Padre’s Points to Ponder

Renew and Restore Dear All Saints Parish Family, As all of us are aware, many things around our campus are in great need of repair, deep cleaning, and restoration, and the Archbishop has given us the go-ahead to raise funds for these projects. So it is with excitement and joy that I share with you … Continued

Faith and Works: Partners in Our Journey of Faith As we journey together in our faith, it is essential to reflect on the profound relationship between faith and works, a cornerstone of our Catholic belief. This relationship is not merely a theological concept but a lived experience that shapes our daily lives and our eternal … Continued

Understanding the Four Marks of the Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic If we want to dive deeper into our Catholic faith then we must first recognize and reflect on what the Catholic Church stands for. For us to do this it is essential to delve into what we mean when we profess our belief … Continued

Bl. Carlo Acutis and the Universal Call to Holiness On May 23rd Pope Francis formally recognized a second miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Carlo Acutis which was the last step needed before he could be officially canonized as a Saint in the Catholic Church. If you have not heard of Bl. Carlo Acutis … Continued

Protection of the Most Blessed Sacrament When Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was on fire a few years back, a holy priest ran back into the inferno, not to grab the collection, not to save an historic piece of art, but to protect the Blessed Sacrament. He risked his life to save those consecrated Hosts.  … Continued

Nothing “Ordinary” about Ordinary Time We’ve been celebrating the greatest mysteries of the Faith with intensity since Easter Sunday.  Remember Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi, all back to back?  Now we’re fully back into the Sundays of Ordinary Time … but these weeks are anything but ordinary. The name of the liturgical season called Ordinary … Continued

The Origin of the Celebration of Corpus Christi As we approach the beautiful solemnity of Corpus Christi, it’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the origins of this feast and the profound significance it holds for our faith. This special celebration, dedicated to the Body and Blood of Christ, has a rich history rooted in … Continued

The Mystery of Mysteries As we gather to celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we are invited to reflect on the “Mystery of Mysteries”. The doctrine of the Trinity teaches us that there is one God in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Or as Fr. Mike Schmitz so … Continued

Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem The time has come, our beautiful Easter Season has come to an end. We have spent the last 50 days in great celebration of the resurrected power of Jesus Christ! As we celebrate this beautiful feast of Pentecost, we are reminded of the transformative power of the Holy … Continued

Easter Explosion For 40 days now, we’ve been celebrating the great joy of Easter.  That’s right…it’s been as long now since Easter Sunday as it was from Easter Sunday to Ash Wednesday.  Time is flying by.  And with each passing day, the liturgical crescendo swells.   Swells toward what?  Isn’t Easter the main celebration, the main event … Continued

Come, Holy Spirit! Dear All Saints Parish Family, How close are you with the Holy Spirit? There are always signs throughout the year that the seasons are changing.  For instance, we should now be through the worst of pollen season and daytime temperatures are on the rise pretty consistently, indicating for us that summer is … Continued

Abiding in the Vine: Growing in Christ’s Love As we journey through this great Easter season, our hearts are filled with the joy of Christ’s resurrection and the promise of new life in Him. In the Gospel that we hear proclaimed in Mass today, Jesus declares, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever … Continued

Your first, your last, your only Communion You may have noticed the kneelers in the center aisle at Masses since Easter Sunday. I wanted to address that, and offer an invitation. To mark the sacredness of their first Holy Communion, I set out kneelers for our 4 First Communicants at the Easter Vigil, and figured … Continued

Totally Eclipsed Dear All Saints family, I was very blessed to see the solar eclipse in August 2017, and from that day I began planning participation in the one we just had. At the time of this writing, I’m returning back to Georgia from witnessing the 2024 total solar eclipse and am again struck with … Continued

Divine Mercy Sunday Greetings in the Risen Lord! Friends, this second Sunday of Easter, the octave day of the Resurrection, we hear the Gospel of Jesus appearing to the Apostles and entrusting them with His power and mission to forgive sins.   Divine Mercy is the very heart of the Gospel message.  Christ came to save … Continued

THE LORD IS RISEN AS HE SAID, ALLELUIA!  HE IS TRULY RISEN, ALLELUIA! Dearest All Saints Parish Family, Let the Alleluias ring as we declare with the greatest of joys that Our Lord Jesus Christ has conquered the kingdoms of Sin and Death.  By His wounds, we have been healed; by His rising, we are … Continued

The Amazing Events of Holy Week It begins…the most solemn and sacred time of the entire year: Holy Week. These seven days cover the most significant period of time in all of human history: the God who became man not only offered Himself to take away the sins of the world and rose to new … Continued

There will be a Stench We are coming into the home stretch of Lent, as this 5th Sunday is the last “normal” Sunday in the season.  Next weekend is Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week. And the Bible readings that will be proclaimed this weekend are all so clearly pointing us to the … Continued

On Catechumens and Candidates If you go to the 10:30 Mass, you will no doubt have seen our RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) catechumens and candidates.  These are people who have been inquiring about the Catholic faith and are preparing to be brought into full communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter … Continued

Why do we celebrate Lent? Have any of y’all asked that question (possibly as you smell the Chick-fil-a biscuits from across the street as you’re walking into Ash Wednesday Mass)? Lent is something that has become a sort of cultural event for Catholics; a part of us looks forward to receiving our ashes, enjoying a … Continued