My dear parishioners, after fasting 40 days in the desert, Jesus was tempted by Satan to give himself over to darkness. Turn this rock into bread. Worship me. Jump off this high tower. Force the angels to catch you. Wonderfully for us, Jesus' steadfastness prompted the devil to depart. Yet the devil returned to harass the Son of God, exploiting many other opportunities. That was then, but what about now? Did Satan retire his temptation tool kit? Assuredly not.

My dear parishioners, Jesus invited Simon Peter and his brother Andrew to accompany him in ministry, saying, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." [Mk 1:17] Farther along Galilee’s shore, John and his brother James were mending their nets when Our Lord summoned them also to serve in his kingdom. Who were these men whom Jesus called? Simon, Andrew, James and John belonged to prosperous entrepreneurial families headquartered at the Sea of Galilee’s northern end. The four men were highly skilled and successful fishermen, their intimate knowledge of fishing waters, weather conditions, and equipment having been accumulated over years of experience and hard work. To be sure, the four were not powerful or wealthy men. James and John were very young...

My dear friends, our Lord Christ is the source of everything good. Every grace and blessing comes from him alone. Though perhaps interrupted by a miracle or two, most human lives nevertheless are ordinary and unremarkable. What then makes an ordinary human life special? Saint Therese of Lisieux offers an answer. Rely on God for the very first grace. Make a great effort...

My dear parishioners, grace and peace in the Lord’s name! Our liturgical ministries were greatly reduced when we had Mass off-campus after Imelda and during last year's virus quarantine. We don't know what 2021 will bring. Nevertheless, we must rekindle our lay adult liturgy teams which support the Mass. We have three teams: 1) lay readers 2) extraordinary ministers of the eucharist, and 3) sacristans. These three teams assist the pastor and are needed at each Mass.

My dear parishioners, in recent weeks, several instances of spontaneous “shout outs” and overly loud voices have occurred in the celebration of daily and Sunday Mass. No one ever has discovered an easy way to approach, sort out and resolve this sort of thing. But as I am appointed to lead and guide, I would deem it a pastoral failure if I didn’t address these concerns clearly and firmly.