I’d like to take a brief moment to offer my thanks to a pair of employees in our family of parishes, and also invite our parishioners as a whole to reflect on how we might better exemplify the golden standard of parish work that those two aspired toward during their time with us. Sadly (for us), both Kathleen Holt and Nancy Feverston have taken positions elsewhere and will be departing from us shortly. Nancy will be with us for most of the rest of the summer, but Kathleen will be starting her new position sooner than that. My internship pastor told me years ago that good parish secretaries are worth their weight in gold, and I have seen just how right he was. I am immensely grateful to both of them for the many times that they were waiting with a kind word for me or a visiting parishioner, and for the diligence with which they took calls, gleaned information, and sent it off in the right direction so that people could be anointed promptly, continue their sacramental prep, find the right form, or whatever was called for in the moment. Please keep them in your prayers as they move on from us. Click title for full column.

What is the absolute center of the Catholic Faith? The experience of Catholicism varies wildly and is unique to practically every Catholic, depending on factors like their history, culture, personal conversion experience, and so on. But regardless of what our Faith looks like in practice, and in spite of how unaware of this fact we may be, the absolute center of the Catholic Faith, the reality from which everything else radiates outward, is the Most Holy Trinity. This Sunday the Church celebrates Trinity Sunday, calling our attention back to the heart of the Faith so that we can reconnect the things we love most about being a disciple of Christ to the fullness of the Godhead. Click on title for full column.

It could be argued that our celebration of Pentecost is somewhat anticlimactic. After 40 days of preparation for Easter and 50 days of celebrating Easter itself, and with significant attention paid to the Ascension, we get to Pentecost, and then, poof, it’s over. It’s extended a little bit by the fact that we now have the memorial of Mary, the mother of the church the day after Pentecost. That said, we used to have an entire octave in which to celebrate the Holy Spirit, so one might feel as though the Holy Spirit is given the short shrift. Click on title for full column.

The strangest things we do in life generally need to be traced back to their origins in order to make sense. At some point in time a parent will inevitably look up and think something along the lines of “Why am I wrist deep in someone else’s poop?” or “Why am I watching these children play a sport I genuinely hate when they are not even remotely good at it?” and the answers only make sense when contextualized within the entirety of one’s vocation. I was made for love, God called me to this vocation, I loved this other person, and everything I do in the context of this family is because I love them, and I am genuinely interested in their human flourishing even more than I am invested in my own. Without that love, none of it really makes sense, but with that love, all of it and then some can be joyfully accepted and even embraced. People might not think of these things on the day of their wedding, but in God’s providence, we eventually are stretched and grow in love by the grace of God. Click on title for full column.

Meet Fr. Christian Cone-Lombarte Dear parishioners, I am very excited to begin ministering at the Queen of Apostles Family of Parishes in July! I have been ordained for four years (I am a classmate of Fr. Stegbauer) and have had two assignments thus far. I first served as vicar at a family of four parishes in Fort Recovery for two years and am currently finishing out my second year as vicar at St. Ignatius of Loyola. Click on title for full column.

This weekend’s Gospel is one of the few extended scripture passages that I have committed entirely to memory, and it is solely because it is frequently used at funerals. With complete and total confidence at funerals I can look up and recite John 14:1-6 while making eye contact with the entire congregation because I have read or heard it at least three hundred times. I don’t know if it gives the family comfort or not, or if it just makes them feel like I’m making it up, but it certainly allows me to pray with the text rather than feel like I’m reading it. That said, I almost never expressly preach on it at funerals, as there are always other things to be covered, and it serves as more of a backdrop to the grief (and hope) of the family. So, with that in mind, this column is a touch of what I think every time this Gospel is proclaimed during the funeral rites of a parishioner or a friend.

I have spoken several times before in this column about the meals my mom and I make for major holidays. Some are quite elaborate, and I’m more than a little proud of our efforts. But there is a drawback as well, and that is that there is always enough food leftover to have about one and a half more parties of the same size when all is said and done. Dividing up the leftovers and forcing people to take home nine-thousand calories worth of food is a task in and of itself. Despite my best efforts, I’ve never been able to convince my mom to cut back on what we serve. Click on title for full column.

