Padre’s Points to Ponder

Newness Abounds Dear All Saints Family, The Lord Jesus proclaims that He makes all things new (see Revelation 21:5), and He is working overtime here at our little slice of His Kingdom! Some great updates to share with you all: 1) Restore and Renew, 2) Blessed Carlo, 3) Our new Middle School Youth Minister, and … Continued

A Catholic Way to Celebrate Labor Day Growing up in New Jersey “back in the day,” Labor Day was always the last hurrah of summer break before school started again…a day thus marked with a certain amount of sadness, even as we were celebrating.  My family would go to the public pool one last time, … Continued

Dear All Saints Parish Family, After an amazing year serving here at All Saints it is with great sadness that I prepare to leave what has become my home. This past year has been an absolute gift from the Lord and I find myself marveling at all of the ways the Lord has shown his … Continued

Padre from Spain You may have noticed over the past week or so that this is a towering, Spanish-speaking priest with us here at All Saints. His name is Fr. Joaquín Hernandez from the Archdiocese of Madrid.  He is pastor of San Clemente de Roma in the southern part of the metropolis, a small parish … Continued

Sometimes Things Get Messy Though it was weeks ago, the National Eucharistic Congress is still bearing fruit… there’s a steady flame of fire in my heart, and I’m most grateful. A memory stirs that I think gives a beautiful spiritual insight beneficial to us all. So much of the Congress was impeccably planned and perfectly executed.  … Continued

Dear Friends in Christ, I really enjoy being able to share good news with you.  The Gospel, first and foremost, but also the good news of parish achievements and accomplishments.   During the month of June we announced an initiative to add sacred art in our church depicting the Saints.  After all, we are ALL SAINTS! … Continued

Dear All Saints Family, I am freshly back from the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, where the whole parish was carried in my heart and prayer at adoration, at Masses, in the Procession, everywhere!  My soul is filled to the brim with the graces of that experience. You’ll be hearing all about those graces for … Continued

The Heart of Renewal Before we get down to business with this weekend’s article, a quick word of gratitude for all who made the return of Vacation Bible School such a massive success!  Over 50 children gathered each day this past week to learn about the Saints in a joy-filled, action-packed VBS.  From my heart, … Continued

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