Diary of a Parish Priest

Nocturnal Adoration, Wednesdays 11 PM to Midnight Beginning February 7th

 

Beginning Wednesday, February 7th we will resume the nocturnal adoration from 11 PM to midnight at Holy Cross Church. During Advent we always had a few faithful adorers; hopefully the word will spread and more will find the quiet time with the Lord after the day has ended fruitful. We’ll see how the reception of this interesting devotion goes and continue it for the immediate future. If more than several individuals volunteer to pray, we might take the next steps toward establishing a Nocturnal Adoration Society with its accompanying privileges and indulgences with Bishop O’Connell’s permission.

Ordinary Too Soon

It seems too soon to take down the Christmas decorations!

As we begin ordinary time, today's gospel recounts Jesus' healing of the crowds who mobbed his doorstep. In the first reading at today's Mass, Samuel misinterpreted the call of the LORD during his sleep until Eli explained its source. 

May we  be open to miraculous communication from God even during these ordinary days and have the guidance of the Holy Spirit to deepen our relationship with God and enrich our spiritual life.

The Baptism of the Lord

Today's feast marks the end of the Church's liturgical season of Christmas. It is yet another manifestation of the Lord's dignity and mission and echoes the themes of yesterday's feast of Epiphany.

Home By Another Way

 

"Safe Home!" as they used to say...

Bright, Clear and Bitterly Cold

Snow Sabbath

Whenever the weather forces a halt to human commerce, it's a good time to pause and give thanks for the many benefits we enjoy and for protection from the harsh elements. 

 We prayed a quiet Latin mass this morning, since the roads were virtually impassible and unsafe. Church events are cancelled for the rest of the day. Stay warm and safe.

 

The Most Holy Name of Jesus

The devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus popularized by St. Bernardine of Siena was depicted by the saint with IHS (first three letters of Jesus in Greek) and a sun with 12 radiating rays. Here it is shown on the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena.

 

The Stone Churches of Cappadocia

The landscape surrounding the stone churches of Cappadocia seems like from another world. Today we celebrate the feast day of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen. For centuries, monks and nuns inhabited dwellings in the desert hewn from the volcanic stone. Surely such starkly beautiful and simple images of the desert dwellings formed the spirituality of the Eastern Fathers of the Church.