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There are some topics that are forever controversial when it comes to Church teaching. Untold thousands of preachers have shied away from speaking a difficult truth with love when it comes to marriage, tithing, and morality throughout the years. While it would be next to impossible to determine what the most difficult teaching to embrace is, I will tell you that this week’s Gospel ranks as one of the Gospel passages or teachings that is virtually guaranteed to start a fight wherein people end up hating me. The absence of marriage in heaven sometimes seems to be second only to lengthy debates about whether or not there are pets in heaven… Click on title for full column.

On Saturday, November 16 starting at 10:00 am, WWPR will celebrate the anniversary of the Apparition of Our Lady of Kibeho by having a procession with a statue of Our Lady of Kibeho, prayers and Mass at St. Matthias.  A reception will follow in Lonsway Hall. Each year the feast day of Our Lady of Kibeho is celebrated in commemoration of the first apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Kibeho. All are invited.

The Sixth Annual Bible Reading Novena will be held Wednesday, November 6 through Thursday,November 14 from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm (except during Mass and Adoration) in the Chapel at St. James of the Valley. Please come to read,listen and pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Click title for more information.

I have had, throughout my life, any number of unrealistic dreams. While I’m past the point of hoping that my glove and smooth swing will land me on a major league roster, there are still a few pipe dreams that I indulge in. One of them comes to the fore every November, when the Church prays for the souls of the faithful departed. Ideally, I would like to die at the stroke of midnight on November 2, as the Feast of All Souls begins. Then I plan to coast to Eternal Life on a cloud of prayers intended for those in most need of God’s Mercy, as the Fatima prayer would have it. In an ideal world, I would like to be concelebrating Mass with the Archbishop at that time, dive in front of an attack meant for him, and then receive the Apostolic Pardon from him at the altar. We pray to St. Joseph for the grace of a happy death, and anything worth doing is worth overdoing, right? Click title for full column.

On Saturday, November 2, 7:00 pm at Our Lady of the Rosary, the Winton Wyoming Pastoral Region will offer a Mass in prayer for the souls of our departed parishioners and for all the faithful departed. While our regional All Souls Mass will use the prayers and readings of the Feast day, because it falls during the hours of obligation, attendance at this Mass fulfills the obligation of Catholics to attend Mass on Sunday. Click title for more information.

This is a day of obligation for all the faithful to attend Mass. All Saints' Day is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church celebrated annually on November 1. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church, that is, all those who have attained heaven. It should not be confused with All Souls' Day, which is observed on November 2, and is dedicated to those who have died and not yet reached heaven. Click title for Mass schedule.

I am immensely blessed to have the opportunity to live in community with two other priests, my classmates, Fr. Matt Feist and Fr. Eric Roush. In addition to the fact that it is generally unhealthy for people to live in isolation, there are many benefits to having people around. We provide opportunities to serve one another, to deny ourselves for the sake of growing in holiness, and having someone at home to tell you whether or not you’re being crazy when you come home and talk about the day. Perhaps a prime example of this is the exponential decrease that I have seen in the instances where I talk to myself. Because I don’t want to disturb my housemates, nor do I want them to think that I am insane, I no longer hold full blown conversations with myself in the halls of my home. It probably isn’t cause for my canonization, but it certainly does take some self-control, as I love both talking and singing to myself. Click title for full column.

I have found that sometimes Jesus’ beautiful turn of phrase and lofty language masks what is actually a very simple point in His teaching. This week’s Gospel tells the story of a wicked judge who doesn’t have any integrity and doesn’t care about the people over whom he has authority. But even in his wickedness he doesn’t want to anger a persistent older woman for fear of invoking her wrath. If you boil this story down to its essential elements it comes out to a fairly simple lesson: irritate God into doing what you want Him to. Click title for full column.

TONIGHT is THE NIGHT! School of Faith Interior Life Series in the Winton Wyoming Pastoral Region at Our Lady of the Rosary Church. EVERYONE, from EVERYWHERE, WELCOME! There is no cost for attending! Click title for more information.

