“Lord, this is the people that longs to see our face.” This is the responsorial verse for today’s readings. Today we celebrate the feast of All Saints. Throughout the year, there are countless saints who are honored with a feast day. There are many people who have never been declared a saint but are, in …
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This morning I joined our parish school children for morning prayers. Today was ‘wear your favorite team’s shirt day.” There certainly were a variety of shirts. Even the principal had his “team” shirt on. Of course, they were all sports teams. Before joining the children for prayers, I stopped in the school office where the …
The last couple of days have been busy days for me; nothing unusual there. In these busy times I have been blessed with some moments of knowing that I was where I was supposed to be. Yesterday, I said Mass at the Homestead Nursing facility for 18 or 20 residents, a couple of staff, and …
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Today (October 19th) we celebrate the memorial of St. Isaac Jogues, St. John De Brebeuf, and their companions. They are the first North American Martyrs to be officially recognized by the Church. They are part of our heritage as American Catholics. They were part of a group of French Jesuits who came to Quebec in …
Why am I am priest? Is it worth it? Let me begin by assuring you I am happy as a priest. Sometimes it seems difficult but there are also moments of joy. For example, I think back a couple of weeks ago when I was doing the Sunday morning Mass and there was a Baptism …
Our NYS Catholic Conference of Bishops have just issued a statement, Our Cherished Right, Our Solemn Duty, reminding us of our duty to vote. Yes, we hold separation of church and state as an important principle. We, as Catholics, also firmly believe in the duty of each individual to stand up for what we believe in. …
Atour Presbyteral Council meeting today, we had a discussion on how to connect to young adults in our ministry. Each generation has its own way of looking at things. I ask you “What does the word church mean to you?” Do you think of the “building” where you attend Mass? Do you think of the …
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I wrote the following for the parish bulletin this weekend. On Monday, we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. His father was a very well-to-do merchant who wished his son would go into the family business. Everyone liked Francis because he was always happy. He sought glory by becoming a soldier. He was …
The title of this article is “Educating Our Children.” I was going to call it “Educating the Children” because, as a celibate priest, I do not have children of my own. But as I thought about it, I realized that I feel a sense of responsibility for “the” children. The Church declares that the parents …
This week my diocese began its annual appeal known as the Catholic Ministries Appeal. Obviously, the goal of the appeal is to raise money to pay for the “work” of our diocese. However, the appeal is not about money. It’s about ministry and mission. Whenever we hear about any charitable organization doing an appeal or …
