Retrospective: A Grateful Heart
Dear Friends in Christ,
For eight years now, we have travelled this pilgrim road together, under the guidance and protection of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. And while I have joked that if I ever have the blessing to name a parish, it will be something short like “St. Mark’s!” that comment should never be taken as me throwing shade on our patroness. I love Mary and hold to a deeply Marian spirituality. Three titles in particular are dear to me: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Don’t ask me to rank them!
Slowing Down in Summer Mode
Dear Friends in Christ,
This week, we find ourselves at the intersection of secular and religious celebrations. Liturgically, this Sunday we focus on the most sublime mystery of our faith: the Holy Trinity. On the secular side, we keep Memorial Day Weekend, a special time to pause and take stock of our freedoms, especially religious liberty, and the women and men who in military service have offered their lives in defense of American ideals. Unofficially, this week also ushers in the Summer season, and for us at OLPH, ‘Summer Mode.’
Called by Name - Week 4
Myriad Callings One Purpose
My Dear Parish,
Over the course of these weeks, we have been focusing on the theme of vocations, both the big and small calls that God places on our hearts, invitations to follow where he leads. Responding with a whole-hearted “Yes!” often requires surrender, a commitment without seeing too far ahead. For example, the vows a couple professes on their wedding day encompass the broad gamut of life: “for better or for worse… in sickness and in health… I will be faithful to you all the days of my life!” Similarly, the priest’s sacred promises of obedience, chastity and simplicity of life, are made to the bishop and to his successors. The bishop receives the vows as the head of the local church, while also representing the whole church for whom the priest is being set aside in a sacred consecration. Both sets of vows are life-long, made in trust and faith.
Called by Name - Week 3
Call Me Granny & CAll Me Mama
Dear Parish Family,
“Call me Granny” is more than a name—it is a sacred identity that fills my heart in a way nothing else ever has, a reflection of motherhood that continues to unfold through God’s grace. To me, Granny feels like a deeper calling rooted in love, faith, and devotion. The first time I held my two granddaughters, something within me changed—my heart grew fuller, softer, and stronger all at once. In their tiny hands wrapped around my fingers, I see an echo of Mary’s tender care, a quiet, faithful love that nurtures and protects.
Called by Name - Week 2
Dear Brothers and Sisters.
Standing in front of everyone sharing my faith is a lot easier than writing an article about being a Deacon. I do believe that God has a plan for each of us. Sometimes it is clearly laid out for each of us and sometimes it feels like He keeps needing to grab us by the arm and say "No, you need to go that way."
My vocation as a Deacon has been an important part of my life. Being a Deacon has allowed me to be part of the lives of many different people. Following the path that God has placed me on. Being part of many different lives in the good times and the not so good times.
I have a wonderful family who I enjoy spending time with. Watching my children grow up and becoming strong amazing people has been a wonderful experience. I am blessed to be part of their lives.
Called by Name - Week 1
Dear Parish Family,
During the ordination to the priesthood there is a moment when your name is spoken and you stand up, bow, and say “Present!” from the Latin, adsum, meaning “I am here.” This is the formal response to a call. It echoes the moment when Samuel wakes, runs to Eli and says, “Here I am, you called me!” As the event repeats, they finally recognize that God is calling young Samuel (See: 1 Sam 3). This liturgical action of being called by name, is one of many moments on the path to the priesthood. Each time one is called it is an opportunity to say “Yes! I am present. I shall serve.” And each further call can be seen as a deepening of that original call. For me, this multilayered reality suggests that God does not call us once, but numerous times. We are beckoned or invited to follow him countless times. Jesus calls the disciples to follow him initially, but even after the Resurrection, the invitation is renewed and strengthened (See: Luke 5 & John 21, for example).
From Bishop's Desk - Called by Name
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The Diocese of Trenton has been blessed with hundreds of wonderful priests throughout the last two centuries. To continue these blessings, I am announcing a Called By Name campaign for next weekend, April 25 & 26. Fittingly, that weekend is also Good Shepherd Weekend.