I have long enjoyed the comforting transition from working our way through the prophetic longing for Christ that we hear in the Lenten readings to the bold proclamation of Jesus Christ Crucified and Resurrected that we hear from the Apostles during the Easter Season. Having passed through the shadow of the Cross and reflected on the pain, confusion, and fear that they experienced during Jesus’ Passion, we now get to glory with them in proclaiming our redemption, won for us by Our Lord. This week’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles always particularly strikes me as excellent preparation for Pentecost. Click on title for full column.

It is an unfortunate reality that the outside world often views us through the lens of our worst mistake or our darkest moment. But Pope St. John Paul II, in his visit to his native land of Poland, told his people in no uncertain terms that “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son Jesus.” So when we reflect on the story of Thomas and his doubts this weekend, it is because God wants to bring about transformation in our hearts, not because we want to keep coming back to one man’s momentary weakness. “Doubting Thomas” might be more charitably (and accurately) called “Thomas who needed a little extra push, but ultimately believed in the end.” It’s wordier but captures the fuller picture. Click on title for full column.

Happy Easter, friends. Every year I struggle to find words to expound on the incredible mysteries we celebrate during the Triduum, and so I’m leaving you with something more ancient and profound than I could produce. This Easter, as we rejoice in the Lord’s Resurrection, I invite you to pray with the words of the Exultet, The ancient prayer of the Easter Vigil, praising the Paschal candle and what it symbolizes. God bless you all and know of my prayers, always. Fr. McC Click on title for full column.

There are only two times in the entire liturgical calendar that the rubrics give specific instructions on a homily, and they are both this week. On Palm Sunday and Good Friday, the Missal tells us that “a brief homily should be given, if appropriate. A period of silence may also be observed.” Obviously, there is something to be said for brevity in the homily after the entire account of the Passion of the Lord is read. Additionally, there is only so much to say after meditating on such great sorrow and pain. Having had the blessing of being in many hospital rooms as people prepare to pass from this life to the next, I know very well that there is only so much one can find to say when people are right in the thick of suffering and loss. There is no witticism or kind word that will completely take away the pain that people are feeling in those moments. One might lessen it, or help them understand that they are not alone, but grief is grief, and in the moment, it cannot be ignored. As we stand at the foot of the Cross, both in the readings and in the Eucharist we celebrate, we must not forget that simple, profound fact. Click on title for full column.

More than half of Lent 2023 is officially in the books, so perhaps it’s time for a metaphorical locker room speech to get us fired up for finishing strong. Maybe you’ve had the best few Lenten weeks of your life, and you are getting more than usual out of our traditional practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. If that’s the case, good for you, keep up the good work, and imagine me giving a rousing discourse that encourages you to finish strong. The more likely scenario is that you have trailed off from your Lenten resolutions, and you are headed for a Lent where you went in like a lion but come out like a lamb, and not even a Paschal Lamb at that. If that’s the case, know that you are in good company, and there is still time to pick yourself up, embrace your Cross, and follow Jesus more closely. Our Lord is not to be outdone in generosity, and any efforts we make at renewing our commitment to loving Him more this Lent will not go unnoticed. Easter is on the line, and the more we commit to preparing our hearts for it now, the greater our joy will be at the Savior’s Resurrection. Go get ‘em in the second half. Click on title for full column.

One of the reasons for doing Lenten disciplines—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—is to help shed our spiritual blindness. I pray that your Lenten disciplines are bearing fruit for you and helping you to see the Messiah and His love for you more clearly. When the Resurrection comes, we pray that we may be able to see and know our Lord more clearly. However, our journey doesn’t end with Easter. While our Lenten disciplines may come to an end, Easter Is still a time to rest with Jesus. That being said, I have an invitation for all of you. Click on title for full column.

As we find ourselves in the full swing of Lent, there are two things I wanted to communicate to the Family of Parishes; one is a word of gratitude, and the other is preparing for something exciting. First, as you have probably heard, our Director of Family Evangelization, Jose Martinez, has accepted another position as a Director of Evangelization in another family of parishes, and is moving on from us. We are excited for him in this new opportunity, but also sad to see him go. He remains in our prayers and we are currently looking at how to continue moving forward with the important work he has started here in our parishes.  Click on title for full column.

A thank you followed by a change in the Words of Absolution during confession. Thank you all for an incredible weekend with Craig and Ramiro from Hope of the Poor. The Masses went well, and the Holy Spirit was really moving with their Spanish and English missions. Thank you for all those who prayed, came, and generously gave. Craig told me regarding the donations, “I will carefully take their gifts to the poor and serve them with their gifts!” Gracias a todos por un fin de semana increíble con Craig y Ramiro de Esperanza de los Pobres. Las Misas salieron bien y el Espíritu Santo realmente se movió con sus presentaciones en español e inglés. Gracias por todos los que rezaron, vinieron y generosamente dieron. Craig me dijo con respecto a las donaciones: "¡Llevaré cuidadosamente sus ofrendas a los pobres y les serviré con sus donativos!". Click title for full column.

Life, if The Lion King is to be trusted, is circular. If we think about habits in our lives, we will almost certainly see a trail of evidence pointing to either a vicious cycle or a virtuous cycle. We do good, doing good bears good fruit; we build a good habit, doing good becomes easier; we do more good. If we do that enough times in enough areas of our lives, and we get just a little bit of luck, we will probably have a moderate level of success. We do bad, doing bad puts us behind the eight ball; we build a bad habit, doing bad becomes easier; we do more bad. If we do that enough times, we probably crash and burn, or we hit rock bottom, see the error of our ways, get help, and start all over. Life, seemingly, is circular. Click on title for full column.

A common fear for those deciding whether or not to set out on the road to holiness is the idea that this life will somehow make us boring. We want to remain uniquely and authentically ourselves, but we also know that conversion, by its very definition, changes us. But when we muster the strength to entrust ourselves to the Lord and allow Him to mold our hearts to be more like His, we find that we are not less ourselves, but more, because we are made in His image and likeness, and are meant to become like Christ. This does not diminish our unique character or story, but rather enriches it, and incorporates us into an ever more beautiful assembly of believers, brought together from across the world and from every age. To become holy is to become truly ourselves, and in unity we can still see the beauty of our distinctions. Click on title for full column.

St. Paul writes about God’s wisdom in his first letter to Corinthians. It is not a wisdom of this age.Rather, we speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden. God’s wisdom still challenges us and makes us uncomfortable. We give thanks and praise that we have a God who is active in purifying us and drawing us closer to Him! A God who yearns to disrupt us for the benefit of our salvation and the salvation of others. Click on title for full column.

How do we determine who gets the credit for impressive results or accomplishments? When an athlete performs at an extraordinary level, commentators talk about the long hours of practice that went into honing their skills. When an employee produces superior results, hopefully it is recognized and praised in their organization, and it is credited to their dedication and talent. When children behave notably well, their parents are praised for raising them right and teaching them discipline and other important habits.   Click on title for full column.

I spend a fair bit of my time talking with engaged couples about their hopes and dreams for their life together. These wonderful couples range from folks who were widowed after forty-plus years of marriage and are now remarrying, all the way down to couples where one or both spouses were born after the turn of the new millennium. It’s quite the spectrum of experience, and the conversations are always illuminating. But one of the things that these couples universally have to do is negotiate on how they will blend their habits and expectations together in marriage. What type of toothpaste, chunky vs. smooth peanut butter, and which side of the bed each party claims all have to be settled. Life and death matters, these. Similarly, we are at the beginning of an ongoing conversation in our family of parishes about how best to unify some of our practices and traditions to be more visibly one in Christ. And while none of you will ever convince me to switch back to smooth peanut butter, I’d like to use this column to introduce a liturgical music practice that we will be introducing across the board come Lent.  Click on title for full column.