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Summer 2024 ACTS Retreats
Our Summer ACTS Retreats for both Women and Men are coming up! ACTS stands for Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service. Interested in learning more about ACTS and how to register?
Faith Formation
Father's Focus
Part 3: An Ideal Parish is Communal
It’s kinda like four-year-old soccer. I’m referring to our instinct for community. I’m sure most people have seen four-year-old soccer. It’s cute. Tedious, but cute. All the kids know is that the game has something to do a ball, a net, and an opposing team. Outside of that, it’s pretty much a mosh-pit of little legs, distracted looks, random kicks, and the occasional pouting lip.
Part 2: An Ideal Parish is Christological
I like dipping bread in oil. It’s yummy! Especially if the bread is fresh and the oil has some seasoning in it. So, it struck me the other day: our parish should be like bread dipped in oil. Sure, I know that sounds kind of weird, but let me explain.
This is My Home
Recently, our teachers and staff started a string of appreciation emails for why we are grateful for working (ministering) here at St. Francis. That has been playing on my mind ever since, and so, here is my response…
Part 1: An Ideal Parish is Trinitarian
Every vehicle has a carburetor, a central piece of the engine. Every computer has a Central Processing Unit (CPU). Every arch has a central keystone. But what is the central mystery of our faith?
Introduction to Characteristics of an Ideal Parish
It never hurts to return to the basics. This is an introductory article to a fifteen-part series called “The Vision of an Ideal Parish” based on an article Dr. Peter Williamson published in 2016. Our buildings serve our mission—now let’s return to the basics of our identity as a parish and reignite ourselves in our mission to save souls!
Repent and Believe in the Gospel
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! The Christian confession of faith is unique in many ways; but one stands out among others: God came to earth searching for us. Think of that! God sought us. This is the Good News. We call it the kerygma.
Solemnity of Dedication of Our Altar: March 13
I remember as a child reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and coming to that fateful moment of the book when Azlan was slain on the Altar. I also remember my teacher telling us that that was a symbol of Jesus being slain on the altar in our church. That image never left me.
St. Francis of Assisi Transformed the Catholic Church
"Francis, go and rebuild my, house, which, as you can see, is totally in ruin." Many times we, here at St. Francis Parish, have heard this story of St. Francis when, kneeling in the Church of San Damiano he audibly heard a voice say these words.
Lent?
Do you remember that old Looney Tunes cartoon with Frisky the puppy and Claude the house cat? It is the one where Claude, a yellow cat with a red-tipped tail, would be walking through the house minding his own business. Then, out of nowhere, Frisky the puppy would come up behind Him and start barking, "Yipe, yipe, yipe, yipe, yipe!!"
Morality Matters
The Loss of the Dignity of Sex
Sex is difficult to speak about, and that makes sense. Not because sex is something to be ashamed of but because sex has lost its dignity. A loss of dignity occurs when something with inherent value is perceived or treated as having little or no value and is treated as such. This is what has happened to sex in our culture.
The Messiness of Divorce
In all my years of ministry, teaching junior high, high school, college, and adult formation, it has been my experience that the Catholic teaching on divorce is one of the most misunderstood teachings. Both in the practical teaching of the subject and the pastoral care, divorce quite simply, is messy.
Marriage: A Reflection of Christ’s Love and Faithfulness
Ephesians 5:21-31, There is infinite beauty in these words from Ephesians! We loved this reading and its message so much that my husband and I chose it for one of our readings at our wedding. In our modern times, however, the message has been misconstrued to be something different. In Roman times, women were seen as property.
Journey to a Life of Faith
Easter stands as the pinnacle of the liturgical calendar, celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This sacred season calls us to plunge into the vastness of God's mercy, it is interwoven within our worship, sacramental rites, and particularly evident in the transformative journey undertaken by the Elect through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA).
Be His Light
At Baptism we received a candle, lit from the Paschal Candle, with the words, “Receive the Light of Christ”. The rite continues: “This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. He is to walk always as a child of the light. May he keep the flame of faith alive in his heart. When the Lord comes, may he go out to meet him with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.”
Fighting Against Lukewarm Faith
We have often heard this passage from revelation and the warning that comes from having a lukewarm faith; let us take this moment as we near the end of Lent to reflect on what that means and how we must apply it to our lives as Christians. To be lukewarm is to be neither cold nor hot, and we often experience this in many aspects of our lives; it is the mundane, the banal, the ordinary, the routine. In our Christian life, we can experience this as well.
Dying to Self
St. Paul's teachings and his life vividly exemplify a boundless truth: to the extent that Jesus' life within me mirrors the very essence of Christ Himself, I must willingly surrender and let those aspects "of me" that fall short of Christ's perfection fade away. In short, I must die to myself.
Return to the Father Through Confession
The Prodigal Son had lived a life safe, protected, loved. He had an inheritance to come, but the patient endurance to reach that inheritance was lacking. Because of pride and greed, he thought he could do better than the life his father had given him.
Almsgiving: An Important Pillar of Lent
I remember as a teenager walking the streets of Washington, D.C., for the March for Life. We were there to support a child's right to life. We were walking with Fr. Ben Shockey. It was my first encounter with him. I am pretty sure we were enjoying an ice cream cone while walking. On the sidewalk was a homeless man asking for money.