If you drive by the rectory later this week you might catch a glimpse of a menorah in one of our windows. You might wonder “Why?” The simple answer: it’s part of our prayer for peace and justice in the Holy Land. Yes, as I write these words hostages and prisoners have been released. We certainly hope that the ceasefire becomes a step toward lasting peace. But, just as disturbing as the terrorist violence in Gaza has been the antisemitic words and actions in North America and Europe. Those situations need to be part of our prayer as well. As Catholics, w...

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I don’t like to rush into Christmas. I think Advent is a great concept and I want us to keep Advent well—a particular challenge this year when Advent is very, very short! But, since a month from now we’ll be at Christmas Day itself, let me talk about the Mass schedule for December 24 and 25. This is our first year with one priest to celebrate Masses—for Saturday/Sunday, December 23/24 the 4th Sunday of Advent and Sunday/Monday, December 24/25 as Christmas Eve and Day! It’s a challenging conjunction of days every 5 or 6 years. Our schedule th...

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These past few months I’ve been listening to Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Catechism in a Year podcast. It follows the same pattern of his Bible in a Year— relatively manageable readings from the catechism, context, and commentary from Fr. Schmitz, all accomplished in 15 to 20-minute segments. The other morning I listened to the section on the Eucharist and was reminded of a truth that I’ve long known, but one that bears repeated. Father reminded us that Eucharist is both a noun and a verb. The consecrated bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ is Euch...

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No one needs to tell us we need priests. More priests. We know what Christians said from the beginning: No Church without Eucharist, no Eucharist without priests. But, as I learned when I went to our annual Priest’s Convocation a few weeks ago, sometimes we need to be told that we—the Church, after all—need to do some work if we’re to have the priests (and the religious sisters and brothers) we need. We need to pray for vocations (one of the few prayer intentions that Christ himself gave us when he taught us “to ask the harvest Master to send w...

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Scary and fun. Journeys into darkness and light. This world and the next. The living and the dead. It’s all part of the three days that bring us from October into November: Halloween, All Saints and All Souls. Let’s not forget to pray these mysterious (in the best, the most sacred, sense of the word) days. We all know how to do Halloween. But, remember what lies behind the costumes, the tricks, and the treats. We’re delving into the dark side so that we can journey to the brilliance of the next day—All Saints. All Saints Day we celebrate and ask the ...

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Last week I gave you a glimpse of a couple of upcoming events. One of them—the one happening this week— may require a little more explanation. I’m talking about the 40 Hours Devotion. Some of you have asked: Just what is this? Why are we doing this now? First, 40 Hours Devotion consists of a few days (usually three—the “40 hours” more or less corresponds to the time Christ’s body was in the tomb) of Eucharistic Adoration. After morning Mass the host is placed in the monstrance. People are encouraged to visit the church for quiet pra...

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“Something old, something new…” So began the old adage about what a bride should have on her person on her wedding day. As a Church we’re looking at some new and old things these coming weeks. First, a reminder that today at St. Boniface we begin a new approach to how we come to the altar for communion. Let’s be patient with each other. Try to remember which way we’re supposed to go. Remember why we opted for this change: to offer a more reverent way for all of us to receive the Lord’s Body and Blood. Secondly, the Williamspo...

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When the American Bishops invited us to a Eucharistic Revival, they wanted us to experience more than words or ideas. Yes, we can talk about the right theology. We can remember what our second-grade catechists told us about bread that becomes Body, and wine that changes into Blood. They wanted us to reflect on how we pray this mystery, and how we celebrate our Eucharist. Next weekend we’ll start to see some changes— largely at St. Boniface Masses—in the way we come to communion. You’ll see a map for those changes in this week's bulletin.  We...

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Today, Respect Life Sunday reminds us each year of our deeply held Catholic belief that all life, from conception until natural death, matters. This year the Bishop’s Conference has chosen to focus on St. Joseph as “the protector of life.” I was particularly moved by a series of images on their website, pictures of Joseph as one who protects life. First, Joseph dreams about Mary’s unexpected and complicated pregnancy. Next, Joseph knocks on doors in Bethlehem looking for somewhere to stay. Then, Joseph with Mary and her newborn Son. Finally, Jos...

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I’ve already written the check. Yes, I’ve already written my check to the Diocesan Annual Appeal. Why? To stop the flow of repeated letters inviting my donation? To help my parish communities reach their goal earlier? Well, in part, yes. But, it’s more about gratitude. I’m grateful for the education I was given in my seminary. I didn’t pay for that—you, the Church, did! And I thank you! I’m grateful that this Diocese continues to support seminarians—like Andrew—ensuring that we will have priests and Eucharist into our fu...

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