stceceliastgabriel

Understanding and Misunderstanding

I’ve been re-reading a book by Caryll Houselander called The Reed of God, which is a really beautiful book filled with great insights into the spiritual life, with the Blessed Mother held up as the spiritual master par excellence. In the chapter entitled “Fiat,” Houselander writes about the effect of our surrendering ourselves to the will of God, noting that it simultaneously brings both greater understanding and greaterContinue reading “Understanding and Misunderstanding”

2nd Sunday of Lent

Please click the following link to view the parish Mass for the 2nd Sunday of Lent on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/9iUZIq-a3Go posted 2/28/21

The Search

Everyone likes a good movie/show recommendation. In that spirit, I’ll share one with you. It’s a series called The Search, which was produced by the Augustine Institute and which is available to our parishioners for free through our online FORMED account (you can access it through our parish website). Released last spring, The Search is well worth your time. It is a 7-part video series hosted by Chris Stefanick, with eachContinue reading “The Search”

Changed by Asking

When pagans wanted something, they always turned to their gods. The pagan gods, of course, were fickle. It was very easy to fall out of favor with them, which meant disaster. So, the pagans would present their petition to the god or goddess they thought was most interested in the thing that they wanted, along with anContinue reading “Changed by Asking”

1st Sunday of Lent

Please click the following link to view the Mass for the 1st Sunday in Lent on our parish YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/06d9pE7-IjA posted 2/21/21

Lessons from this Longer Lent

I’m having a longer Lent than usual this year. Most years it begins on Ash Wednesday. This year, however, it started on January 4 when I decided to join a small group of local men, including some parishioners, to participate in a program called Exodus 90, which basically extends Lent from its official 40 days to 90 days (the amount of time experts say it takes to form new habits). So,Continue reading “Lessons from this Longer Lent”

Thoughts on Ash Wednesday

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which is typically one of the busiest days of the year in every Catholic parish. This year was no different. We started with our normal 7:30am Mass, which reached maximum capacity (160) under the current COVID restriction, which was really nice. Just after the parish Mass, we had Mass for some of the students at the Catholic Academy of Stamford. Continue reading “Thoughts on Ash Wednesday”

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Please click the following link to watch our parish Mass for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ghm3e8_93I8 posted 2/14/21

Who Are These People?

The Mass can sometimes feel like this: a few readings from the Bible, a sermon, a collection, the priest saying a bunch of stuff while we kneel down, the Our Father, Communion, announcements, dismissal. If this is our experience of Mass, it might surprise us that the most fascinating part of it actually takes place during the part where the priest saysContinue reading “Who Are These People?”

Learning Our Prayers

Priests have the privilege of being with people as they near the ends of their lives. Some of the people I’ve helped prepare for death spent their whole lives active in the Church, some were less active, and a few were resistant to the idea of seeing a priest and receiving the sacraments. I remember one gentlemanContinue reading “Learning Our Prayers”