Divine Mercy Sunday
Dear OLPH,
Happy Easter! That is right. We are in the Octave of Easter. For 8 days (from Easter Sunday through Divine Mercy Sunday) the Church “holds us” in the moment of the Resurrection. “Octave” means 8 days. An octave is the Church’s way, liturgically, of extending our worship in one long Easter day. (Same is true for the Octave of Christmas.) Tomorrow (Monday of the Second Week of Easter) we move into the Easter Season, which lasts 50 days until Pentecost. So… Happy Easter!!
Easter Newness
Newness on the Move!
My Dear Parish Family,
Blessed and joyful Easter Season to you and all your loved ones! The whole Easter season is such a delightful time of year, coinciding with Spring, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. New life is everywhere! The grass is growing; early flowers are on the move; many trees are budding. The days grow longer and warmer…. especially after this Winter! The whole earth seems to be awakening from a slumber, even from a death - we might say - awakening unto new life. A beautiful harmony exists between the natural rhythms and our supernatural existence. Creation imitates her Creator. Just as the grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die, so our Lord Jesus is the ultimate seed which blossoms unto eternal life.
Passion & Palms
By His Stripes We are Healed
My Dear Friends in Christ,
This week we wrap up our Lenten focus on healing as we look next week to the empty tomb and what new life in Christ looks like but let us not get too far ahead! The danger can be for us to press forward in haste and not to sit in the moment. This week - Holy Week - is the key week for walking step-by-step with Jesus and his disciples, following them closely and entering into the moment. Whenever we rush ahead, we miss the present, where God seeks to meet us. I say that while at the same time acknowledging that this weekend, both Palm and Passion Sunday, we are ushered by the Church through a collision of moments. We pass through a whole week literally in the matter of about an hour.
Healing is Freedom in Christ
My Dear Parish,
We are moving towards the high holy days! Next week is already Holy Week, when we process into church with palms cheering, “Hosanna to the Son of David” and then in the same liturgy shouting, “Give us Barabbas!” That stark turn makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Surely, a moment to realize how fragile our faith can at times be. If you have any old palm, bring it next week, when you pick up your new palm. The old palm will become part of the sacred fire that begins our Easter Vigil.
A Century of Faith, A Future of Belonging
Dear Parish Family,
We are taking a break from the Lenten series to use this space to share with you the official start of our Capital Campaign. We have been working hard for over a year to arrive at this moment! Last Spring, we conducted a feasibility study - lots of interviews, focus groups and surveys - to discern what is possible and how to proceed. That all led to preparations and the quiet phase of the campaign during the Fall and Winter. Now it is time to share this endeavor with the whole parish family!
Living Waters & Inner Healing
Dear Friends in Christ,
Happy Lent! Now we are in the thick of it, both in terms of timing and our theme of healing for the season. Over the next three weeks, we enter into three key episodes from the Gospel of John (chapters 4, 9 and 11). Each depicts an encounter with Our Lord the Divine Physician, which is transformative, powerful, and healing. John shares these experiences with us in great detail, each to be savored and pondered over. I highly encourage each of you to spend some time with the weekly Gospel, and if possible, to attend Bible Study on Saturday mornings at 10am (in Nolan Hall) after Stations of the Cross in the church. What a great power-packed way to enter into the Lord’s Day and prepare our hearts to soak in the mysteries most deeply!
Healing: Draw Close to Christ
Dear Friends in Christ,
Today we find ourselves in the Sunday Second of Lent, invited up the mountain with the Lord. He does not take all the disciples, nor even all the apostles, but only the inner circle: Peter, James, and John. Jesus is transfigured before them. They receive the special gift of knowing more deeply of Jesus’ identity and mission. The same inner circle will accompany him to the garden of Gethsemane (see Mt 26:26). For our Lord and these close followers, we get the sense that this epiphany is a source of strength for the days ahead. And we give thanks to them for the privilege of knowing about this key moment, after the Resurrection, to gain deeper insight into what it means to follow our Lord and to draw close to Him.
A Plan from the Beginning
Dear Friends in Christ,
Lent is underway! Our 40-day journey towards Easter has begun. When we first think of Easter and the Resurrection, the words salvation and Savior are top of mind. Savior is the title most closely associated with the high holy days - the Triduum - for which Lent prepares us. Through his passion, death & resurrection, Jesus saves us from our sins. But healing is also a great part of his mission. Jesus often heals physical and spiritual maladies in the Gospels, all pointing us toward wholeness and freedom in Christ. So, the first truth we need to appreciate is how central healing is to Jesus’ mission. We will spend time this Lent being attentive to healing as a theme.
Love that Strengthens, Joy that Sustains - Serving Those in Need
Love that Strengthens, Joy that Sustains
Dear Friends in Christ,
Last week we kicked off our Annual Catholic Appeal, reminded that “This is the hour for love!” Words of encouragement and challenge from our Pope Leo in his first Mass as head of the universal Church. Our Bishop David called us to action with the words “Love that Strengthens, Joy that Sustains.” Each of us is invited to show our love by making a difference and a donation to the appeal which supports so much of the charitable works throughout the four counties of our Diocese.
Love that Strengthens, Joy that Sustains
Love that Strengthens, Joy that Sustains
Dear Friends in Christ,
In his inaugural Mass homily, Pope Leo encouraged the flock scattered across the globe, of whom he had just become the universal shepherd, “This is the hour for love.” An idea very much taken from the apostle John’s writings. Indeed, the Gospel for the day included those heartfelt questions of Jesus to Peter, “Do you love me more than these?”
John’s Gospel is all about “the hour,” when it approaches and what it all means. Ultimately it is the hour of Jesus being lifted up on the cross as a sacrifice that sets us free, but there are many indications that point to what the hour means and what it might look like. Restoration, healing and love made visible are all themes in the Gospel.
THE SPEED OF JOY - The Secret of Life
Week 5 (PART 4)
Dear Parish Family,
What a winter wonderland we stepped into this week! As I was hunkering down with my faithful dog Gracie, we began to ponder the meaning of God’s gift: a genuine snow day on a Sunday, even for the pastor(!) precisely on the weekend we are reflecting on “The One Thing,” which is about taking back Sunday as a day for worship and rest. I cannot tell you the last time I had “off” on a Sunday, unless I was away on vacation, which has a completely different feel. And I mean really off, with nothing to do and no place to go. It felt so weird to me.
THE SPEED OF JOY - Sunday is the One Thing
Week 4 (PART 3)
Sunday is the One Thing
Dear Friends in Christ,
During the first weeks of this new year in God’s grace, we have been exploring what it means to slow down. In particular, Matthew Kelly has been guiding us with his wisdom in Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy. This week, we really get to the heart of the book: Part Three: The One Thing. So far, we have been focusing on what it could mean for us to slow down, to take a breather, to do less but to live life more fully. How could less be more?! Especially in our American culture, more is perceived as better. “Supersize me!” And many of us have been trying to supersize our lives by cramming more in. But this week we are not only invited to slow down, we are also invited to stop, to pause, to take a day of rest, to imitate our Creator.
THE SPEED OF JOY - IDENTITY INFORMS ACTION
Week 3 (pART 2)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As a young man, in college at Notre Dame and then graduate school at the University of Virginia, time and the fullness of days was a thing. I remember waking up early and retiring late, with a day jam-packed full: classes and studies, exercise and friends, Mass, and prayer. I do not recall measuring my time but trying to get the most out of each day. To borrow from Henry David Thoreau - as popularized by The Dead Poet’s Society - I was trying to suck the marrow from life. That meant not only enjoying the meat but striving to get the most - even the marrow - from every day and week. To do this, Thoreau goes off to live alone for two years at Walden Pond.
Over time, I learned that prayer could be “wasting time with God,” just being in his presence. I began to understand how space creates an openness to divine mysteries. (And for me, this was before cell phones and constant notifications… ah, the good ol’ days! Alas.) In one conversation with a mentor priest, we were speaking about our schedules and the community life of his order. I wondered “how they kept busy,” and he turned to me without hesitation and noted that being busy is not always a positive thing. In fact, it can mean: B.U.S.Y.: Buried Under Satan’s Yoke. I will always remember that!
