Padre’s Points to Ponder

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, As the Christmas season comes to a close, we begin Ordinary Time with the tremendous (and luminous) mystery of the Baptism of the Lord, a moment of salvation history absolutely loaded with significance and grace.   Three things happen when a person is validly baptized: 1) All sin is forgiven, … Continued

The Humble Place God Chose to Reveal Himself On this Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, I invite our eyes to be drawn to the quiet, tender scene of Bethlehem once more: Mary, Joseph, and the Child Jesus gathered together in the humble shelter of a manger. It is an image of peace and … Continued

Padre’s Points to Ponder – 12/26/25 Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ, MERRY CHRISTMAS!  Christ is born in Bethlehem, the King of Kings, Emmanuel, the Messiah, the Word of God “now in flesh appearing”.  He is the cause of our joy and our hope, He is the source of faith and love. During this Christmas … Continued

Padre’s Points to Ponder – December 19 As this bulletin will serve for both the 4th week of Advent and for Christmas Day, my heart is drawn to reflect on the manger again…as it waits to receive the Newborn King.  After St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother were denied room anywhere else in Bethlehem, they approached … Continued

Padre’s Points to Ponder – 12/12/25 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Blessed Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday to you all! Every Sunday, we walk through the doors of the church carrying many things with us: our joys and worries, our children and calendars, our successes and failures from the rest of the week. And yet, once … Continued

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Every year, we are reminded to “Keep Christ in Christmas,” but this 2nd Sunday of our Advent journey I want to invite us again to “Keep Christmas in Christmas”. Christmas is indeed a wonderful time of the year, but it is its own season, starting with the Vigil of … Continued

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus Christ is King of the Universe.  There is no higher authority or greater sovereignty than His.  May He reign in my heart and yours, enthroned as the Matchless King for all eternity. As we celebrate this great feast day at the end of Ordinary Time, I wanted to … Continued

Dear All Saints parish family, Every man carries within him both strength and struggle, both the desire to lead, protect, and provide, but also wounds and weariness that can make faith and family life heavy at times. The Redeemed retreat, offered by the John Paul II Healing Center and hosted here at All Saints, is … Continued

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, The Second Vatican Council that convened in the early 1960’s sought to bring renewal to the life of the Church and to her evangelical mission.  The very first thing the Council focused on was the celebration of the Liturgy, describing it as both “the summit toward which the activity … Continued

Padre’s Points to Ponder – 10/31/25 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, At the time of this writing, the island nation of Jamaica is preparing for a direct hit of a massive and powerful hurricane. By the time you read this, the storm will likely be dissipating out in the Atlantic somewhere, having wrought immense destruction … Continued

Padre’s Points to Ponder – 10/24/25 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, WELCOME BACK TO THE CHURCH!  I want to use this week’s bulletin article to highlight some of the changes you’ll notice as you come back to Mass in the church this weekend. First, on entering, you’ll notice the narthex has received a tremendous … Continued

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Since I preached about gratitude last weekend, it’s super fitting to put those words into action and show some myself. A team of industrious and tireless laborers have been hard at work since mid-August dealing with the consequences of our ceiling condensation issue.  They had the task of completely … Continued

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, There are some times when a priest is needed right away, and knowing when and how to call the priest can make the difference in bringing Our Lord’s mercy and presence to a soul in great need. Sacred Scripture even commands it. St. James the Apostle in his epistle … Continued

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, This week on October 4th, the Church celebrates St. Francis of Assisi, one of the most beloved saints in our Catholic tradition. St. Francis is often pictured surrounded by birds, deer, or even a friendly wolf, and rightly so: he had a deep reverence for all of God’s creation. … Continued

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, As a relatively young man, I haven’t had many experiences of losing close loved ones.  While I keenly miss my grandparents, I am blessed with having my parents and all my siblings still with us. And while the priesthood gives frequent insight into the sting of loss as … Continued

Msgr. Fennessy’s Funeral Arrangements The viewing will be Wednesday, September 24, at 6pm at St. Jude the Apostle Church, 7171 Glenridge Dr, Atlanta. The Vigil Service will follow at 6:30pm. The funeral Mass will be Thursday, September 25, at 10am at the Cathedral of Christ the King, 2699 Peachtree Rd, NE, Atlanta. Burial will follow … Continued

Padre’s Points to Ponder 9/12/25 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, The recent canonization of St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati has me thinking all the more about the whole Communion of Saints, the “great crowd of witnesses” that the author of the Bible’s Letter to the Hebrews speaks of.  The saints aren’t … Continued

Padre’s Points to Ponder – 9/5/25 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I’m currently, at the time of this writing, at Mundelein Seminary outside of Chicago for the next installment of a Certificate Program in Pastoral Supervision for the Synthesis Stage of Priestly Formation, or, as I am wont to call it, “Synthesizer Training.”  No keytars … Continued

Sacred Silence Be on the lookout for ways our three enemies–the spirit of the world, the weakness of the flesh, and the devil– try to urge us away from silence.  These spirits know that when we are silent, we encounter the living God.  St. Augustine said it best in his Confessions: “Late have I loved … Continued

Reverence at Mass, Especially in the Gym Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, This past week, there were two occasions that hit my “pastor heart,” both on the theme of reverence at Mass, and since we are now in a gym, a less-than-sacred location, for our celebrations of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, it … Continued