One of the things I have repeatedly had to learn in my life at every stage is that people always respond better if they know they are cared for. As a catcher on numerous baseball teams, the pitchers had to know that they could trust me and I wanted them to succeed before I could yell at them, since, as we all know, pitchers are prima donnas. If they didn’t believe that I cared about them, it became harder to get on the same page and succeed together. The same is true of engaged couples I work with, people in the confessional, staff, volunteers, the whole gang.
If, as a pastor, people don’t think I care about them, then I am a resounding gong, a clashing cymbal. The whole thing falls apart without love and respect.

This principle holds true for evangelization. There is a huge difference between being invited into a relationship with Jesus by someone who obviously and genuinely cares about you, and being told to shut up, follow the rules, and go to church so that someone can claim you as one of their converts. We have to genuinely love the people that God places in our lives before we can effectively introduce them to an infinitely greater love. One of the tools that the Church gives us in the effort to demonstrate our care and concern for the world can be found in Canon 534, which states: “After a pastor has taken possession of his parish, he is obliged to apply a Mass for the people entrusted to him on each Sunday and holy day of obligation in his diocese.” To some, it might sound like an empty platitude or an insincere promise to say, “I’ll pray for you.” But to explain to someone that the universal law of the Church requires that the shepherd of souls assigned to that area offer the invaluable and perfect sacrifice of the Mass for the spiritual welfare of all the souls in his care, Catholic or not, should be immensely meaningful.


Prior to Beacons of Light, we have maintained the policy of having one Mass for the People, officially referred to as a “Pro Populo” Mass, at each parish. With the new configuration and schedule, that has become untenable, and so we will instead rotate the Pro Populo Mass throughout the parishes of the family so that intentions can be spread out. With that said, all of this is really just to inform you of two things: first, when you see “Pro Populo” on the schedule of Mass intentions, know that it means that your priests are praying for you, your families, and all the people, Catholic or not, who have residence here in the boundaries of these parishes. Second, armed with that knowledge, you should all be confidently marching out into the world to tell your neighbors, friends, and perhaps even random strangers you meet on the street, that we, as a parish community, are praying for them each and every week, without fail. Love your neighbors as yourself, join us in praying for them, and allow that comforting knowledge to soften hearts and open them up to a deeper encounter with the Lord who loves them more than we ever could.