My dear parishioners, in a few short days the Year of Grace 2020 comes to a close in the Church. We remember how the liturgical seasons and feast day celebrations unfolded in spirit and in truth this past year. Surely, the important things of life have value both on earth and in heaven, chief among them being salvation in Christ and the glory of the eucharistic celebration...

The CCE Elementary students celebrated All Saints Day by dressing up as a Saint of their choosing. The children enjoyed a fun morning learning about the Saints, playing All Saints Day Bingo, and enjoying some time with Father Barker. We believe our students are “MINT” to be Saints and reminded them with a special treat bag of peppermints at the end of the morning. Thank you to all the students (and their parents)  and teachers who dressed up and shared fun facts about their Saint.

My dear parishioners, the human soul’s greatest longing is to dwell with God in the fullness of his eternal glory. With this in mind, we annually remember our beloved deceased in a special way throughout November. We pray for the souls of the faithful departed to be granted a favorable judgment by God and a heavenly rest at the last. Praying for the dead is a venerable Christian obligation. At the time of his crucifixion, Christ himself descended to the dead to minister to Abraham and his holy descendants who had “all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” [Heb 11:13]

My dear parishioners, do the underprivileged merit a greater share of God's care and favor due to their distressed conditions? Is impoverishment an inherently favorable environment in which to seek the Lord? Do we draw closer to God more easily if we are less distracted by the care of possessions and ownership? We must answer, in many circumstances, yes, perhaps most, but not by necessity. Some embrace poverty as an aid to their salvation and for the “sake of the kingdom of heaven.” [cf. Mt 19:12] Many, poor from birth or impoverished by circumstances, neither escape nor transcend the cruel environment in which they live...