bias.

God Bless, Fr. Dan