A couple of Sundays ago, I made the announcement at the weekend Masses that the Diocese has assigned a permanent deacon to our parish. The name of our new deacon is Deacon Art Gerstner.

The Letter of Saint James says “Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters (priests) of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14-15).

Pray for our nation. Pray for many blessings upon it.

Avail yourself to Sacraments of the Church as frequently as possible.

Are spiritual retreats appropriate for non-priests? Yes!

Next weekend, our parish is celebrating our first wedding of the summer. The bride is my niece.

What is a member-minister? It is a member of the parish who does the work of Jesus Christ.

The momentum of our church is building.

Thank you to all of you who have prayed for our Bishop’s Appeal and especially for those who have been able to make a donation.

In this letter, I would like to cover three things that are coming up.

What does Jesus expect of us?

A vocation into one of these ways of life is not an accident. It is first and foremost a call from God Himself.

Ideally, throughout a person’s visit to St. Francis Xavier, I would hope that they are welcomed four times.

Many Catholics do not know the Holy Spirit well. This has got to change.

The Resurrection of Jesus proves that He is trustworthy. Jesus is alive!

We are entering the most holy time of the year, Holy Week and the Sacred Paschal Triduum.

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus begins his preaching with these words, “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

What does it mean to belong to a parish?

The bishops urge Catholics to “pray, form your conscience, vote, and remain engaged in civic life.”

One of the common pastoral situations in our parish is family members who no longer go to Church. My situation is no different. I feel so helpless.