Parish Mission 

This Sunday evening (3/5) we will begin our parish’s 3-day Lenten Mission.  Lent is the season when we take up in a more serious and intentional way the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  In my experience, it’s hard to engage these disciplines on our own.  It’s helpful when we give up dessert asContinue reading “Parish Mission “

Ite, Missa Est 

There’s a famous story about St. Philip Neri (1515-1595) in which he noticed that there was a man in his congregation who had the habit of leaving Mass immediately after receiving Communion.  St. Philip eventually decided that he needed to address it, so he instructed two of his altar servers to follow the man outContinue reading “Ite, Missa Est “

What Are We Doing for Lent? 

Ready or not, it’s almost Lent.  February 22 is Ash Wednesday, so if you haven’t given any thought to what you’ll be doing for Lent, now’s the time to start. If you’re wondering what we’ll be doing in the parish for Lent, below is a list of things in our calendar that we’re encouraging peopleContinue reading “What Are We Doing for Lent? “

Christian Witness in Egypt 

It’s not easy being Christian in Egypt. A few years ago, I came across an article by a writer named Matthew Schmitz about the zabbaleen of Cairo. The literal meaning of this word is “garbage picker,” and it refers to the residents of Mokattam Village, almost all of them Christian, who make their living collectingContinue reading “Christian Witness in Egypt “