There is a constant temptation, both as a pastor and as a human being, to follow the path of least resistance. It’s much easier to find some sort of DVD series about the faith, plop people down in front of it and press play than it is to find real, engaging speakers or topics for us to encounter Christ together as a parish family. When a crisis emerges in the Church, the temptation is to either bury our heads in the sand or throw some resource at people in the hopes of sparing ourselves a difficult conversation. Click title for full article.

Monday, September 30, Dan Egan will be our guest speaker on the topic of Catholics and Evangelism at 7:00 pm at Our Lady of the Rosary. The presentation will review what the scriptures teach us about evangelization. Dan will discuss methods to better prepare yourself to evangelize, and some helpful techniques on how to evangelize to others. Expect an informative evening with Dan – we hope to see you there! Click title for more information.

In an effort to serve you better, starting Monday, September 23 the parish offices will combine in the OLR Parish Activity Center (PAC). Office hours are Monday thru Friday from 9:00 am–3:00 pm.

Saturday, September 28, following the 4:30 pm Mass, St. Matthias will hold its annual Oktoberfest! Save the date for food, music featuring Sound Body Jazz Orchestra, Split the Pot and Prize Baskets that are bigger and better than ever!   Click title for more information.

There are a few Gospels that I almost shudder at when their turn rolls around in the lectionary. Sometimes Jesus’ teaching is so nuanced, subtle, and difficult to understand on the surface that I worry that preaching about it will do more harm than good, either due to my inability to convey His wisdom or due to people only half-paying attention to a mediocre homily. So when Jesus tells us explicitly in this week’s Gospel to “make friends with dishonest wealth” and lifts up as an example a man who is essentially committing financial fraud, I am forced to ask myself how to reconcile this with all the financial controls we have in place to make sure embezzlement is impossible. Click on title for full article.

Sister Community Fundraising Dinner Supporting El Salvadoran Community Jardines de Colon Scholarship and Leadership Mission Making a difference by funding education! Sister Community - since 1995 Click title for full article.

One of the most difficult things to do, both in one’s professional life and in personal relationships, is to disagree pointedly with a big plan that someone important has. If the boss comes in and is extremely excited about a course of action that literally everyone else on his or her staff can plainly see is not only going to fail, but is going to fail spectacularly, it puts everyone in a tough spot. What is the prudent thing to do? Let it play out and have them learn the lesson the hard way? Or speak up to prevent a catastrophe and risk being labeled as a naysayer? Either way, one thing is certain: it’s always easier to speak up and voice one’s opinion if there is a foundation of trust. Perhaps that trust is why families are much more free and open in telling one another when their plans are just plain dumb. Click on title for full article.

Very often it happens that a Gospel comes up in the lectionary rotation that proves difficult to preach on in a way that is both true to the text and also reasonably easy for us to accept. Even more rare are the times when a difficult Gospel actually coincides with a difficult lesson we need to learn. I always seem to get terrible combinations like a 50th wedding anniversary blessing falling on the Sunday when Jesus tells his disciples that there is no marriage in Heaven. But this week’s Gospel happens to coincide with something that the staff has been working towards for some time now, and it’s an opportunity for us to confront a challenge head on. Click title for full column.