Consider This… Weekly Thoughts from Our Pastor and Parochial Vicars

Why is October the month of the Rosary you ask?  In the year 1571AD, Europe was under the threat of invasion from the Ottoman Empire.  More than a stately affair, in those days Europe was then known as Christendom in which the Christian faith could grow and thrive,...

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend an evangelization conference in Chicago. The conference focused on a program called Alpha. As I learned more about this evangelization program one of the things that struck me was that by sharing faith, we increase our...

When it was time to go to Church, as kids we were told, “we are going into God’s house.”  It meant that we were about to enter into a sacred time and a sacred place to encounter God.  Of course, we can meet God in many places: our office, our kitchen, in creation, but...

As I return to St. Mary’s, I thought it would be important to share with you the work that has been taking place with the Renewal. As you are aware, our Diocese is in the midst of the ‘Road to Renewal.’ The Renewal is about bringing our Diocese into the modern times...

It has been 21 years to the day in which occurred the tragic events of 9/11.  Imprinted upon many of our minds is where we were and what we were doing when everything happened on that horrible day.  More importantly, we remember the thousands who perished and the...

It’s Labor Day weekend! Where has the time gone? As I write this column teachers are on campus for start of the year training, faith formation workshops are going strong, organizations and their meeting schedules are cranking into high gear and I just approved a...

Only those who are humble can receive the gifts of God.  This is because either we are too proud to accept them or we do not know how to receive them without having to feel like it is necessary to return the favor as a sort of transaction.  In order to receive gifts...

Disciples are Different For these past few months in our homilies, organizations, outreach and more, we have been focusing on the fact that we are disciples of Jesus Christ here at St. Mary’s.  As we move closer to the 175th anniversary of our parish’s       ...

According to The Roman Pontifical’s “Dedication of a Church and An Altar” (1989), “Every church to be dedicated must have a titular” and “This may be: The Blessed Trinity; our Lord Jesus Christ invoked according to a mystery of his life, or a title already accepted in...

After a couple of years because of Covid, it is good that Fr. Sleeva is back staying with us for the summer.  We were talking of when he was first invited here by the-then-pastor Fr. Vince Becker and it has to be 35+ years of making his way to St. Mary’s each year.  ...

On a weekend in which Jesus enjoins us to be on guard against all greed, it is perhaps surprising that I begin this column by examining the 1987 movie Wall Street, in which Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko gave an insightful speech where he said, “Greed, for lack of a...

Welcome to all those who are joining us this weekend for our annual St. Mary’s Parish Picnic. Please know that you are always welcome here and that your support is greatly appreciated. To all who are volunteering, thank you! We couldn’t do it without you! As we gather...