“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  This is how we Christians begin all our prayers because we believe in and worship a triune God.  But, what do we actually mean when we say that God is a Trinity?  As we celebrate Trinity Sunday, allow me to offer some reflections on this very important mystery of our faith.

First of all, it is important to realize we are dealing with a mystery, a reality that is well beyond our total understanding, just as […]

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.  And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.  Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

(Acts 2:1-4)

With this dramatic description, we hear today the evangelist […]

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him.  But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you. (Jn. 14:15-17)

As we prepare to come to the end of the Easter season once again with the celebration of Pentecost Sunday next week, I would like to offer some reflections on the importance […]

As Jesus hung on the cross, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son,” and to his beloved disciple, John, “Behold, your mother.”  From early in the Church, Mary has been seen as the Mother of the Church.  As any mother who loves her children, Mary cares for us and will intercede for us whenever we turn to her in need.

Throughout the Church’s history, we have often turned to Mary in our particular time of need.   In 593AD, tradition tells of Pope St. Gregory the Great carrying the icon […]

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers of the parish and the mothers of all our parishioners!  We all know how important our mothers have been to us as we grew up and so we join with our nation in honoring them today.  And, as we are still in a stay-at-home state due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we become even more aware of the essential role they play in our homes in ways that we may have taken for granted in the past.

So often I hear Mother’s Day derided by […]

We celebrated the feast of our patron, St. Catherine of Siena, this past Wednesday and, as I reflected on her life, I also turned to our stained glass window in church for inspiration.  Like so many of our stained glass windows, this one is filled with symbolism that teaches us about our patron saint.  So, I would like to tell you about this window.  First, however, allow me to offer you a brief biography of our patron saint; you may be surprised how much our time has in common with […]