Pastor's Blog

Fr. Scott's Thoughts: Lent's Two Priorities: Repentance and Baptism As you read this, I am either preparing for, or amid, the return trip from my first-ever pilgrimage to Italy. What a blessing it has been that my sister Lynne, who has lived with her family in Madrid, Spain for over 25 years flew to Rome and joined me for the pilgrimage. The first part of the pilgrimage ...Read more

As Death Comes Close: Approaching the moment of earthly death is an uncomfortable time for most of us. God gives us the Sacraments in our life so that we have a concrete real experience of God’s presence with us. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is the Sacrament that God gives us to experience His comforting presence when we are seriously ill or approaching death. “Ap ...Read more

Dear Parishioners Last Sunday the story of the prodigal son taught us that authentic justice does not lie in equitable remuneration, but rather in mercifulness. Today’s Gospel repeats the same message, but in an even clearer way. Applying it to a specific incident. This is not simply an intellectual contest between Jesus and his opponents, it involves a living person. The story abou ...Read more

Dear Parishioners As we reach the mid point of Lent with this Fourth Sunday of Lent, we pause to celebrate what is known as Laetare Sunday. Laetare is the Latin word for "rejoice" and the opening words of the Entrance Antiphon today are "rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her, exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast." But the theme quickly changes from rejoicing to repenting and  ...Read more

Dear Parishioners, As we celebrate the Third Sunday of Lent, we begin to see the sequence of events in the gospel readings. On the first Sunday of Lent the temptations in the desert warned us about the confrontations we would have during Lent. Last week the transfiguration showed us the meaning and thrust of this confrontation. Today we have heard an urgent call to penance. "If you do not  ...Read more

Dear Parishioners As we observe Ash Wednesday this week we enter into another Lenten period in our lives. During the following forty days we prepare through prayer and sacrifice for the glorious feast of Easter. Last year as we approached Ash Wednesday Pope Francis wrote: "Lent is a new beginning, a path leading to the certain goal of Easter, Christ's victory over death. This season urgen ...Read more

Dear Parishioners, Recently, a parishioner said to me: "I’m not comfortable with the vestments for Mass being purple during these days of Advent. Purple to me speaks of penance and reconciliation, while Advent speaks of repentance, anticipation and hope. "Perhaps that is why the Church interrupts both the Advent and Lenten journeys mid-way through the seasons to celebrate with rose  ...Read more

Dear Parishioners, Last Sunday as we read the letter from Cardinal O’Malley following the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report, I noted that with the advance and explosion of modern technology fewer and fewer people are obtaining their news from the printed media. Starting with radio and television, and advancing through the age of social media and internet, the daily paper for many is no ...Read more

Dear Parishioners, Our 40 day Lenten journey began on Ash Wednesday with the ashes visible on our foreheads as we began to walk the road to Calvary with the Lord, ending it with the Passion, Death and Resurrection. The scripture readings on Ash Wednesday set the tone for our Lenten experience. The prophet Joel said "even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting ...Read more