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

Embracing the Transfiguration Dear All Saints Parish Family, As we continue our journey through the sacred season of Lent, we are invited to reflect this weekend on the transformative power of the Transfiguration of Jesus. This remarkable event, recounted in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mark 9:2-10), offers us profound insights into our 40 days of … Continued

Why Fast During Lent? Fasting has become more or less associated with dietary health, but it has a tremendously rich spiritual purpose.  Catholics are called to fast during Lent as a way of preparing spiritually for the celebration of Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a way of emptying ourselves out … Continued

Lent: A Journey of Renewal and Transformation Dear All Saints Family, As we approach the solemn and sacred season of Lent with Ash Wednesday this week, we are invited to embark on a profound journey of introspection, repentance, and spiritual renewal. Lent provides us with a precious opportunity to deepen our relationship with God, to … Continued

Lent is coming…FAST! It’s hard to believe, but the holy season of Lent is just around the corner, so I invite us all to prayerfully consider how we will enter in. Ash Wednesday falls on February 14, which is the traditional date of the feast day of St. Valentine.  I remind us all that, even … Continued

Praise God for Our Deacons In the 6th chapter of the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we read about the Holy Spirit inspiring the Apostles to invite certain men to help with the daily work of ministry, and calling them deacons (from the Greek word diakonia, which means “service”).  From that time on, … Continued

What is happening in the Vatican? Some saint said “There is a particular piety that comes from having no idea what the pope in Rome is doing.” But in this “information tsunami” age we live in, especially in a time where the nation, the world, and even the Church are experiencing great temptations to division … Continued

Patience is a Virtue One of the great spiritual lessons I’ve learned along the way is to hold on to moments of spiritual consolation for those times when spiritual desolation will inevitably come.  Consolation here means the experience of the goodness of the Lord, answered prayers, His closeness, the receiving of particular graces; desolation here … Continued

Holy Family “As the family goes, so goes the nation.” St. John Paul II St. John Paul II made this declaration in 1986 as he was speaking in Perth, Australia.  His original statement, truncated above, adds “and so goes the whole world in which we live.”  St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) once also famously … Continued

Dear All Saints Parish Family, Every seven years, when Christmas Day falls on a Monday, we have a short Advent. But it gives us the opportunity to draw close to the Lord twice in the same week, once for the very short 4th week of Advent, and again for celebration of the Nativity of the Lord. So … Continued

Why The Pink? Probably most of us are aware that the 3rd Sunday of Advent traditionally uses the color pink, or rose.  Some may know that the name of this Sunday is Gaudete Sunday, which translates to “Rejoice” Sunday. But do you know why the 3rd Sunday of Advent uses this liturgical color or why … Continued

Keeping Christmas in Christmas Pt. 2 For many of us, the “Holidays” are most readily recognized by the music of the season.  Is it really Christmas if Bing Crosby hasn’t crooned White Christmas? One of the best ways to keep Christmas in Christmas is to save those Christmas songs until we actually begin the celebration … Continued

Keeping Christmas in Christmas  Happy new year! With the beginning of Advent, we start a new liturgical year of grace as we await the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  And around this time of year we usually start to hear the familiar slogan “keep Christ in Christmas”.  It’s given as an invitation to not … Continued

“The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness.” St. Gianna Molla Dear All Saints Parish Family, Even though the national day of Thanksgiving has already come and gone, as St. Ginna rightly claims, true and abiding happiness is … Continued

The 5th (and final) Precept We made it. This weekend we wrap up the 5 Precepts of the Roman Catholic Church.  To review ever so briefly what we’ve looked at so far, the first 4 precepts were 1) to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation; 2) to confess our sins at least … Continued

The Fourth Precept We’re almost there!  So far we’ve covered 1) To attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, 2) To go to confession at least once a year (and any time we are aware of grave sins), and 3) To receive Holy Communion at least once during the Easter Season. The fourth … Continued

The Third Precept The third precept of the Roman Catholic Church is to receive the Eucharist at least once per year, during the Easter season. While we are encouraged to receive the Eucharist frequently, the Church only requires that we receive the Eucharist once per year, and that it be during the Easter season, the … Continued