Pope Leo is observing the month of September as the Season of Care for Creation. This initiative, begun by Pope Francis, invites us as a Church to renew our commitment to creation through prayer, conversion, and concrete acts of care and stewardship. On September 1, the Holy Father celebrated a “Mass for the Care of Creation.” We, too, will celebrate this Mass throughout the month, on September 2, 19, 25, and 28 at the 8:00 AM Mass. All creation is a gift from God, and every

Thanks so much to everyone who made our annual parish picnic another great success last Sunday! We had over 500 people RSVP. Father Carlos led us in a beautiful Mass. A quick shower blew through to cool us off and everyone left well fed and happy! Living our Christian way of life is not easy. Dying to self and living for Christ and others requires sacrifice. It is the work of a lifetime. Yet it is also the only work that truly matters and the only life that ultimately sati

Today's Bible readings reveal beautiful truths about God while inviting us to examine the truth about ourselves. They deserve more than our admiration. They call us to respond. We give God glory not only through our prayers and praise but by offering Him our very lives. A life of grateful discipleship is our most fitting response to the God from whom all blessings flow. Today's Gospel from Saint Matthew invites us to examine whether our lives truly give God the glory He dese

Are you thirsty? Come! No money? Come, eat and drink! This is God speaking through the prophet Isaiah today. Who do you know needs to hear this message? God speaks to us. God feeds us and answers all of our needs. We are so rich - even if we are poor! Invite someone to join us! I had a chance to go back to my hometown, Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, last week and visit again. As I look back on growing up there I recall how we really did so much with so little. How rich

Our stewardship way of life could be described as our daily living in the Kingdom of Heaven. Today’s Bible readings recognize the Kingdom among us and order our lives towards it. We need wisdom like Solomon and Saint Paul to live the stewardship way of life because stewardship requires us to make choices every day about how we will use the gifts God has entrusted to us. When our priorities are aligned with God’s will rather than the values of the world, we can be confident a

Our Bible readings this Sunday are especially encouraging for us as good Christian stewards. So often, our efforts can seem small compared to the immense needs around us. The prayers we offer, the ministries we serve in, the sacrifices we make, and the gifts we share may appear insignificant in the moment. But Jesus assures us that God is at work in ways we cannot always see. He takes our small offerings and uses them to accomplish far more than we could imagine. What seems s

This week, I am at the “Confessor’s Institute” at the Villa Maria del Mar Retreat Center in Santa Cruz, California. This is an annual five-day summer program dedicated to the training of confessors with instruction in every aspect of the Sacrament of Penance as well as its effects on the lives of confessors, penitents and the Church’s entire sacramental life. Saint Patrick’s Seminary and University and the Avila Institute host this opportunity for ongoing priestly formation

Happy 250th Birthday to our United States! Thanks to all of our Founding Fathers and Mothers for the sacrifices they made in starting our nation! May we continue their legacy - learning from our mistakes — and growing in humility. That theme of humility is central to our Bible readings today. How fitting! Our God is a humble God, so if we wish to live as Christians, we too, must be humble. In fact, humility is key to our way of life, and to a peaceful and fulfilling life.

The word “hospitality” comes from the Latin word which means “guest,” and it also can mean “host.” Hospitality is both something a host does and a guest receives because you need two to make hospitality work. Just consider today’s First reading and the encounter between the prophet Elisha and the woman of Shunem. Consider, too, Jesus’ words about receiving each other and the promised rewards in the Gospel. I remember as a child my mother was an expert in hospitality because

Welcome to the first day of Summer and Happy Father’s Day to all of our Dads today! Thank you for all your prayers and presents celebrating my “Father’s” Day, 30th Anniversary as a Priest, last weekend! Next Sunday afternoon, we will celebrate Father Carlos’ “Father’s” Day, his 15th Anniversary as a Priest. My Dad died 17 years ago, but I will never forget the last words he said to me: “Stay strong!” That’s what Dads want for their children. They want to be the strong on

Our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner was this Saturday night, June 13! Thanks so much to everyone who gives their talent in service to the mission of Jesus here in our parish! We are grateful for each and every one of you, and we need each and every one of you! Special thanks to John and Amee Cave for their nine years of service as leaders of our OCIA team! The number of adults falling in love with Jesus and his Church are growing, both here and around the world! The

Artificial Intelligence has nothing on today’s Solemnity! Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ — a feast centered on the greatest gift we have received, the Holy Eucharist. After reading Pope Leo’s encyclical “Magnificent Humanity” ON SAFEGUARDING THE HUMAN PERSON IN THE TIME OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, I am convinced that we need the Body and Blood of Christ more than ever! As Christians we recognize that all we are and all we have com

Our Easter celebration reaches its fulfillment today as we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. Today, we focus on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and in our individual lives. As I mentioned at Mass last weekend, when I shift my eyes from the heavens to the mission of God around me, when I go out on a limb and dare to take the risk of being the disciple that God calls me to be, I am actively living in the kingdom of God here and now. That’s what Pent

A Happy and Loving Mother’s Day to all mothers, godmothers, grandmothers, in our lives! My Mom passed to eternal life 31 years ago, but I remember how she loved me. Mothers pass on something sacred, the knowledge that we are loved and that we are called to love. And through our actions, that love continues to move forward, touching lives we may never even realize. Remember the way your mom made your favorite meal, the way she asked you questions after you specifically told h

El domingo pasado, enviamos a 35 catecúmenos y candidatos de nuestra parroquia al obispo Golka para su Rito de Elección. Si Dios quiere, serán bautizados, confirmados y recibirán su primera comunión con nosotros esta Pascua. Por favor, recen por ellos durante este tiempo de purificación e iluminación. Inviten a otros a conocer y amar a Jesús como ustedes lo hacen. Esta es también la temporada en la que 80 de nuestros chicos y chicas mayores se preparan para el sacramento de l

Last Sunday, we sent 35 catechumens and candidates from our parish to Bishop Golka for their Rite of Election. God willing, they will be Baptized, Confirmed, and receive their first Holy Communion with us this Easter! Please pray for them during this season of purification and enlightenment. Please invite others to come to know and love Jesus like you do! This is also the season when 80 of our older boys and girls are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. They will

The Church considers every Friday and the season of Lent to be days and times of penance. The practice of penance is part of our Christian faith and life. When we do penance, we imitate Jesus, who himself recommended it as necessary for his followers and gave them the example of his prayer and fasting. The practices of Lent, as determined by our bishops in the United States, requires fasting to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The law of abstinence from eating me

Let us pray for Bishop Golka as the new Archbishop-designate for Denver. I was certainly surprised to here the news last weekend. I am sad to see Bishop Golka leave us. He will be installed in Denver on March 25. Let us pray for a new Bishop for our Diocese. That process can take up to a year. We began our Annual Diocesan Ministry Appeal last weekend. Thanks to your wonderful generosity, we are, once again, the NUMBER ONE parish in the Diocese! Number one out of 40 par

We begin our Annual Diocesan Ministry Appeal this weekend. Thanks to your wonderful generosity, we are, once again, the NUMBER ONE parish in the Diocese! Our goal is 234,080 dollars. I am confident we can make it! In our first Bible reading today, the prophet Isaiah delivers unmistakable instruction: “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own.” There is no room for hes

One Jubilee after another! —- Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a special Jubilee Year coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi! Our Holy Father has established that from January 10, 2026, until January 10, 2027, a special Year of Saint Francis is proclaimed, in which every Christian, "following the example of the Saint of Assisi, may become a model of holiness of life and a constant witness of peace." Noting previous jubilee celebrations relat