Every year on confirmation day, I am amazed to see so many young people and their families packed in the cathedral. It brings memories of my confirmation day: I got up around 4:30 am, got ready and walked three and half hours to our parish. We were hundreds of children from all over the parish. In 1986, there were not many people with cameras to take pictures. Even though I do not have a confirmation picture, I hold in my heart and mind the beauty of that day. In fact, I was eager to receive this sacrament because I worked for it. I could not wait to see what the Spirit would do in my life and with my life. Click title for full article.

There will be a Public Rosary Rally, sponsored by America Needs Fatima Organization, on Saturday, October 12. It will be held on the St. Matthias front lawn at 8:45 am following the 8:00 am Mass. Click on title for more information.

This week, I lead off with one of my favorite sentences with which to begin a column: By the time you read this, I will be on vacation, kicking up my feet with a banjo in solitude. Over the next few days I will be celebrating my ten-year college reunion with friends, preparing for a close friend’s wedding, and then doing nothing more than participating in wholesome, authentic leisure. Click title for full column.

The St. James Fellowship Group will be hosting a Chili Challenge Cook-off on Saturday, October 19 after the 4:30 Mass at St. James.  We hope to field all kinds of chili: traditional Cincinnati chili, Southwest Style, White, Sausage,Turkey, Firehouse, Vegetarian, Verde, Pumpkin,Beer, 3 or 5 Alarm…What is your specialty? All you need to do is bring a (labeled!) crock-pot of chili before the 4:30 Mass. The Fellowship Group will provide sampling cups and condiments. The winner will get bragging rights for a year and a fancy brand-new clean apron! Fr. McCullough was last year's winner! Who is next??? To enter your chili, please click here or contact Beth Kiley at kileytim@msn.com Click here for entry form.

There is a constant temptation, both as a pastor and as a human being, to follow the path of least resistance. It’s much easier to find some sort of DVD series about the faith, plop people down in front of it and press play than it is to find real, engaging speakers or topics for us to encounter Christ together as a parish family. When a crisis emerges in the Church, the temptation is to either bury our heads in the sand or throw some resource at people in the hopes of sparing ourselves a difficult conversation. Click title for full article.

Monday, September 30, Dan Egan will be our guest speaker on the topic of Catholics and Evangelism at 7:00 pm at Our Lady of the Rosary. The presentation will review what the scriptures teach us about evangelization. Dan will discuss methods to better prepare yourself to evangelize, and some helpful techniques on how to evangelize to others. Expect an informative evening with Dan – we hope to see you there! Click title for more information.

In an effort to serve you better, starting Monday, September 23 the parish offices will combine in the OLR Parish Activity Center (PAC). Office hours are Monday thru Friday from 9:00 am–3:00 pm.

Saturday, September 28, following the 4:30 pm Mass, St. Matthias will hold its annual Oktoberfest! Save the date for food, music featuring Sound Body Jazz Orchestra, Split the Pot and Prize Baskets that are bigger and better than ever!   Click title for more information.

There are a few Gospels that I almost shudder at when their turn rolls around in the lectionary. Sometimes Jesus’ teaching is so nuanced, subtle, and difficult to understand on the surface that I worry that preaching about it will do more harm than good, either due to my inability to convey His wisdom or due to people only half-paying attention to a mediocre homily. So when Jesus tells us explicitly in this week’s Gospel to “make friends with dishonest wealth” and lifts up as an example a man who is essentially committing financial fraud, I am forced to ask myself how to reconcile this with all the financial controls we have in place to make sure embezzlement is impossible. Click on title for full article.

Sister Community Fundraising Dinner Supporting El Salvadoran Community Jardines de Colon Scholarship and Leadership Mission Making a difference by funding education! Sister Community - since 1995 Click title for full article.

One of the most difficult things to do, both in one’s professional life and in personal relationships, is to disagree pointedly with a big plan that someone important has. If the boss comes in and is extremely excited about a course of action that literally everyone else on his or her staff can plainly see is not only going to fail, but is going to fail spectacularly, it puts everyone in a tough spot. What is the prudent thing to do? Let it play out and have them learn the lesson the hard way? Or speak up to prevent a catastrophe and risk being labeled as a naysayer? Either way, one thing is certain: it’s always easier to speak up and voice one’s opinion if there is a foundation of trust. Perhaps that trust is why families are much more free and open in telling one another when their plans are just plain dumb. Click on title for full article.