……from the Pastor’s Desk Happy Gaudete Sunday! Gaudete Sunday happens every year on the third Sunday of Advent. Back in the 1900’s, when many of us were born – up until the early 1960’s – the words were in Latin: “Gaudete, iterum dico vobis, Gaudete.” Which means; “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, Rejoice!” And so, this Sunday is still…

……from the Pastor’s Desk Feast of the Immaculate Conceptionof the Blessed Virgin Mary This Feast always falls on December 8th. But this year, December 8th is a Sunday. So, since it is such an integral Feast to our Faith – the Church has moved her Feast day to this Monday, December 9th. So, what is this feast all about? So, let us…

……from the Pastor’s Desk Advent To-Do List People ask me what they can ‘do’ during Advent to make it more meaningful. Lent has pretty clear-cut things, but Advent – not so much. In that light here is a practical Advent ‘To-Do-List. Try a few each day, even random numbers. Your world and the world of those around you will be a better…

……from the Pastor’s Desk The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe: This Feast Day is enhanced by asking and answering a few questions:Who is Jesus?What does He mean in your life?We call Him Messiah or Christ. Do those words mean anything to you personally?We call Him Savior, Redeemer and Lord. What effect does this have in your life?In…

……from the Pastor’s Desk WHY DOESN’T GODMAKE THINGS EASIER? Perhaps the most vexing faith-question of all-time is the problem of God’s silence and his seeming indifference: why does God allow evil? Why do bad things happen to good people? If there is an all-powerful and all-loving God, how do you explain that millions of innocent people suffered and died under Hitler, Stalin,…

……from the Pastor’s Desk Worst Day Ever? [please read entirely through] Today was the absolute worst day everAnd don’t try to convince me thatThere’s something good in every dayBecause, when you take a closer look,This world is a pretty evil place.Even ifSome goodness does shine through once in a whileSatisfaction and happiness don’t last.And it’s not true thatIt’s all in the mind…

……from the Pastor’s Desk YOUR VOTE COUNTS This will be the 15th Presidential election in which I am eligible to vote. I also believe it is the most crucial. I must admit that I did not vote in all of them in my early years. A few I thought, ‘oh well, what does one vote really matter’? A few more it seemed…

……from the Pastor’s Desk Halloween – Secular or Sacred? October 31st is Halloween. Many people, especially Christians, dismiss Halloween for what it has become. Fact is though; we are the ones who invented it, or rather, in ancient days ‘converted it’ as we did many other pagan festivals. Halloween is an ancient festival with roots in Celtic pre-Christian times. It was adapted…

……from the Pastor’s Desk I love the fall. And as I quietly contemplate on what I might write, I watch dappled sunlight shifting through trees stirred by a warm, soft and gentle breeze. Leaves that are already on the cusp of turning into beautiful and stunning shades of gold and brown as winter awaits. It reminds me in the beat of a…

……from the Pastor’s Desk There is something appealing about the question in today’s gospel. It comes from a sincere young man who was serious about finding the way to eternal life. It is a serious question, “What must I do to gain eternal life?” He REALLY WANTS an answer. Interestingly enough – In his reply Jesus named a number of commandments, all…