Dear Parishioner,

    Starting this Sunday, we will be having a parish mission revolving around the Eucharist.  Fr. Britto is an old friend of mine.  We ministered together at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign.  When I met Fr. Britto he belonged to the Salesian order.  He received a doctorate in communications from the U of I. He then taught in Rome for five years.  After that…

29th Sunday of Ordinary Time-17 October 2021

Dear Parishioners,

On November 6th , Seton School will be having its annual fall fundraiser. This is a virtual event. People are encouraged to have parties in their own home. This will start at 6 p.m. This is the largest Seton School fund raiser each year, so we encourage everyone to support our Catholic Grade School. There will be live…

Twenty-eighth Friday of Ordinary Time (Luke 12:1-7)

The way Jewish rabbis preached in Biblical times was much different than what we expect today. We want a sermon to hang together in one coherent idea, but in Jewish preaching there might be a series of ideas strung together. The preaching style was likened to having a string of pearls. Each pearl was a bit of wisdom. This is what the Gospel…

Twenty-eighth Thursday of Ordinary Time (Rm 3:21-30) “Does the Law Keep Me?”

“We are justified by faith, not by works.” This is central to the message of St. Paul. What does this mean? As Catholics we believe in doing works of charity. Does that put us at odds with other Christians? At the time of the Reformation these questions framed the debate between Christian groups.

The controversary…

Twenty-eighth Wednesday of Ordinary Time (Rm 2:1-11) “Lord Have Mercy”

Someone once said that the Epistles of the New Testament are the teachings of the Gospels explained in another way. It would seem this is apparent in the Letter to Romans that we read from today.

Paul is writing to the Jews especially. As part of God’s chosen people, Jewish people sometimes thought they had a…

Twenty-eighth Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Rm. 1:16-25) “Justified by Faith”

The first two verses that we read from the Letter to the Romans this morning gives a synopsis of all Paul’s teaching. Paul talks about two central ideas. One idea is salvation and the other is justification.

When we think of salvation, we often concentrate on the belief that there is life after death. But Paul’s…

Homily- Twenty Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mk 10:17-30).  “What About Bob?”

          “Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my entire will, all that I have and possess.  Thou have given all to me.  To Thee, I return it.  All that is Thine, dispose of it according to Thy will.  Give me Thy love and the grace, for this is sufficient for me.”

         …

Dear Parishioner,

    Fr. Britto Berchmans will be here at Sacred Heart this month for a parish mission.  He will be speaking about the central sacrament for our Catholic faith, Eucharist. As the pandemic drags on, our parish’s Eucharistic life has suffered.  Many people love to participate but have been unable to come.to church.  I was making a communion call and speaking to one such couple…

Twenty-seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Lk. 11:15-26) “Not Everyone has Clay Feet”

It is hard to believe in heroes anymore. Perhaps it is because we live in the age of the internet. If a person makes a mistake the news is sent around the world in an instant. If that is bad enough, rumors and inuendo are shared and if such stories are in the media, they are presumed true. If a person decides…

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary-----“A Prayer That Can Touch Us All”

“Knock and the door will be open to you.” The reading from the gospel of Luke alludes to personal prayer. Prayer is considered by some to be creative time wasting. For others it is a time of resting in the embrace of God.

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Rosary. The Rosary is an interesting prayer form, but it…