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My dear parishioners, Greetings of peace and goodwill to all of you!   I want to quickly reach out to you all in this season of transition. When on April 14th bishop Rhoades requested to meet with me after our priests meeting, I had no idea what the purpose of the meeting was. It was at that meeting that he announced to me that he was assigning me to St. Thérèse, Little Flower as Pastor...

Here we are. This is my last weekend at the parish and my last bulletin column. It is hard to believe. There are many beautiful memories that I will carry in my heart from the past years (almost five) at this parish. I thought I’d try to make a list even though it will be hard to do well. Still, I believe G.K. Chesterton is right in saying, “If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly"...

Parish statement on the ending of our parish livestream.

Some construction updates are in order. Our marble altar of repose for the tabernacle is materializing, one big heavy piece at a time. Our workers from Daprato Rigali Studios in Chicago are doing a meticulous job at this construction. Things seem to be moving smoothly, so we can pray that it might be complete by next Sunday!

Last weekend was the first with masks not required of the entire congregation. We will continue to provide a space in the church that offers required masks to provide for parishioners who want to attend Mass but do not wish to be near others who are unmasked. In charity for the various levels of comfort and of potential dangers to their health, it is fitting for us to honor that space for the foreseeable future. Let us pray that the vaccinations continue to prove effective in diminishing the spread of this virus and thus protect those must vulnerable.

Different priests bring different gifts. The more I interact with other priests and pastors, the more I see God using us all in unique ways to build up the souls of His people, to tend and to guide His flock...

Close to ten years ago at my ordination, I promised before God and his Church to respect and obey Bishop Rhoades and his successors, and now I must live that in an important way out of response to all God has done for me. After the great blessing of serving in this parish for just about five years, the bishop has asked me to prepare for a new assignment in Fort Wayne. Starting June 15th, I am to be pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish...

Hooray for construction progress! I hope you love the new lights in the church as much as I do! Some of the tile has begun in the sanctuary. You are free to come and look up close. Pray that things continue to go smoothly...

Fr. Terry shares COVID guideline updates and renovation updates.

The month of May is traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you some resources that have helped me (especially as a convert to Catholicism)  to come to know and love her better, in hopes that they might help you know and love her better, too. Of course, the goal of knowing and loving Mary is to be brought closer by her to her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. As St. Louis de Montfort says, “ Mary is the quickest, shortest, and easiest path to Jesus.” 

Our parish’s RE program will soon celebrate First Holy Communion for those who have been preparing over the past couple years. I wish to thank Mrs. Duffy for her efforts, especially this past year, to help the families prepare well for this sacrament. A couple weeks ago we had their first Confession, and I also thank the parents who not only brought them here but themselves are also playing a huge role in their children’s preparation...

Abby shares a reflection on what evangelization is at its core.

Fr. Terry shares updates on the Church renovation and construction, and the Pastoral Plan implementation efforts.

Easter, like Christmas, has a liturgical “octave” - that is, the celebration of Easter Sunday is of such magnitude that the Church celebrates the entire following week’s worth of Masses as though they, too, were Easter Sunday itself...

Easter weekend was a great success for our parish. We saw many people here to celebrate Our Lord’s Resurrection, and we will continue that joy for the next six weeks through Pentecost Sunday...

The Whatsoever You Do (Matthew 25:31-46) Outreach Program has existed at Little Flower since the 1990s. The rationale for the program is best understood by the story of the tax collector Zacchaeus...

It is a joy to be able to celebrate Easter with a congregation! We must thank God for the little things, because the everyday things are really the joys of this life. We must embrace the beautiful goodness of our world with the eyes of a child, wondering at what God gives us. And this above all on this day of victory for all who are in Christ Jesus! Sin and Death are vanquished by the Risen Lord! In Baptism, we conquer with Him! And we welcome new members to the parish family at the Easter Vigil - who either were themselves baptized or have now entered the Church and received the Lord in the Eucharist! God is so good! ​​​​​​​

On this day the church recalls the entrance of Christ the Lord into Jerusalem to accomplish his Paschal Mystery. The memorial of this entrance of the Lord takes place at the beginning of all our Sunday Masses through the procession or the “solemn entrance” - this year we are doing the second option for the sake of better spacing of the congregation. The use of palm branches is another reminder of Christ’s entrance, which we hold to join in the crowds of that day. The liturgy reminds us today that it was for one primary purpose that Christ entered Jerusalem: to win our salvation by his Passion and Resurrection...

It has been a benefit to be a part of the presbyteral council for Bishop Rhoades alongside twelve or so other priests of our diocese. It allows me to get a wider picture of all the thoughts and perspectives that go into the decision-making of our divinely-appointed shepherd, who represents Jesus the Good Shepherd for us all. One of the discussions was very pertinent for us all and I think very helpful for us all to hear clearly...

Laetare Sunday comes at a time of Lent when some years (most?!) we need a “pick-me-up,” Lent can be challenging for many reasons, and even discouraging, feeling like this school of hard knocks is leaving us rather tenderized. If at this stage of Lent you  feel a little discouraged by the way things are going, hold on to hope. This Sunday’s rose vestments are saying to you, "Hang in there!"