This weekend we have the collision of Good Shepherd Sunday and the first weekend of our new Vocations Chalice. I definitely can’t pass up this opportunity to talk about vocations and encourage new shepherds. We are always in need of more holy priests who are willing to imitate the words of Our Lord--I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.

Sunday, April 25, is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. We will celebrate this day by introducing a Vocations Chalice at Our Lady of the Rosary. The Vocations Chalice will be presented to a family, individual, or couple each Sunday at the conclusion of Mass. That family, individual, or couple will take the Vocations Chalice home and use it as a focal point while praying daily for an increase in religious vocations. In successive weeks, the Vocations Chalice is passed to other families, individuals, or couples. Click on title for full column.

Happy Easter, friends! On the Sunday within the Octave of Easter we celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy, which is a relatively new liturgical and historical development. While it is fairly recent, I believe that it speaks to a particular need in our day and age, much like the message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was suited to its time and the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe came at precisely the right moment, all in God’s Providence. Click on title for full column.

I am frequently reminded, by the pastoral ministry aspects of my life, that we take a great many things for granted in this life, and that everything we hold dear is very tenuous and can disappear in a moment. Oftentimes when I am tired and heading into a hospital room, I take a moment to remind myself that the family I am going to visit is having one of, if not the sole, worst days of their life. It’s a humbling experience and reminds me to thank God for the many blessings of my own life. Click on title for full column.