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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.

Very often it happens that a Gospel comes up in the lectionary rotation that proves difficult to preach on in a way that is both true to the text and also reasonably easy for us to accept. Even more rare are the times when a difficult Gospel actually coincides with a difficult lesson we need to learn. I always seem to get terrible combinations like a 50th wedding anniversary blessing falling on the Sunday when Jesus tells his disciples that there is no marriage in Heaven. But this week’s Gospel happens to coincide with something that the staff has been working towards for some time now, and it’s an opportunity for us to confront a challenge head on. Click title for full column.

There are a great many warnings about the danger of meeting one’s heroes. So many, in fact, that I suspect I could fill this entire column with them without ever getting to the point I wish to make. But instead of ruminating on the time a friend of mine was brushed aside by Joe Buck in an elevator, or the immense amount of research I did to make sure Paul Simon was still worth seeing before going to his farewell tour, I’ll get right down to a lesson learned from a great man I had the pleasure of knowing at least briefly. Click on title for full column.

A message from the clergy of the Winton Wyoming Pastoral Region. In light of the deeply disturbing sexual abuse revelations of the last couple of months, our Pastoral Region will host a Day of Prayer for the Church and Victims of Abuse on Friday, September 13 at Our Lady of the Rosary. The day of prayer will begin with Mass at 8:30 am and includes Scripture readings, group prayer, intercessory prayer and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament throughout the day.    The Day of Prayer will conclude with Benediction and Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 7:30 pm.   We ask that you all prayerfully consider joining us at some point during this day as we pray for the healing of all victims of the grave sin of sexual abuse and for the Church.  Click on title for schedule of day of prayer

The WWPR Labor Day Mass is 9:00 am, Monday, September 2, at St. James of the Valley Click on title.

Just two weeks ago I sat here, writing an exhortation to my flock to not despair, and to always maintain faith in the Church even as her frail, weak, sometimes abominable human ministers and leaders offered us the gravest causes for scandal, seemingly week in and week out. Once again, here I sit, having to take a dose of my own medicine (one of my least favorite things to do, by the way), striving to sift through the gathering cloud of darkness that once again obscures the goodness of Christ’s bride, the Church. Click title for full column.

For our last summer series we will meet in the St. James Media Room at 7:00 pm on Thursday August 22 for a discussion on St.Therese of Lisieux.

There will be a prayer service starting at 6:00 pm (before the Assumption Mass) on Thursday, August 15 at Our Lady of the Rosary so that we can have prayer time for the victims of the recent violence and shootings that occurred in Texas, California and in Dayton, Ohio. - 6:00pm: opening the church and lighting candles. Time for a personal silent prayer. - 6:25pm: Opening song - 6:28pm: Divine Mercy Chaplets - Chanted followed with the Litany of the divine Mercy. - 6:50pm: Song for peace.

Vigil Mass: Wednesday, August 14 7:00 pm, St. James of the Valley Holy Day Masses: Thursday, August 15 12:10 pm, St. Matthias 7:00 pm, Our Lady of the Rosary

I have long been given to bold declarations; so much so that I don’t think people really take me seriously when I say that something is “the best” or “the absolute worst” in the world. But as news broke over the last week or so concerning priests being put on leave in the Archdiocese and the mistakes in handling the situations that took place, I thought of two “bests” that I often trumpet. Click on title for full column.