It seems difficult to believe, but this Wednesday is September 1. With September we find Labor Day, the traditional end of Summer, and for many this means back to school. With the end of summer, we usually return to schedules and a routine. I would like to suggest that we take the time to look at our schedules in respect to our prayer and spiritual life. Schedule time to pray each day and take time with the Scriptures; perhaps pray the Rosary. Pray before meals as a family and with children before their bedtime. Revisit your family schedule about Mass attendance and the sacrament of Confession. As we all get back to a schedule in the midst of our busy lives, please let us not forget to give God quality time in our lives and the lives of our families.
God Bless,
Fr. Dan

THE JOY AND BEAUTY OF INNOCENCE
This past week in my homily, I reflected on the line from “Brother Sun Sister Moon”. In our preoccupation with original sin, we too often forget original innocence. We believe in our faith that Jesus Christ has restored the innocence that was lost by sin. Sin is the destruction of relationships: relationships between us and God, between each other, us and the natural order and us from our most authentic selves in God’s Divine Image and Likeness. Jesus is the way back to that innocence.
I believe we get a glimpse of this innocence in small children. Jesus teaches in the Beatitudes Mt. 5:8 “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God” and again in Mt. 18:10 (when speaking of children) “… their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” If only we could all become again like little children in our relationship with our God and Father.
I would like to share two particular examples of this innocence. Years ago when a new altar server was serving for the first time (he was not yet tall enough for his feet to reach the floor when he was sitting, so naturally he was swinging his feet) when I sat down next to him after the homily, he looked at me and said: “You mean to tell me Jesus is God! You learn something new each day.”
Another time a young child was being shown the manger at Christmas time and he asked: “Father you have Jesus here and we have Jesus at home, where is the real Jesus?” I told him that Jesus was in Church and in his heart. He put his hands on his hips and said: “Good night Jesus, wherever you are.”
One more example, a young child asked me where I lived and I pointed out the Rectory. His sister then said she knew Jesus was here because of the statue. I told them about the Sanctuary Candle and then took them up front and opened the Tabernacle so they could see where Jesus was. The four year old then asked: “How does Jesus get groceries?” (Very real, honest and practical) I told him that He sends one of His angels for them. The boy was happy with and agreed with my answer.
God bless and remember: Unless we become like little children, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
-Fr. Dan

Last Sunday I had the great honor, and very moving experience of being at the first Mass of one of our newly Ordained Priests:  Rev. Dennis Walker.  I taught Dennis at Bishop Ludden and still remember him as a student in my class.  It was fitting that his first Mass was on the feast of Corpus Christi.  As Deacon John reminded us in his excellent homily about the Eucharist, the Eucharist is truly the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ (we refer to this Dogma as the Real Presence).  The Eucharist is the heart and soul of who we are as Catholics.  It connects us with our past, gives meaning to our present and moves us into the future.  Without the Eucharist  we have no Catholic Church.  I was reminded of this again at  Fr.. Dennis’ first Mass because without priests there simply is no Eucharist and no Catholic Church.  This year (and especially this week here at St. Francis Xavier) our Church has been praying for vocations.  While all vocations are necessary for the spiritual life and health of the Church:  deacons, consecrated men and women, married couples and lay ministers; the priesthood is necessary for the gift of the Eucharist.  Please continue to pray for ALL vocations and make a special prayer for more men to answer the call of the Holy Spirit to priesthood.

God bless you and please pray for me.

-Fr. Dan

Now more than ever we need the laity to respond to their baptismal call to share the Gospel in the world and assist pastors in meeting the needs of our parishes. In order to fulfill this role, lay ministers must know their faith. Formation for Ministry helps those in ministry grow in knowledge of their Catholic faith, develop skills for ministry, grow in confidence to share their faith, and grow in relationship with the Lord.  Formation for Ministry also serves as a prerequisite for the permanent diaconate. Please consider who you know who might be discerning a call to lay ministry formation or the diaconate and invite them to consider Formation for Ministry.

Applications for the fall term are currently being accepted. Download an application from our website formationforministrysyr.org or contact the office directly at 315-470-1491.  

Interested individuals should attend one of our upcoming information sessions. Our next session is scheduled for Sunday, April 18, at Holy Trinity in Utica.  

Dear Parish Family,
When you take the time to really pray about and contemplate the reality of Easter, it is truly remarkable and miraculous. Jesus had died nailed to the cross, pierced with the lance, in the tomb for three days and now on the morning of the third day the tomb is empty! Early in the morning of that first Easter there is confusion for Mary Magdalene and the other disciples. But then they saw and they believed; they saw the burial cloth in an empty tomb. They saw the stone removed from the tomb. They believed that God had done what Jesus said he would; raised Him up on the last day. Easter and the resurrection of Jesus in the beginning of the restoration of creation to its original plan of God. God’s plan never included sin and death, both of which are a result of sin. Jesus makes all things new: the possibility for those who believe in Him and accept the truth of the Gospel to be returned by Baptism to the original state of justice and innocence destroyed by Original Sin. The proclamation of Jesus Christ risen is truly the Good News that we still proclaim!
As we proclaim at Mass of Jesus: “By dying you destroyed our death and by rising you restored our life.”
Have a Happy and blessed Easter.
Fr. Dan

