Last spring, Deacon McCarroll created a poster—a picture of his face superimposed on an image of Uncle Sam. “Deacon McCarroll Needs You to be a Eucharistic Minister!” That silly image worked. You responded, and we’ve had communion ministers to help at weekend Masses.I don’t have a fun poster for you. But I have a need. It’s not really my need exactly. It comes from Jesus, the Jesus who said (and will one day again say): “I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me to drink. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” People...

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Part of our work for our upcoming linkage between St. Ann and St. Boniface Parishes was creating a new Mass schedule. You read a little bit about that two weeks ago when we described the work of our transition teams from the two parishes. Now it’s time to talk about the results. But first, a little bit about the process. Between St. Ann Parish and St. Boniface Parish, we currently have 7 weekend Masses (3 on Saturday evening, 4 on Sunday morning). In addition, we have 9 weekday Masses between us.   While we’re promised a second priest in July, we&...

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Did you notice where the gospel ended today? It didn’t feel like the conclusion of other stories, did it? We didn’t hear the words “…and they lived happily ever after”! Instead, at the Easter Vigil, the gospel ended, “Their story seemed like nonsense, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb, bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.” Hardly the happy ending we might have expected. Then this morning we hear John’s account ending with the words:...

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We’ve come to a busy week.  A Holy Week for the Church.   And not just a Holy Week because these things happened to Jesus of Nazareth almost 2000 years ago. A Holy Week because our celebration builds up our faith and strengthens us for our witness to the world. And it only works if we show up! Let’s think about the moments when we need especially to be Church this week: Holy Thursday.  Our celebration of the Lord’s death and resurrection begins with the 7 pm Mass, the Mass that recalls the beginning of Christ’s Passion, his gift ...

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Remember spring cleaning? When the days grew longer and the temperature rose, people would set about cleaning their homes and their yards. Leaves were raked and gutters emptied out. Open windows let in fresh air. Winter sweaters were put in mothballs. Lighter clothing was pulled out of storage. Floors were mopped, carpets swept, and old food from the back of the fridge was tossed. Some of that spring cleaning is connected to Lent and Easter. People expected guests for the great holiday. Special foods needed to be prepared. We wanted our homes to look their best, our k...

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Last week I entertained the question “Father, how often should I go to confession?” This week, let’s think about the next question I usually get: “And, Father, what do I say when I get there?” Confession begins when we examine our conscience. And that begins with prayer. You don’t know what you’re supposed to say? Ask the Holy Spirit. After all, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would lead us to all truth. I imagine that includes the truth about ourselves. The Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to us. We might tend to beat up on...

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Father, how often should I come to confession? I get that question a lot. Sometimes from nonbelievers who want to understand this strange religious system of ours. Sometimes from people interested in becoming Catholic—they want to know just what they’re getting into. Sometimes from Catholics who are confused about the messages they’ve received— everything from “God doesn’t really care about sin anymore” to “Why aren’t you like Mother Teresa or John Paul II, who when to confession every single week?” The answe...

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Last Sunday afternoon I was sitting in St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton. I had traveled over there for the Rite of Election—an important part of the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) which used to be called Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). As I sat there waiting for the liturgy to begin, I realized just how long it had been since I last participated in that particular ceremony. For many years of my priesthood, I had to skip that rite because I had evening Mass responsibilities. Since coming here, my Sunday afternoons and evenings ha...

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I know I’ve driving home this pilgrimage aspect of the Holy Year pretty often. But, it’s a treasured part of our Catholic faith. I’d hate to have the next several months to pass by and have us think: “I could have participated, I could have done something…”  Now we are fortunate to have a pilgrimage site in one of our churches. But, that doesn’t stop us from finding other sites as well. Think of it this way: As we travel, for work or for vacation, we’re passing pilgrimage sites all along the way. After the Broadway sh...

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From time to time, I hear people assert that the Church had done away with something. Friday penance or Sunday Mass obligation, confession, or indulgences. Usually, it’s accompanied by an appeal to an event (like Vatican II) or a person (like the Pope). “Didn’t Vatican II  get rid of that?” “Didn’t Pope Francis change that?” Truth: none of the aforementioned items have been changed. Not by a Council, not by the pope, not even by the synodal process. Check out how often Pope Francis has invited u...

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