Last Saturday, thirteen new priests were ordained for my home diocese in Nigeria. During his homily, the Archbishop urged them to always remember that they are fools for Christ.
During his speech at the opening ceremony of World Youth Day 2023, Pope Francis reminded us that there is room for everyone in the Church. The Church belongs to everyone called by God through baptism. According to him, Jesus made this point very clearly in the parables in the gospel, that "all are called."
Three Sundays ago, the Knights of Columbus sold tickets for chicken dinner in support of Gibault Children's service. The response from parishioners was overwhelming. Many people paid more than the 12 dollars that was requested per dinner!
Last Sunday, I attended Mass with the Filipino community in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was the closest catholic parish, per Google. Eric, a fellow Ph.D. student at Notre Dame, and I took Bus 5. We alighted at the bus stop nearest the parish, walking the remaining distance to the small albeit beautiful church called Our Lady of Valor...
Last Sunday was the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. The two Masses on Sunday ended with a brief procession with the Blessed Sacrament inside the Church. But for the rain, the original plan was a more elaborate procession around the neighborhood...
In his general audience, Pope Francis encourages us to learn from St. Therese to be zealous apostolic missionaries who share the love of God with everyone we encounter. [Click to read more]
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for adults alone. Children, too, are called to holiness and to participate in the mission of the Church. And for this purpose, they, too, have received the gifts of the Holy Spirit...
We are a lovely and unique parish. We are arguably the most diverse parish in the diocese. We recognize diversity as a divine gift to be treasured. Therefore, celebrating our diversity is part of our mission. [Click to read more}
According to Pope Francis, in his 2013 apostolic exhortation, Evangelium Vitae, in virtue of our baptism, all of us are missionary disciples. His emphasis is that no one is exempt from the mission of the Church. On the contrary, every Christian is called to be personally involved in evangelization...
On Saturday, May 6, 2023, seven young parishioners received Holy Communion for the first time. Their excitement was palpable. The joy of their families and friends who came to celebrate with them was boundless...
“The Good Shepherd takes care of the sheeps.” - A child of the Atrium, age 3. Our littlest parishioners have such a beautiful capacity for understanding on a deep level the goodness and care of God, The Good Shepherd, for each of them. They contain within them a natural capacity and desire for relationship with God.
We have such a compassionate God! It blows my mind every time I stop and really reflect on it! Who is this God who is so great and majestic and yet so full of mercy and concern for me?! He speaks tenderly to my heart as He spoke tenderly all those years ago to Jerusalem through His faithful prophets. And, like Jerusalem, I must hear His words of comfort and liberation, let them seep into my very being, and then go forth as a herald to share them with anyone who will listen! [Click here to read more]
God has a passionate desire to bring all men to Him, renewing all things. The prophets often spoke in the midst of sorrow and confusion, the aftermath of destruction and displacement, and when God’s people had turned away. They relayed His call for repentance and reform, the hope of restoration, and the promise of all nations coming to know Him. [Click here to read more]
Persistence. This is the word that comes to mind as I reflect on the readings for this weekend. Abraham prevails with God until he quits. Imagine what difference his persistence would have made. The man in the Gospel gets his request because he persists. Jesus promises those who ask, seek and knock whatever they need... [Click here to read more]
In June, the Outreach Program provided $8,966.57 in assistance to 37 families or individuals for 40 accounts. We had the highest volume of calls ever, over 300. There's a reason. All government sponsored assistance programs have been terminated or suspended. [Click to read more]
Imagine that the Lord was calling you to a mission, and he tells you to go to a country you have never been before. He tells you not to worry about any of the common preoccupations... and that you would have to depend on the hospitality of strangers. How many would respond to such a call? If the Lord would ask you to travel with just one suitcase, or none at all, how many would take him seriously? Imagine that the mission the Lord is sending you was to a country famed for its hostilities to strangers, would you still go? [Click to read more]
The readings for this weekend suggest that the call of God requires our urgent but free response. It leaves no room for delays. In the First Reading, the Lord calls Elisha to be a supporter and helper of Elijah. Although Elisha wanted to follow Elijah, he however asked for leave so he could kiss his parents goodbye... [Click here to read more]
Here we are in the natural season of Summer, the Liturgical season of Ordinary Time (Growing Time, for our children in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program). Life is blossoming all around us...How is the Lord wanting to cultivate your heart during this season? [Click to read more]
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi Solemnity, from the Latin meaning “Body of Christ.” This feast originated in France in mid thirteenth century, but was extended to the universal Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264. It is typically celebrated on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday (which was last Sunday), but for pastoral reasons the bishops of the United States and elsewhere have moved it to the Sunday following Trinity Sunday. This solemnity focuses our attention on the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and calls us to profess our faith in the Eucharist, Christ’s gift of himself to us for our salvation and sanctification. This solemnity is also a privileged moment to reflect on the mystery of the Church as the Body of Christ. [Click to read more]