Dear Parishioners, As I stated last weekend in my homilies, I’ve decided to lead any parishioners who want to make the pilgrimage to Philadelphia to see the Pope for the World Meeting of Families. In conversation with a couple of parishioners, I became convinced that this can
Read more →Archive for the Pastor’s Corner Category
Dear Parishioners, On Thursday, February 19, we had another pastoral council meeting. The following is a brief summary: -All the money for the Paulding air-conditioning project has been collected, thanks to very generous donors. The Diocese has given the final approval for the replacement of the old
Read more →Dear Parishioners, This last couple weeks we had the kick-off of the Diocesan Annual Catholic Appeal. I have been told that every household has received a mailing by now. I encourage everybody to give something, no matter how small the gift. Together I’m sure we can reach
Read more →Dear Parishioners, As further follow-up to my beginning marriage preparation in our parish, I want to explain why cohabitation is something unacceptable. Forbidding cohabitation is not primarily a “no”; it is, rather, a huge “yes” to the beauty of married love and the truth of the body
Read more →Dear Parishioners, Because I recently began marriage preparation with two couples, I thought it was necessary in the last bulletin to present the marriage preparation program that we will be using. Because that program includes Natural Family Planning, I want to explain NFP a little bit more
Read more →Dear Parishioners, One of the many strange weaknesses of seminary training in the decades following Vatican II was the lack of concrete instruction on how to do marriage preparation. Thankfully, Pope Saint John Paul II’s famous encyclical Familiaris Consortio, “On the Christian Meaning of Family”, published in my
Read more →Dear Parishioners, On Thursday, January 16th we had another finance council meeting. The following is a brief summary of what was covered: -We looked over the profit-and-loss statement and balance sheet for the current year-to-date, actual vs. budget. -We reviewed the last school endowment statement with its
Read more →Dear Parishioners, I am writing this letter on Friday, January 9th. On the way back from Parkview Hospital this morning I received a call from the Diocese, officially to notify me that the Bishop is assigning me as pastor to Divine Mercy Parish. Up to this time
Read more →Dear Parishioners, Last weekend I mentioned that my cover letter did not make the mailing of the Mass Times Survey. So hearing in writing is what I mentioned from the pulpit in that regard: Please be sure to fill out the survey, even if you do not
Read more →Dear Parishioners, I wonder if there are some parishioners who could benefit from some suggestions, if they have time to read in the area of theology, spirituality, morality, or doctrine. Here are some quick suggestions. For daily devotionals that have a combination of the day’s liturgy, various
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