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“Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14).    Toddlers learn to delineate their territories very quickly. They declare emphatically, “Mine!” Somehow this is one of the first words they learn. But this is more than just a word, it is an attitude, the attitude that what another has belongs to them. We learn at a very early age to grasp for things and to claim them as our own. This lesson then continues through life as we chase stuff. Sometimes it seems as though our whole existence is about the pursuit of more...

In Deuteronomy chapter 16, God admonished the people of Israel concerning freewill offering. This was to be freely determined, but proportionate to the blessing they had received from God. They were to bring their offerings into the place of worship with rejoicing. In verse 16 God says, “No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed.” God did not want anyone to be left out in this act of giving on the pretext that they possessed nothing to give. Everyone was to bring in their offerings that were commensurate with what they had first received.

Last week I posed a question for our collective reflection: “Is St. Therese, Little Flower my parish or a parish I go to?” I am aware that the majority of those who read my letters are registered parishioners at our parish, but there are some who are not registered yet or still on the fence about committing to our parish. We also have people from other parishes who participate at our parish events and mostly worship with us but are still discerning whether to become members at Little Flower. We would love to have you all register. But whatever your status, I think we can all pray about this question and ask what the Lord is calling us to, or asking of us, in relation to the parish. [Click to read more]

When you hear the word “stewardship” what readily comes to your mind? Let me guess: money? You are correct. Like many of you, I strongly believe the church has not done a great job in explaining the biblical concept of stewardship. And because people often learn by association, and we only talk about stewardship when there is a capital campaign, people tend to understand stewardship as only having to do with money. Whereas stewardship includes money, it is more than that. It is where the concepts of faith, work and economics intersect. There is therefore the need for a proper understanding of stewardship as a biblical concept - one that God commands, one that God expects from all of us, and one that God rewards.

On August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I marked the 14th anniversary of my ordination to the sacred priesthood. I cannot sufficiently express in words my gratitude to God for calling me to share in the priesthood, which is rightfully Christ’s, despite my obvious unworthiness. I am also grateful for the many good people the Lord has put in my life, who have truly been a blessing to me and help me be a better human and a good priest. The occasion offered me the opportunity to once again reflect on how I am stewarding the ministry that has been entrusted to me. I took time to repent for past sins and wrongs and to rededicate myself to the service of God and of his people. [Click to continue reading]

Dear parishioners,  Thank you for your patience with me and for your understanding as I exercised my teaching ministry on the subject of music in our liturgy. I took the time to address some of the major issues because I thought it was a subject too important to be rushed. As everything that has a beginning must come to an end, I would like to bring this series to an end. This does not suggest that I exhausted all the Church teaches on the subject matter. Our parish will continue to apply the learnings from the richness of the Church’s repertoire to our practice here at St. Thérèse, Little Flower, taking into account our context and circumstances. This week I want to address the question of musical instruments for the liturgy. [Click to read more]

It is the vision of the church, from her history, to have the major parts of the Mass sung. The Second Vatican Council assigns a position of pride to the Gregorian chant as the normative form of singing in the Roman liturgy. Traditionally, masses derived their names from the words of the entrance antiphons chants. [Click to read more]

Since I began addressing the subject of music in our liturgy, I have received some feedback from parishioners and staff. As I mentioned in a previous letter, my intention at the moment is to instruct. Decisions on the future course of our music will be a product of prayer, consultation and thorough discernment. And it would largely be determined by what the Church teaches and what is pastorally feasible, given our context. I appreciate your comments, they tell me you are reading my letter and are interested in the subject matter as I am. This week I want to address the reason we sing the Mass. [Click to read more]

One stereotype in thinking is that the younger generation of Catholics tend to prefer more contemporary and modern music, while older generations would rather have the more traditional and old music. From my experience, this is not the case; at least, not everywhere. Father Jan Michael Joncas writes, "Age by itself does not seem to determine one’s ability to appreciate a particular musical style: senior citizens may enjoy a Beatles tune while twenty-somethings may powerfully respond to chant" (From Sacred Song to Ritual Music, 1997). [Click to read more]

Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever! As I continue this catechesis on music in our liturgy, there is the need to address some topics of interest, and that are foundational to discerning what the role of music in our liturgy ought to be. This week, I will address the subject of our uniqueness as a parish in South Bend, Indiana. 

