There are certain movie scenes, songs, and events that never cease to give me the chills. I come from a family with a long history of replaying movies over and over again, and even playing records and CD’s until they are worn out and no longer work. I’m a sucker for the big dramatic payoff after a long set up, whether it’s in a movie, song, or book. But all these experiences seem artificial and contrived when compared to the great liturgies of Holy Week. CLICK TITLE TO READ MORE. ​​​​​​​

Holy Thursday, March 29 No 8:00 am Masses 7:00 pm, Regional Mass, St. Matthias Followed by Exposition (St. Matthias Chapel)

  Good Friday, March 30 No 8:30 am Mass Services: 12:10 pm, St. Matthias 1:00 pm, Our Lady of the Rosary 7:00 pm, St. James of the Valley Stations of the Cross: 7:00 pm, Our Lady of the Rosary

  Holy Saturday, March 31 No 8:00 am Mass or Communion Service No Confessions on Saturday, March 31 8:30 pm, Regional Vigil Mass, Our Lady of the Rosary

  Easter Sunday Mass, April 1 9:00 & 11:00 am, St. Matthias 9:00 & 11:00 am, St. James of the Valley 9:00 & 11:30 am, Our Lady of the Rosary

  Regional Offices Closed Friday, March 30 & Monday, April 2

There are certain things that don’t happen often in Parish ministry, but they occur like clockwork during particular times of the year. You can set your clock by the fact that people will call in droves to double check the Ash Wednesday schedule to make sure they get their ashes. It’s a virtual lock that confessions pick up in the week or two prior to Christmas and Easter. And one of the true, time-honored traditions is people voicing their displeasure at having to cry out, during the Gospel on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, “Crucify Him!” Please click title to read more.

Wednesday, March 28-- 6:30-8:00 pm, Penance & Exposition, St. Matthias

Holy Thursday, March 29-- No 8:00 am Masses 7:00 pm, Regional Mass, St. Matthias Followed by Exposition (St. Matthias Chapel)

Good Friday, March 30-- No 8:30 am Mass Services: 12:10 pm, St. Matthias 1:00 pm, Our Lady of the Rosary 7:00 pm, St. James of the Valley Stations of the Cross: 7:00 pm, Our Lady of the Rosary

Holy Saturday, March 31-- No 8:00 am Mass or Communion Service No Confessions on Saturday, March 31 8:30 pm, Regional Vigil Mass, Our Lady of the Rosary

Easter Sunday Mass, April 1-- 9:00 & 11:00 am, St. Matthias 9:00 & 11:00 am, St. James of the Valley 9:00 & 11:30 am, Our Lady of the Rosary

Regional Offices Closed Friday, March 30 & Monday, April 2

This week, as we celebrate St. Joseph and draw towards the conclusion of Lent and the celebration of Our Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection, it would serve us well as a region and as a universal Church to pray for fathers, and for the strength of the family. May all the families of our parish strive to live out their call to grow in holiness, and may we always help one another along the path to Sainthood. St. Joseph, protector of families and of the Church, pray for us! Please click title to read more.

Our Region’s Lenten Mission, “Lessons from our Fathers,” will be at St. Matthias on March 19, 20 & 21 at 7:00 pm. For us, Lent has always been a time of reflection and an opportunity to remember lessons learned. At our mission this year, Dave Nissen will share stories of lessons learned from Pastors, Parents and the Father of us all. ​​​​​​​The theme for Monday is Faith, the theme for Tuesday is Humility & the Cross, and the theme for Wednesday is Integrity. Each evening will begin and end with worship, with music led by young adults from the region. All ages are welcome to attend. To sign up or volunteer go to http://bit.ly/LentenMisson or contact Dave Nissen.

One of the things that drew me to the priesthood was the fact that people invite priests, and the Church, into their lives at significant moments. When new life enters the world, or when couples are preparing to give themselves to each other in matrimony, or when a loved one is reaching their final moments, people reach out to the Church in order to bring God into their lives. Some of these moments are easier to identify than others. When people are standing in front of the congregation at Mass, wearing fancy clothes or holding a new baby and everyone is taking pictures, it’s obvious that something important is happening. But there’s a much more private event in people’s relationship with God that remains one of my favorite priestly ministries. Please click title to read more.

We celebrate Mary’s husband, St. Joseph, on Monday, March 12 starting at 5:30 pm at Our Lady of the Rosary. • Dinner at 5:30 pm with a movie on St. Joseph • Rosary at 7:00 pm--The Sorrows of St. Joseph All are invited, and the color red is an appropriate color to wear if desired. Questions? Please contact Nancy Dolan at 513-315-7462 or Nancy Koch at 513-825-8592.

St. Matthias the Apostle, March 9, 16 & 23 Dine In or Carry Out Fish Fry 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

St. James of the Valley, March 16 Dine In Fish Fry 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Our Lady of the Rosary, March 23 Dine In Fish Fry 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Please click title for full menu and pricing.

At one of the Masses this weekend I ran into one of the nightmares of every parish priest: an insufficient supply of consecrated hosts during Communion. While I began kicking myself for not planning better and doing a rough count of heads to see how many times I would have to fracture each host to ensure that everyone would be able to receive Our Lord, it provided an opportunity to reflect on one of the central truths of our faith: The Real Presence in every single fragment of either species of the Eucharist. Please click title for more.

Please click title for Penance Service schedules at St. Matthias, St. James and Our Lady of the Rosary.

All women are invited to the Martha Mary Tea and Social at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish Activity Center (PAC) on March 11, 12:30-2:30 pm. Tea, coffee and light refreshments will be served, we'll have a little fun getting to know each other, and there will be a brief testimony. Please click title for more information.