Resurrexit Sicut Dixit: 

He is Risen as He said He would

Dear Parish Family,

The Sacred Triduum (Holy, Thursday and Easter) is the most sacred and holy point of our Church year.  They are really three continuous celebrations that begin with the sign of the Cross at the beginning of Mass on Holy Thursday and end with the final Alleluia on Easter. On Holy Thursday we commemorate the Institution of the Holy Eucharist, through which Jesus continues to be truly present to us until the end of time and the institution of the Sacramental Priesthood.  On Good Friday, we solemnly remember Jesus’ Passion and death and on Easter we proclaim loudly and clearly that Jesus is Risen. Easter is the vindication of all that Jesus said and did and our assurance that truly He is the Son of God and that if we truly believe in Him and accept the truth of His Gospel we too shall inherit Eternal Life in His (and our) Father’s Kingdom. What great love our God has for us, giving up His only Son in atonement for our sins.  What an honor He has given to us that we may be restored to original grace and justice.

Jesus Christ is truly Risen and we are offered forgiveness, salvation and Eternal Life.

God Bless and Happy Easter.  Fr. Dan

Dear St. Francis Parish Family,

As I was thinking and praying about his Lent; I was struck when I remembered that last year Lent came to an abrupt end.  After the Second Sunday of Lent everything stopped;  we had no public Mass, we had no Stations of the Cross or Benediction, we were not even able to give out Psalms or celebrate the Sacred Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter) with a congregation; even the rites for the RCIA were put on hold.  This year, although things will be different; we will have Lent.  We already celebrated Ash Wednesday, Stations will be, but without walking around the Church with Benediction after; there will be a “Light is on For Your Confession” on March 29, Palms will be given out (at least as of today) we do have a RCIA candidate who will go through the various rites at weekend Mass, and we will, praise God, be able to celebrate the Sacred Triduum.  Although many things are different, the essence of Lent remains the same.

Lent is that time for us to examine ourselves under the light of God’s grace and renew our relationship with God and His people. The traditional Lenten practices are still very helpful.

Prayer:  time to reconnect with God.  Perhaps you and your family could make a conscious effort to pray together before meals, come to the Stations together, attend one week day Mass as a family; to paraphrase Pope Francis:  put down the phone or table, turn off the television and open a Bible.

Fasting:  a great way to remind ourselves that everything we have, are and hope to be are directly or indirectly gifts form our God; to rekindle our spiritual hunger for God and the things of God.

Almsgiving:  reminds us that we are called to be compassionate and generous to those who have less than we, and are in need for the basics of life. It can also help us to understand that the Church is more than our parish or Diocese; we belong the a Universal Church, that is the meaning of the word “Catholic”.

God Bless you; and may we all have a prayerful, spiritually fulfilling Lent so that we can celebrate the glory of Easter with our hearts, minds and souls renewed.

Fr. Dan

I am writing this so that any confusion may be cleared up. As many of you know, as a language teacher I find it very important to use words correctly, and to paraphrase St. Pope John- Paul II: we must call things what they actually are. There is a euphemism that is used in our culture; “reproductive rights”. While that sound perfectly plausible, many of the concepts to which it refers are directly opposed to our Catholic Moral teaching. One of which is abortion. Included in this week’s bulletin as a hand out and posted on our social media platforms you will find the excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church as what the Catholic Church teaches about abortion.

click here for the hand out

As 2020 finally has come to an end, and we begin a New Year, I thought that it might be good to reflect on what was and look forward to what might be. Yes, 2020 was very difficult and we are all happy to see it behind us; but hopefully, we did learn some things from the experience:  the value of time spent with loved ones, to refocus on those things that are truly important, how to appreciate our health and value the gifts God has given to us. As we look forward to 2021, Pope Francis offers to St. Joseph for the new year. We have no recorded words that St. Joseph said, Matthew’s Gospel describes him as a righteous man, one who was obedient to the will of God God the Father entrusted to St. Joseph’s care His most precious gift, His only begotten Son, Jesus and His mother, the Virgin Mary. St. Joseph cared for them, protected them and provided for them. St. Joseph is the patron of the Universal Church and a model for all who quietly strive to know and do the will of God.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
God Bless, Fr. Dan

This year many things are different about how we celebrate Christmas.  Family gatherings are smaller if we can gather at all.  People Still need to greet one another wearing a mask and keeping social distancing.  Even in Church our numbers are limited, sign up for Masses are required, the use of hand sanitizers and practicing social distancing in our pews; even the way we receive the Eucharist is very different. Yet, the message of Christmas does not change:  our God is with us, choosing to become like us in all things but sin.  Born of the Virgin Mary, the Lord Jesus entered human history to save us and set us free from the age old tyranny of sin and death. In the words of John’s Gospel 3: 16 “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son into the world, not to judge or condemn, but to set it free.”  With great faith, hope and love we proclaim:  Merry Christmas!