Sunday Sermon, October 24 -- The Virtues Expected of Priests, and the Signs of a Priestly Vocation

 St Paul, in his Letter to the Hebrews, shows us the excellence of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Inspire by this, we consider the virtues required of priests and answering the call of God to be a priest.

The hallmark virtues/characteristics of a good priest are:  Faith, piety/reverence in Mass, devotion to the saints, generosity with offering the sacraments, and sufficient knowledge of theology.  This is a cause of joy for the priest and a great consolation to the people.

Signs of a vocation are a healthy desire for marriage and family life, but a willingness to sacrifice this for the sake of worshipping God at Mass and saving souls through preaching and the sacraments. We strongly encourage all young men to consider the vocation to the priesthood!

Listen online [here]!

Adult Faith Formation, October 19th -- Carmelite Spirituality, Session 2 -- Historical Notes on the Carmelites; Introduction to the Three Ages of the Interior Life

 Course objectives: In this session, we review the biographies of St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross as well as the reform of the Carmelite Order.

Sunday Sermon, October 17 - On Humility, and Suffering Persecutions

 James and John strive for the highest place of honor, and the other 10 Apostles are jealous. They are all yet beginners in the spiritual life. However, they will learn the virtue of humility - especially when they see it in our Savior.

We also discuss the Litany of Humility.

Listen online [here]!

Parish Dinner -- Feast of St Luke -- October 18th

Join us for a Solemn Mass on Monday, October 18th at 5:30pm -- Feast of St Luke, the patron of our church building!

Followed by Father Ryan's Famous Brisket parish dinner at 7pm!

Bring family and friends - all are welcome! (Father is cooking up about 90 pounds of brisket!)

[also note the following changes to the parish schedule these weeks (on account of the Diocesan Synod) --   no 7am Mass or afternoon confessions on Friday, Oct 15; added 5:30pm Mass on Friday, Oct 15; no afternoon confessions on Thursday, Oct 21; no 7am Mass or afternoon confessions on Friday, Oct 22; no 9am Mass on Saturday, Oct 23.]  

[Added 5:30pm Mass on Monday, Nov 1 (All Saints Day, not a holy day of obligation this year).  Three All Souls Day Masses at 5:30pm on Tuesday, Nov 2]

Adult Faith Formation, October 12th -- Carmelite Spirituality, Session 1 -- Introduction to Christian Prayer and Carmelite Spirituality

 Course objectives: In this class, the first of seven, we give an overview of the Catholic approach to the spiritual life. We see, especially from the writings of St Teresa of Avila, what are the common pitfalls to spiritual growth and why many modernist approaches to prayer (for example, eastern style mediations like yoga or centering prayer) will be most injurious to the soul.  We also give an outline of how to make a holy hour (or even to take thirty minutes in mental prayer).

Sunday Sermon, October 10th -- Gaining Eternal Life

The rich man asked our Lord, "What must I do to gain eternal life?"  The problem with this question is twofold. First, he underestimates the state of man after the fall: Without God's grace, there is nothing we can possibly to to attain salvation.  Second, he takes too narrow and legalistic a read of the Commandments - he does not understand that to "not kill" means not only not to murder but not even to have anger towards our neighbor, etc.

However, by God's grace, all is possible - even eternal life!  Furthermore, Our Lord tells St Peter that any sacrifice we make for God is really no sacrifice at all, since we receive an hundredfold in this life, and eternal salvation in the life to come.

Listen online [here]!

Changes to the Parish Schedule in October and early days of November

Please note a few changes to the parish schedule in the next couple weeks.


Wednesday, October 13th - No afternoon confessions. Pro-life 40 Days for Life Procession from Lourdes to PP and back, 5:30-6:30pm.

Friday, October 15th - No 7am Mass, No afternoon confessions. (Father Ryan is at Diocesan Synod). 
There will be a 5:30pm Mass.

Monday, October 18th - Feast of St Luke! Solemn Mass, 5:30pm. Parish brisket dinner, 7pm.


Thursday, October 21st - No afternoon confessions (Father Ryan is at the Diocesan Synod)

Friday, October 22nd - No 7am Mass. No afternoon confessions. (Father Ryan is at the Diocesan Synod)

Saturday, October 23rd - No 9am Mass. (Father Ryan is at Diocesan Synod)


Monday, November 1st - 5:30pm Mass for All Saints Day (Not a holy day of obligation this year).

