Happy Twenty-Seventh Sunday! You’ll be reading this article on Saturday or Sunday, by which time Fr. Christian and I will already be back from convocation, but I am writing this while still here with the brothers.  The Lord is so good to our diocese, and I love that I get to serve here.

Our conference master this week is Fr. Boniface Hicks, a Benedictine monk and friend of the Diocese of Lansing. He lives and serves primarily in Pennsylvania but also leads many priest conferences and parish retreats, among other things. He is a teacher, seminary formator, and parish priest, and he even has a Ph.D. in computer science from Penn State, which is wild.

Our conferences this week are all about the pastoral ministry of accompaniment, one of the big tasks of priestly ministry and expressions of spiritual fatherhood. Here are two of the many nuggets I’ve already written down in my notes, which are worth pondering and praying with: “Treating people like the sacred ground which they are often brings the sacred ground out of them.” Whoa, that’s a good one. Also, a zinger: “Remember that human beings, by their interior life, transcend the entire material universe.” Pray about that one next time!

One of my continuous prayers since my arrival here in 2024 is that God would guide my two pastorates with His own hand, and that He would help me to grow and learn. I’ve also prayed continuously for the health of the parish communities I serve. As my favorite musical artist, Ben Rector, has said in his lyrics, “Healthy things grow, and growing things change.”  How we all grow and change to be more conformed to God in holiness is a deeply personal and yet simultaneously deeply communal journey. God’s great plan includes each of us and all of us. The content of your interior life in particular is sacred ground. To God, it is bigger than all the stars put together. May that truth bless the way you see yourself and each person in your life this week.

From Fr. Brian

If someone were to ask you, “Why should I be Catholic? Or, what is Catholicism?” What would you say? If you were asked right there on the spot and had two seconds to respond to a complete random stranger, what would you say to pique their interest? Or to get them interested enough to keep asking questions and doing more research. Explaining the faith should not be difficult. Why? Because we simply talk about the one who saved us from death. We share with them the greatest love story ever told. We want to introduce them to a person we are absolutely infatuated with, because He has gifted us with a gift that is infinite.

As Catholics and disciples of the Lord, we should all be prepared to have an answer to questions like this. We must be ready to share the great news of salvation. Think of this entry as a personal invitation to join Fr. Brian and me as we deepen our understanding of the one we love, God. Every Tuesday evening, beginning October 6th, we will be having a Catechesis series called Credo. This series will help all of us understand more about who God is (the Creed), why we worship Him the way we do (the sacraments), the importance of communal life (morality), and our own spiritual lives (prayer).

Our faith is not just an academic course. It’s infinitely more than that. We teach catechesis and religious ed to children because it is important for them to have a good moral foundation for living their lives, but if a child thinks that Catholicism is just another subject to be learned like math and science, then we have failed. Our faith cannot be reduced to a series of intellectual thoughts and ideas to be mastered or fully comprehended. It is actually the exact opposite. God is a mystery. His saving work in Jesus Christ is a mystery. How the Holy Spirit sanctifies us and how God dwells in us is a mystery.

As disciples of Christ, we are not Sherlock Holmes trying to figure out what makes God tick. We do not try to confine God to a box and conduct experiments on Him in order to fully comprehend Him. Rather, we look at His mysteries of love with awe and wonder at His mercy and goodness. We approach the faith with an eager longing to always want more from this infinite spring of wisdom.

Our intellectual truths of the faith are supposed to lead us to one thing, and one thing only: an encounter. This encounter with love itself is the sole purpose and reason why we are able to respond to the invitation which Christ extends to all of us, just as He did to His disciples two thousand years ago: “Follow me.” The more we know about the one who extends the invitation, the more likely we are to respond with a yes and keep following Him. Where does this invitation lead? Straight to Calvary. Eventually, we will all have to face our own Calvary. But this Calvary does not have to be scary. There is a reason why Jesus says “Do not be afraid” so often: because without the source of love and wisdom, it feels as if we are alone. However, if we remember exactly who God is and what He has done for you and me, we embrace our cross and desire to always be with Him, no matter where He leads us.

Join us as we begin to learn more about this tremendous and majestic love story that leads to the greatest adventure any person can embark on.

On Sunday, October 4, all parishioners are invited to the outdoor St. Francis of Assisi Pet Blessing after the 11:15 a.m. Mass. Fr. Brian will offer a blessing for all pets present! This custom is in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures. Bring your dogs, cats, birds, fish, hamsters, turtles, horses, ducks, etc. for a holy water blessing. For safety please keep your pet on a leash, in a cage, crate, or other container. If you do not have a pet, please share your presence and witness this special celebration!

Men of the parish are invited to come and enjoy growing in their spiritual walk with others. We will meet in the Knights of Columbus Hall from 6:30—7:30 on Wednesday, September 23 for our next Cor Meeting. We always have snacks and refreshments! Invite a friend or family member. We look forward to seeing you!

See what men are saying about it in the film below:

The mission of the Cor is to refocus Catholic men on Jesus Christ and to form and strengthen them in faith and virtue through a brotherhood committed to prayer, formation and fraternity.  The goal of each Cor gathering is to provide the opportunity for men to encounter Christ, to pray together, to be formed in their faith, and to strengthen their bonds of brotherhood, preparing them for courageous leadership and the mission of Evangelization for their families and communities.

The next meeting and breakfast will be held on Saturday, October 10 at the Family Worship Center in Montrose from 6:30—8:00 a.m. Breakfast at 7:00 p.m. All men are welcome to attend.