Dear friends,

This weekend, we celebrate the feast of the Divine Mercy. The devotion to the Divine Mercy has its roots in the visions and writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who lived in the early 20th century. This is how it happened: In 1931, Saint Faustina began experiencing visions of Jesus Christ, which she recorded in her diary. These visions revealed the infinite mercy of God and the need for humanity to trust in His goodness. Jesus asked Saint Faustina to spread the message of Divine Mercy and to establish a feast day in honor of His mercy.

Dear friends,

I want to wish you all a Happy and Blessed Easter! As we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on this glorious Easter Sunday, let us rejoice in the profound truth that shapes our faith: He is Risen!

In the darkness of the tomb, Jesus Christ conquered death and sin, emerging victorious in the light of eternal life. This triumph is not just a historical event but a living reality that not only transforms our lives today but forever.

Dear friends,

Before Vatican II, the reading of the Passion, which we hear today, was greeted with absolute silence. No homily. Even the concluding acclamation: “The gospel of the Lord,” was omitted. So, on a day like this Palm Sunday, I sometimes feel that the most eloquent response to the word of God we have is silence because even the best of homilies could be a distraction from the deep meditation in which many of us find ourselves at the end of the story of the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. But then also, I am aware that a good homily might be useful to direct and focus our meditation in the right direction.

Dear friends,

Last week's blessing of our Perpetual Adoration Chapel was a momentous occasion for our parish. It was a special day filled with joy, gratitude, and a deep sense of reverence that radiated throughout the entire liturgy. I have heard so many testimonies to this fact from many of you who attended the blessing Mass led by bishop Nevares.

Today, March 30th, our new Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel is being blessed by Bishop Nevares, before it opens to our community later in April.

The Chapel will, through your help, become a Perpetual Adoration Chapel, where members of our community unite by spending an hour to adore Jesus truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, during the day and throughout the night, seven days a week, so that every hour of every day, someone is there with our Lord.

Dear friends,

“If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.” (African Proverb)

This month of March is dedicated to women all over the world in recognition of their invaluable contribution to the upholding and liberation of society. The official celebration of this day began on March 8th with the celebration of International Women’s Day. That day got me still in Uganda, and I was struck by how, with great excitement and fanfare, the day was celebrated. Men took turns cooking food, washing dishes, and generally spoiling their wives and mothers to commemorate that day. Not to be outdone, politicians and religious leaders made great but generally hollow speeches about women's emancipation at rallies.

Dear friends,

In the midst of this rich season of remembrance, repentance, and preparation it is providential that we also anticipate the opening of our perpetual adoration chapel. Lent offers us a time to slow down and spend time with the Lord in the desert, and nothing facilitates this better than time spent before the blessed sacrament.

Dear friends,

Whether you grew up with the practices of faith or came into the Church later in life, it can be easy to take things for granted or overlook the deeper meanings of the Church’s practices and devotions. This applies to Lent, a season of repentance, penance, and preparation. We may be familiar with the annual 40 days of fasting but not question or understand the core practices of Lent. Considering this, I would like to share a few interesting facts and insights about Lent that may be helpful as we partake in this purpled time of penance.

Dear friends,

There is a strange phenomenon that occurs at the beginning of Lent every year. Seemingly out of nowhere occurs a sudden spike of mass attendance and a fervent display of devotion as many Catholics and, in some cases, non-Catholics attend the Ash Wednesday masses and word services. It is strange since the celebration of Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of our season of repentance and serves as a reminder of our sinfulness and our absolute need for the love and mercy of God.

Dear friends,

I do not like Garfield… the cat. I do not really like cats in general, but on a personal level, I hold disdain for the lazy, lasagna-loving feline. I grew up reading comic strips in the Sunday paper and was always disappointed when I read Garfield. In many ways, humor is subjective, but I never found Garfield amusing. Over time, I grew to resent Garfield.

Dear friends,

One of the most misunderstood sacraments in the Catholic Church is the anointing of the sick. In the past the sacrament was known as extreme unction, or “the last anointing.” The Church changed the name from extreme unction to anointing of the sick in the 1970s to better represent the purpose of the sacrament. This is because the anointing of the sick, as a sacrament, makes visible the healing mercy of God. In this the healing ministry of our Lord experienced throughout the gospels continues through Christ’s Bride, the Church.

Dear friends,

In the Catholic Church, we recognize two sources of authority: the written, inspired word of God (Sacred Scripture) and the living tradition of Christ's Bride, the Church. In this, there are two "fonts' that lead the faithful and protect the truth from being usurped by error. However, it isn't so clean-cut since tradition and scripture are intertwined. Going back to the Abrahamic tribe, the Word of God was passed on orally. In this sense, Scripture has its roots in the oral tradition of those who encountered the Lord and were inspired by God to write it down.

Dear friends,

This past Tuesday, we celebrated the memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the most influential and well-known doctors of the Church. A medieval scholar and Dominican priest, Aquinas is known for many titles, such as the Angelic Doctor, the Dumb Ox, and the Universal Doctor. He is most well known for his compendium of theological teachings known as the Summa Theologica, which can be translated from Latin as the Summary of all Theology. This, along with Aquinas’ other works and prayers, make up a treasure trove of writings that have served as building blocks in defining and understanding Church Dogma, the core teachings of the Catholic faith.