An Interesting Reminder

In many churches you will find on the property, either in the crypt or somewhere on the grounds, a burial space and memorial for the founding pastor, and other influential members of the history of that parish. While this is an ancient tradition, in many of the older churches, and was only built 60 years ago, you will actually find Rev. George Byrne is buried on the property. 

If you exit the main doors of the church, facing Martine Avenue, and walk towards the exit driveway you will find a black stone monument to the Immaculate Heart, and directly behind that, a large flat stone monument for Fr. Byrne. It shows that he was born in 1912, was ordained in the 30s, founded our parish in the 60s, and passed away the year I was born 1983. 

Over last weekend we had a lot going on. We had Reconciliation preparation, our Confirmation Rite of Names, and I spent time with families running our Thanksgiving Food Drive. I almost forgot to mention that it was also All Souls Day! 

While there were lulls in the drive I brought groups of young people and parents over to the grave of Father Byrne. While there we prayed for his eternal reward, for father’s intercession, and for the strength, health, and future for our parish community as we move forward. I encourage you to take a similar pilgrimage in the coming weeks. Go to the grave of our founding pastor and say a prayer, perhaps this prayer.

Heavenly Father, Your servant George built your church of Immaculate Heart of Mary on this site over 60 years ago. Grant your servant his eternal reward. Bless the ministry he began here, enlighten the leaders of this parish, and the faithful so that we might continue to bring the love of Christ to all we meet. Amen!

God Bless, and Have a Blessed Week

We Are His Witnesses

By now word is on the street regarding the effects that We are His Witnesses can have on our community. While there is opportunity here, many are afraid or sorrowful about the option that has been presented to us. 

This is a time for all of us to pray, reflect, imagine, and present a vision for the future of our community that honors our legacy of radical generosity, outreach, and friendship. What we have is unique in culture, motivation, and personality. Let us honor that by forging a path that exemplifies our desire to spread the Gospel, care for the poor, and gather together in praise and worship. 

We would all like answers, and that day will come, however for the time being, we need to present our feedback, propose models that honor our legacy, and looks to the future reality of the Archdiocese where there will only be 104 pastors for over 200 parishes. 

Let us pray for our community, for the Archdiocese, and that the Lord will present to us a path that leads to wins for His Kingdom. Good Bless, and Have a Saintly All Hallows Eve!

Lack of Arrogance

We are all called to seek out sanctifying grace, our ultimate goal is to be united with God for all eternity, and to bring as many of our family, friends, and neighbors with us along the way. We are required to focus on so many worldly things, but this is the ultimate point. 

To show us that our goal is possible, the church has to have exemplary people to point to. See, It’s really possible to go to heaven. So there is a real process for calling out saints. It’s how we find out about Padre Pio, or Teresa of Avila, Carlo Acutis or St. Cecilia. 

The formal process usually takes time, miracles have to be traced back to the intercession of a person, all of their writings and interactions have to be evaluated, and it is extremely rare for someone to be named a saint lightly or quickly.

However, we know that there are people interceding for us in heaven, that will never be declared. They were unknown, unremarkable (to the world). Amongst their numbers can be our grandparents, aunts, or uncles, quite probably including some babies who were never even known to the world.

Most of us will never be famous for the way we live our lives, but we have hope that one day we’ll be one of these anonymous saints, unknown by the world, but embraced by our Lord. 

If you ask me, this ability to have a day to revere all saints named and unnamed is a rare lack of arrogance. We don’t need to know everything, but you know what we do know? That heaven isn’t an exclusive country club made for the elites, because Jesus was clear that the meek shall inherit the earth. 

This week, let’s pray for all the souls of our loved ones that have gone before us. We can pray for them and ask for their intercession, because likely they’ll be preparing our way. Good Bless, and Have a Saintly All Hallows Eve!

Fighting Consumerism

Calling all parents and grandparents for some serious help. I often share wisdom. I'm asking you to help me for a future bulletin article. 

As Catholics we hold a certain set of timeless values, love the Lord our God with all of our strength and our neighbors as ourselves. We should show preference for the poor, the weak, and the excluded. We should care for prisoners and the ill because in them we see the face of Jesus. 

These deep held, and challenging to embrace calls, run in conflict with our shared American culture. Buy this item to be happy, go on this trip and all of your dreams will come true. I’m going to Disneyland! Buy this toy before you can watch this short video of a family shadow promoting a toy for some faceless corporation. 

The consumerism of our culture can seep into our faith experience. While ideally preparing for the sacraments, and receiving faith formation should help families become more deeply involved in our faith community, it is very easy to fall into a consumerist pattern. We pay for formation, we check the boxes, we have the celebration, and we go back to our busy lives more or less unchanged and untouched. There are more or less positive to ambivalent feelings about the experience but on to the next till the next thing comes up.

This is great for building a brand, good for upholding traditions, but catastrophic for the American Church. By 2044, we’ll only have 144 eligible pastors for over 200 parishes. Parish communities won’t have donors to keep the electric on, and most importantly we won’t have the volunteers to offer the robust but still less strong than they could be ministries that define our communities. 

So, my sage friends and neighbors, how do you address the dangers of consumerism with your children? How do you encourage them to be upstanding Christians more concerned about their neighbor than their next want? Most importantly, how do you help make sure that our faith will continue to be proclaimed long into the future? I seriously need to know! I’m praying for you, please pray for me. 

God Bless and have a safe week. 

A Reason for Hope

Often people in ministry fall to despair. Families are choosing sports over their faith. Practice is more important to them than petitionary prayer, sacks over sacraments. While it can appear this way, we have to begin to unpack what sports can offer a young person.

An athlete knows how to be a part of a team, is dedicated enough to accomplish a shared goal, and is often quite disciplined. For these reasons they will practice five times a week to play a single game. 

Families will shape their limited off hours to support their sons and daughters, bringing them to practices, and travel some distance to attend a game. I think to understand a family's dedication to sports we have to ask, what’s in it for them? 

The sidelines is often where parents make their friends. Even before their little ones begin preparing for First Eucharist, they are spending hours together on the sidelines. When they get there, there is plenty of time to talk, and the topics can be light and happy. 

So, I guess all this time we’ve been asking ourselves the wrong question. Instead of ‘why do they value sports more than their faith?’ we should be asking, ‘how do we offer families what they are looking for, in a way that centers them in their faith?’ 

It doesn’t have to be one against the other, because you know what, the sidelines can be a mission field for our families. A family alive in faith, can spread the Gospel to their friends through their joy and service. 

So here’s why we have cause to hope, we’re considering these questions in new ways. As a parish we are taking seriously our young families’ need for community, and creating opportunities for our young people to focus their efforts on good works and the Good News. 

So next time you see young people in Church, and in service, cheer them on, because they could be anywhere else. This week, pray that we can all play on the same team, to continue the building of the Kingdom of God. 

God Bless and have a safe week.