Having set the groundwork for what I undertake in my bulletin column for the coming weeks, and explaining the term “liturgy” as the work of Jesus, the head, in union with the his body, the Church, I now turn to some concepts that have acquired multiple interpretations in order to clarify what the church teaches concerning them and how they apply to our liturgies.

Last week I began a series on music in our liturgy to address some concerns that have been raised by parishioners, and also to chart a path for music at our parish. It is the duty of a Pastor to sanctify, instruct and govern the people of God entrusted to his pastoral care. My intention here is to instruct on what the Church teaches concerning music in the liturgy, and at the same time call everyone to embrace it as a way of realizing that universal call to holiness to which all the baptized are called.

Fr. Julius begins a multi-part letter on the role of music in our liturgy.

I like to think of myself as adventurous when it comes to food. Some of my friends can attest to the fact that I don’t have a favorite dish but enjoy any and every good food. Whereas some people might be comfortable eating only particular foods they like, I like to try out new things,  even at the same restaurants. My philosophy in this matter is that the world has so much to offer, why limit myself to only a few options? [Click to read more]

Last weekend, the universal church celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi - The body and blood of Christ. This celebration marked the beginning of the parish phase of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival called for by the bishops of the United States. The bishops articulate the purpose of the Year of Parish Revival in this manner: to discern how we might “heal, form, convert, unify, and send” our parishioners through a “rekindled relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist.” [Click to read more]

We celebrate this weekend the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. We confess our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. This faith has its foundation in the words of Christ, who said, “Take and eat; this is my body" (Matthew 26:26). We believe that Christ, who is God, can truly transform bread into his body because nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). [Click to read more]

We celebrate this weekend the mystery of God, that God is one in three. Our faith teaches us that there is only one God, and there are three persons in God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We confess that these three persons are separate and distinct individuals, but united and undivided in their substance. They are all God, co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial. What we speak of the one we must do the same of the other two. However, we must not confuse their identities or suppose that the one God appears in different modes. This would be the heresy of modalism - that is, that the one God who created the universe came in the form of Jesus and then after the ascension, came in the form of the Holy Spirit. No, the Catholic Church teaches that there are three distinct divine persons, but one God. The mystery of God is one that no one, no matter how intelligent, can completely grasp unless God reveals himself. [Click to read more]

Christians commemorate the solemnity of Pentecost on the fiftieth day after Easter. Originally, Pentecost, Greek "Pentekoste," was one of the three major Jewish agricultural festivals marked by a pilgrimage of adult Jews to Jerusalem. It was celebrated fifty days after Passover. It was on this auspicious occasion, when Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims, that the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, who were locked in the Upper Room, for fear of the Jews. They spoke of the marvels of God in different languages, and the people could understand them. This event was the turning point in the lives of a once timid and cowardly band of disciples, making them fearless and courageous preachers, ready to risk even death in defense of their faith in the risen Christ. These were the same disciples who fled on the night Jesus was captured, who denied knowing him, and watched from afar as he was tortured and led to his death. The coming of the Holy Spirit upon them confirmed their faith that Jesus was truly the Christ. [Click to read more]

We celebrate this weekend the Ascension of the Lord into heaven. This solemnity, commemorated on the fortieth day after Easter, marks the completion of Christ’s earthly existence. Our Lord Jesus, having accomplished his mission on earth returns to the Father. He does not do so in order that he might be distant from us. By ascending Christ is even more present to us...

I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for responding to my call to participate in the just concluded parish survey (Disciple Maker Index or DMI) which was open from February 22nd (Ash Wednesday) until March 31st. We received a total of 235 online responses (36% of our average Sunday Mass going parishioners) plus about 35 paper surveys completed. This is a huge progress compared to the outcome of the 2019 survey (total of 111 of both online and paper responses). [Click to read more]