News - February 2024

If you weren’t present for the mission, you missed some wonderful talks by our presenter Beth Knobbe. On the first night she spoke of the surety of God’s love for us, no matter what. When she spoke of forgiveness, on the second night, two words stuck with me – humility and generosity. In the context of forgiveness, we must be humble to ask for forgiveness and generously forgive others. In the context of this Sunday’s first reading, the people of Israel were assured of God’s love for them through his saving acts in their lives; and through the commandments they were called to love both God and neighbor...

Simply put, the Lenten season prepares us for the celebration of Easter, the most important day in our Christian calendar. For some it is a time of healing, an opportunity to repair their spiritual brokenness. For others it is simply a good time to cultivate their spiritual lives in a more disciplined manner. For all of us it is a truly rewarding time to embrace the ancient triad of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in a more focused way...

We talk about the three traditional pillars of Lent:  Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Let’s look at how those last two can work together for our Lenten preparation. If “fasting” means “doing without” and “almsgiving” means stewardship, then our opportunities for a fruitful Lent become clearer...

We invite you to take a handheld cross to use as a small reminder of the cross Christ carried for us, or as a gift to someone as a sign of your support and prayers for the cross they carry.

We have begun our Lenten journey in earnest, with all the good intentions of embracing the disciplines of fasting, prayer and almsgiving. We may have renewed some of the tried and tested resolutions, such as giving up chocolate, booze, caffeine or gossiping about others. We may have resolved to attend Mass throughout the forty-days of Lent, or on the Sundays of Lent. Or perhaps we have decided that as a family we will pray together each day through the season...

The Lenten season begins this week, our preparation for the celebration of Easter. It is a time for us Christians to embrace the “three pillars of Lent,” prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, in a focused way...

Thank you for your many prayers and well wishes for a successful surgery. On January 29, I had revision surgery on my right knee, which was replaced in 2011. This surgery was necessary as the button behind the kneecap was loose. My recovery time also gives me time to ponder and prepare for the season of Lent...

As the memory of our COVID ordeal fades away, as we continue to maintain our Sunday giving, as we focus on the need to replenish our parish endowments for the funds spend on our unexpected expenses for repairs in recent years to the basilica, and as we look ahead to our one single parish-wide annual fundraiser, the United Parish Program (UPP) on May 17...