Dear Fellow Parishioners, Within the next few days, we will celebrate what is really a triduum – i.e., a “three-dayer” – of Hallowe’en, the Solemnity of All Saints, and the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. Traditionally, this three-day observance was known as “Allhallowtide.” Unfortunately, the connection between these three days is getting lost. “Hallow” […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, One of the events I most look forward to is the Blessing of Animals, which takes place on, or near, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4th. This year, it will take place in the parish plaza and park after the First Friday Mass on October 3rd, at about […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, This past Wednesday, September 17th, my father died as a result of injuries from a fall in his home. He would have been 93 years old next month. This is sad, but not at all tragic in any sense of the word. When he was born in 1932, the life expectancy for […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, I was preparing my Pastor’s Desk to talk about the religious significance of Labor Day, and maybe a couple of other things. Meanwhile, the tragedy at Annunciation Catholic School and Parish in Minneapolis intervened, to the dismay and horror of an entire nation. The state of Minnesota, and even the White House, […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, If you have been part of our parish community for any length of time at all, you know that I am very reluctant to ask for financial support. Sometimes, more than a year can go by without my making a single request for funds other than the weekly collection, and the national […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Though we are only at the mid-point of August, our new academic and religious education school years are beginning. On Tuesday the 12th, we had our Back-to-School Mass with our elementary school students, plus many of their parents and grandparents. Every year, I am amazed at how young the youngest of them […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, As we approach the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it’s worth noting that the time markers of this time of the year have changed. Now that school starts in the middle of August, the Marian feast and the return to school are nearly simultaneous. This year’s Back to […]