Parish Offices All Parish offices will only be closed if there is a Level II or III snow emergency declared by the city or county. Regularly scheduled weekday Masses  St. Matthias and St. James weekday Masses will not be cancelled. OLR weekday Masses will be cancelled only if there is a Level III snow emergency. Weekend Masses All weekend Masses will be held as scheduled. Masses will only be cancelled for a severe storm. We will make every attempt to post such cancellations on our website and local TV and radio stations. Please travel with caution and always put your safety first in the event of severe weather conditions. Church law does not require Catholics to fulfill the obligation to attend Mass if doing so endangers their health and wellbeing, or the health and wellbeing of others.

My best friend and I have known each other for almost twenty-five years at this point, and I like to think that in that time I have come to know him rather well. One of the little joys that I get in life is hearing a song on the radio for the first time and thinking, “Man, I bet Sean hates this song with all his heart.” I’ve heard him complain about so many dumb songs these last few decades that sometimes I know what he hates before he even hears the song for the first time. However, I am never one to rest completely on speculation. I always call or text him and ask if he has heard the song, and if so, does he loathe it with all his being? It’s a strange tradition, but it is mine. Click title for full column.

This Tuesday, January 22 Deacon Steve Ryan will be giving an overview of the seven Sacraments.  We will then take the following three weeks to explore these sacraments in greater detail. January 29 we will look at the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation & Eucharist. February 5 we will look at the Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation & Anointing of the Sick. February 12 we will look at the Sacraments of Service: Matrimony & Holy Orders. Please join us as we investigate our faith Tuesday evenings beginning at 7:00 pm at St. James of the Valley. Come to any or all of them and learn more about what it means to be Catholic and to live out our faith. Everyone is welcome!

The older I get, the more I realize that everything I am is either completely from my mom or completely from my dad. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of a mixture of the two when it comes to my characteristics and traits. I look quite a bit like my mom (just one of the reasons I keep this very masculine beard; for differentiation purposes) but my facial expressions and mannerisms are very much my dad’s. Click on title for full column

Beginning on January 15 we will be starting a series on what it means to be Catholic. We will meet at St. James of the Valley from 7:00 to 8:00 pm in the Media Room. The topics will be publicized in the bulletin and on Flocknote. Come to any or all of them and learn more about what it means to be Catholic and to live out our faith. Everyone is welcome! Our first two topics will be: On January 15, Fr. McCullough will be sharing about Mary and the Saints. Why do we as Catholics view our predecessors in faith different than our Protestant brothers and sisters.   January 22, Deacon Steve Ryan will be giving an overview of the seven Sacraments.   Please join us as we investigate our faith Tuesday evenings beginning at 7:00 pm at St. James of the Valley.

He did it for me…. The celebration of the solemnity and the season of Christmas left in my mind this thought: Whatever Jesus did, He did it not for Him but for me. During my fifteen years of priesthood, I realize that the celebration of each solemnity, feast and ordinary Sunday as well as daily Mass and prayers have a special message to me for each day. I strive to deepen each prayer and celebration with prayer of meditation and contemplation that open the mind and the spirit of the faithful to the understanding of the mystery celebrated and to the Holy Spirit who gives new life of grace in Christ. While loneliness and solitude for a priest can be challenging, I have come to find that only prayer of the heart consoles me, comforts me and helps me build a strong relationship with Jesus as I learn to speak with him in the circumstances of each day. I am still learning to elevate my prayer to the level where I see that each moment of my life is a moment of prayer. Click on title for full column

Recently I was discussing medieval Catholic literature with some friends because, you know, I’m so cool and that’s the kind of thing cool kids talk about. One of the things we discussed was how saturated with Catholicism the worldview of the authors of that period truly was. Everything in the characters’ lives was centered around the Church and the liturgical life. Even the references to calendars and dates were structured around the liturgical seasons and major feast days. Nowadays if you told someone that you were going to plan a party sometime in Michaelmas or were celebrating the Octave of Christmas, they might have you committed. Even telling people that the “Twelve Days of Christmas” are the days after December 25 and not before, they might accuse you of out and out heresy. Click on title for full article.