A wise priest once told me that there are certain decisions that a pastor must make, even at the risk of his own life. One of them is deciding to tinker with the parish Mass schedule. Last year, after the shutdowns, the unique circumstances required the adjustment of the liturgical schedule. If you recall, prior to the pandemic the Mass schedule was as follows: 4pm vigil (St. Gabriel), 5:30pm vigilContinue reading “New Mass Schedule”
Category Archives: Other
Guardians of the Family, Guardians of Truth
On June 11, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I had the privilege of attending a Mass at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven where Mr. Patrick Kelly was installed as the 14th Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus are the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world, with overContinue reading “Guardians of the Family, Guardians of Truth”
R.I.P. Sr. Mary Joseph, O.C.D.
Last weekend I received word that Sr. Mary Joseph, a member of the Carmelite Monastery of Des Plaines, IL., had passed away at the age of 92. Sr. Mary Joseph was an unlikely member of her Carmelite community. Born Ann Russell, she grew up as a wealthy San Francisco socialite whose father was the chairman of Southern Pacific Railroad. She married Richard Miller atContinue reading “R.I.P. Sr. Mary Joseph, O.C.D.”
The Sacred Heart
In October 1986, Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to a place called Paray-le-Monial, a town in eastern France. Paray-le-Monial is called the “City of the Sacred Heart” because it was the home of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th century religious sister whose visions of Christ led to widespread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During an audience, Pope John Paul II saidContinue reading “The Sacred Heart”
Memento Mori
A couple of weeks ago, the New York Times featured a story by journalist Ruth Graham about a young religious sister who spends her days encouraging people to remember not just the dead, but to remember death itself. Sr. Teresa Aletheia, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, has developed a huge online following by encouraging people to cultivate the daily habit of reflecting on their mortality. Memento mori, in Latin, was a practice of ancient pagan philosophers but has also been part of Christian lifeContinue reading “Memento Mori”
Together in Person
Last week, the bishops of the three Connecticut dioceses jointly released a statement announcing the reinstatement of the obligation of the faithful to attend Sunday Mass. This obligation to attend Sunday Mass (or Saturday Vigil Mass) in person has its roots in the Apostolic age, when the members of the Church gathered every Sunday to celebrate together the paschalContinue reading “Together in Person”
Hearing the Call of the Shepherd
In this Sunday’s gospel, Our Lord refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd, thus inviting us to consider the mystery of vocation. The Second Vatican Council reminds us that there is a universal vocation to holiness, which means that every single person is called to be a saint. For the sake of helping people respond to the universal vocation, we believe the Lord gives aContinue reading “Hearing the Call of the Shepherd”
Learning the Narrative
You hear sometimes people in politics and public relations talking about “controlling the narrative.” Usually, this means trying to get a jump on a story by being the first to explain what is going on. The hope is that a “narrative” friendly to one’s position will be established in the mind of the public so that adversaries will be at a disadvantage,Continue reading “Learning the Narrative”
Emmaus
We have come to the end of Easter Sunday. Yes, the Solemnity of Easter was a week ago, but we must remember that Easter is such a big deal that the Church gives us eight days to celebrate it properly. We call that eight-day period the “Easter Octave.” The second Sunday of Easter – Divine Mercy Sunday – is the final day inContinue reading “Emmaus”
Detox
The first reading for today’s Mass is from the Book of Numbers (21:4-9). Numbers is one of the first five books of the Bible, which together are called the Torah. Numbers tells the story of the Israelites after their liberation from slavery in Egypt, during their 40-year period of wandering in the desert before entering the Promised Land. In those days of wandering, theyContinue reading “Detox”
The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel 