Although we continue to be in the grip of winter, Lent begins on Wednesday and, like almost everything else this year, Ash Wednesday will be a little different.  Following Archdiocesan guidelines, ashes will be sprinkled in silence on your head rather than being imposed on your foreheads in the sign of a cross.  This is already the practice in much of the world; it follows the example we see throughout the Bible (cf. Jdt. 4:11; Est. 4:16; 1 Mc. 3:47) and avoids the physical contact that many people fear during […]

Every year since the fateful Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973 legalizing abortion in our country, we have been called to reflect on the Gospel mandate to protect human life from conception to natural death.  This year marks the 25^th anniversary of promulgation of Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) which reaffirms the value and inviolability of every human life.  I would like to offer a summary of this prophetic encyclical for your reflection:

The Gospel of Life is at the heart of […]

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40).  Next weekend, we will join with all parishes throughout the country in taking up the annual collection for Catholic Relief Services.  Founded 76 years ago, it now serves 136 million people in 110 countries on five continents.  As so many impoverished people around the world struggle in the face of the coronavirus that just adds another layer of dire need to their already difficult lives, CRS is helping in […]

I hope you all had a good New Year.  As we prepared for our first Parish Finance Council meeting of the New Year, my staff and I discovered some very telling and encouraging data that I want to share with all of you.  Despite the challenges that all of you have faced as we continue to navigate this coronavirus pandemic, your financial support of your parish has been unflagging.  Even though only about half of those who ordinarily attend Sunday Mass are coming – and I certainly appreciate and understand […]

“And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. …And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:15ff).  As we continue our celebration of the Christmas Octave with the celebration of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, my heart is filled with thanks and joy as I once again celebrate Christmas with you here at St. Katharine of Siena Parish!  This is my tenth year to celebrate […]