Dear Friends, Many of you have asked about the special priest convocation that I attended recently. It was a very good experience. Thank  you for your prayers; I believe God put them to good use. I know that it was a sacrifice to go with- out daily Masses during that week; God also put those sacrifices to good use. I’m afraid I’ll…

Dear Friends, Next Sunday, May 16, we will be celebrating First Communion at the 11:30 AM. Due to COVID restrictions, this Mass will be reserved for the families and friends of the first communicants only. Everyone else is invited to attend a different Mass or join us from home. Thank you for your understanding. Beginning Sunday, May 30, there will be a…

Dear Friends, As you may or may not be aware, there is a pump station on the parish property at the intersection of Hillview Drive and Peachy  road. Until recently, I thought this was for the church. It isn’t. It is actually a water pumping station for the City of Ashland. Why am I telling you this? It is because very soon…

Dear Friends, As was mentioned in last weekend’s announcements and also at the Easter Vigil Mass, I would like to invite altar servers to return to all of the Masses. This is a great way to grow closer to Jesus by more directly participating in the celebration of the Mass. Children must receive their first Communion before they can be altar servers…

Dear Friends, The Lenten and Easter seasons are periods when we focus on certain sacraments: baptism, confirmation, reconciliation and the Eucharist. One that unfortunately gets overlooked is anointing of the sick. I’ve spoken about this sacrament in a couple of homilies since I have been here, but it never hurts to review. For decades, perhaps centuries, people have associated this sacrament with…

PRAYER FOR DIVINE MERCY “O Greatly Merciful God, Infinite Goodness, today all mankind calls out from the abyss of its misery to Your mercy, to Your compassion, O  God; and it is with a mighty voice of misery that it cries out. Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of this earth’s exiles! O Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding, Who are acquainted…

Dear Friends, Happy Easter! The Lord is truly risen! Anyone who attended the Easter Vigil or took me up on my invitation to read the Easter Proclamation/Exultet may have noticed an interesting passage: “O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ! O happy fault that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!” Necessary sin…happy fault. What does…

Dear Friends, As we enter Holy Week, make some extra time for prayer, especially with the scriptures. To prepare for Holy Thursday, you might read one of the accounts of the institution of the Eucharist from Matthew’s, Mark’s, or Luke’s gospels along with the Bread of Life discourse in the sixth chapter of John’s gospel. On Good Friday, we will be reading…

Dear Friends, Holy Week begins next Sunday with the celebration of Palm Sunday. Here are a few things to keep in mind. The last scheduled opportunity for Confessions will be on Saturday, March 27 from 2:30 to 4:30 PM. I will continue to be available by appointment as my schedule allows, but that time may be limited because there is a lot…

Dear Friends, As you know, March 19 is the solemnity of Saint Joseph. In this year of Saint Joseph, it is very appropriate to pray the litany of Saint Joseph. You can find it on the USCCB website: https://www.usccb.org/resources/litany-st-joseph It is too long to print in the bulletin. Here are few other items of interest: there are two more weekends in Lent,…

Dear Friends, Last weekend’s first reading was the account of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac. This is a very difficult passage to read and one that some people point to as a reason for their alienation from God. It is unfortunate that we weren’t able to discuss it during Mass due to the Archbishop Catholic Appeal video, so I will say a few…

Dear Friends, Every year during the first two weekends of Lent, the gospels show us two events in the life of Jesus. On the first weekend, we hear about Jesus’ temptation in the desert and on the second weekend we hear about his Transfiguration. These two events can be understood in terms of where we are and where we hope to go.…

Dear Friends, As we enter into the first full week of Lent, spend some time reflecting on your practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Ask yourselves, “How is this practice drawing me closer to God and my neighbor? Will this practice lead me to deeper interior conversion or is it more about external appearances? Is it helping me to grow in humility…

Dear Friends, As we all know, Lent begins this week on Ash Wednesday. Please remember that you must sign up for the Ash Wednesday Masses via flocknote or the link on the parish website. Due to Covid restrictions, it is highly unlikely that we will have the communal penance services. However, I will hear Confessions on Saturdays beginning an hour earlier, from…

Dear Friends, As mentioned in last weekend’s bulletin, Ash Wednesday will be a bit different this year. First, sign-ups for Mass will be required. Registration will open on Wednesday, February 10 and close at noon on Monday, February 15. Second, as already mentioned, ashes will not be imposed on our foreheads as we are accustomed to. As mandated by both the archdiocese…