In the gospel reading for today, Jesus tells his disciples of his coming Passion, how he will be arrested, crucified, and then rise on the third day. The disciples did not offer a response. This was not the first time Jesus had spoken to them about his Passion. So, one might want to give them the …
If you haven’t already, take a look at today’s first reading (5th Week of Easter, Saturday), particularly the second part. The reading tells some of the events of Paul’s missionary journeys. Paul did not pick which towns he preached in. He would simply go on his way where the Spirit led him. The reading speaks …
On Friday, I will have been Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Ithaca for ten months. It has been a busy ten months. There are all the regular activities that go with a parish, a school, and two cemeteries. There is also the learning process that goes with me being the “new guy.” By learning, I …
When we use the word “Passion” with a capital “P” in the Church we are generally speaking of Jesus’ Passion that we just celebrated during Holy Week. Out of his passion for us, Jesus freely gives his life for us on the Cross so that we can be redeemed. We must never forget this. How …
This has been a busy week. There is a lot of preparation that goes with the celebration of the Triduum. There was also the Diocesan Day of Penance on Tuesday during which I spent 8 1/2 hours hearing confessions. So after Mass was over last night for Holy Thursday, I finally found some quiet time …
The headlines were glaring, “The Pope is Resigning.” I have to admit that when I say the headline yesterday morning I was shocked. I thought ‘what’s wrong?’ It turns out that nothing is wrong. Pope Benedict XVI is 85 years old. His health is declining and has decided in the best interest of the Church …
It’s almost here. Lent begins with our celebration of Ash Wednesday on February 13th this year and will go to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday (March 28th). When you hear the word “Lent” what do you think of? Ashes, abstaining from meat, giving up something, or fish? This can be the …
It has now been a little over seven months since I became the Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church. It has been a busy seven months. As I have written before we have a lot going on, ranging from our church with Sunday attendance over 700, a parish school, and two cemeteries. I’m the type of …
Yesterday I attended workshop in our diocese entitled “The Challenge of Catechesis Today” given by Bishop Frank Caggiano (Auxillary Bishop of Brooklyn). Last fall the New York State Catholic Bishops released a new document called “The Catechetical Leader in the Third Millennium.” I just want to share a couple of highlights with you. Catechesis is the education …
Our Parish Pastoral Council meeting this week included a discussion on what are signs of a vibrant parish. The list ranged from a line for Confessions to people feeling at home. Today, I would like to talk about feeling at home in church. I think a lot of people feel and/or act like guests in …