Tuesday, November 2nd - 5:30pm Masses for All Souls Day

Sunday Sermon, October 3rd -- Holy Marriages and the Family Rosary

The institution of marriage has suffered three great assaults in our Nation: the proliferation of contraception, the permitting of no-fault divorce, and the recent re-definition of marriage between a man and a woman.

What can Catholics do to have a happy and holy marriage? Certainly the family Rosary is key!  This gains us the grace to sacrifice for the others in our family, and to be truly kind.

Finally, we note that the massive energy, time, and money that the Church commits to youth ministry is largely wasted and shows almost no real benefit (though certainly helpful in particular cases, the general trend is toward the ever greater apostacy of our youth). However, if children come from intact, Catholic homes, they remain likely to continue the practice of the faith into adulthood. The answer is not more and more youth ministry (as important as that is), but primarily to promote marriage enrichment and strong Catholic family life.

Listen online [here]!

Sunday Sermon, September 26th -- On Occasions of Sin and Our Emotions

 We know that we must avoid occasions of sin in order to grow in holiness. However, we often forget that giving into excessive emotions can itself be an occasion of sin.  While emotions are not sinful in themselves, many emotions are dangerous -- if we desire to advance in the spiritual life, we do well not to give into anger or sadness, or jealousy.

Listen online [here]!

Sunday Sermon, September 19th -- What do you pray for most?

 What we pray for reveals the state of our soul.  So often, our prayer is directed by our passions rather than by the plan of God.  If we desire for our prayers to be answered, we must place salvation above all else - and only ask for other good things insofar as the good God knows that they will help us to be saved.

Listen online [here]!

Sunday Sermon, September 12th -- Faith, Works, and Merit

 The primary disagreement between Protestants and Catholics regarding faith and works really boils down to the philosophical question of causality.  Because God is primary cause (the first cause) and man is only a secondary cause (though free and morally significant), grace does not destroy human cooperation but rather allows man to merit eternal life.

Listen online [here]!

Sunday Sermon, September 5th -- The Messianic Secret and Medieval Biblical Scholarship

 Why does Jesus so often (especially in St Mark's Gospel) tell the disciples not to reveal to anyone that he is the Messiah?  

While modern biblical scholars (mostly heretics) have all sorts of banal theories, the great Catholic biblical scholars of the scholastic and counter-reformation periods shed true light upon this question!

Listen online [here]!

Sunday Sermon, August 29th -- Catholic Practices are Not Mere Human Traditions

 Christ rebukes the Pharisees for teaching as doctrines human traditions. Some use this passage to criticize the traditions of the Church - especially those related to fasting and penance, as well as those related to the rubrics of the liturgy. However, these are not mere human traditions but rather are the greatest aids in keeping the divine commandments. Further, these traditions are rooted in apostolic practice and discipline, and have been handed down through the ages under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Listen online [here]!

Sunday Sermon, August 22nd -- The "Hard Doctrine" of Marriage Reveals the Union of Christ and the Church

 The teachings of Christ and his Church on marriage (especially that it is permanent until death, and that it must be open to children and never using contraception) are considered "hard teachings" in the world today. However, this doctrine reveals that Christ will always remain united to his Church (even as a man and woman can never dissolve a ratified, consummated, sacramental marriage - Christ can never abandon the Church and the Church will never abandon Christ). Further, we see the missionary call of the Church reflected in the way that marriage is ordered toward children.

Listen online [here]!

Sunday Sermon, August 15th -- The Assumption of St Joseph

 In this year of St Joseph, as we celebrate the feast of the Assumption of Mary, we consider the solid traditions related to the privileges of St Joseph.  To be prepared for his special role in the history of salvation, as spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and father guardian of the Savior, St Joseph received many graces:  born without original sin, preserved from mortal sin and perhaps even from all deliberate venial sin, the subduing of all adverse passions, a most holy death, and even bodily assumption into heaven.

Listen online [here]!

Sunday Sermon, August 1st -- The Bread of Life Discourse, Not a Metaphor

 We discuss the place of the Bread of Life Discourse at the heart of St John's Gospel and how the Eucharist far exceeds the miracle of the manna in the wilderness.

Listen online [here]!