Bulletin Article: March 28

Holy Week is a very solemn time in the life of the church. I hope that each of you will enter fully into these solemn days which prepare us for Easter.

On Holy Thursday we will have a bilingual Mass at 7pm. This night serves as the night in which Christ gathered with His apostles and gave us the gift which is the Eucharist. As we anticipate this gift you will notice the tabernacle empty. On this night feet are washed from representatives of the community to remind us of the need to enter into loving service. Finally, we will have the opportunity for silent prayer before the Eucharist until 12am. I will pray Night Prayer at 11:50pm for those who wish to join me.

On Good Friday we will have a service at 6pm (English) and 7:30pm (Spanish). This is not a Mass, but we will have the opportunity to receive communion consecrated from the previous Mass. At this service we will also have the opportunity to silently venerate the cross. During this day there will be confessions at 9am and following the 3pm Living Stations of the Cross. The final event of the day will be a tenebrae service at 10pm.

On Holy Saturday I will hear confessions at 9am. Please note that the Easter Vigil will not be at 5pm, but at 8:30pm which is the earliest that we can offer this Mass. This Mass will be bilingual. It is at this Mass that 7 will be baptized and 1 will be received into the Church.

Our Easter Sunday Mass times will be 8am, 10am, 12pm (Spanish), and 2pm (Latin). I encourage parishioners who might be tempted to attend the 10am to attend the 8am, if possible, to allow for more people to join us for Easter. Due to the anticipated length of Easter Masses there will not be confessions before any of these Masses.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

Bulletin Article: March 21

Each week we have more returning parishioners. I welcome each of you back! As our numbers continue to go up and the world returns to a little bit of normalcy, I must remind each of you to remain on guard while on our campus. Facial coverings are not optional and must be worn over mouth and nose at all times when inside of our facilities. Please always maintain a distance of six feet between yourself and other households while you are on campus. 

The Parish Pastoral Council is currently looking for individuals who would like to be on the council. There is also a nomination box located in the gathering hall. We are in need of people who are involved with the parish, desire to evangelize, engage our parish community, and help with parish activities.

Next weekend is the official start to Holy Week. Our Palm Sunday Masses will remain at the usual time. We will not gather for the blessing of palms. Instead everyone will take their seat and the palms will be blessed from the back of the church. On your way out of the church you will have the opportunity to take a palm with you.

Holy Thursday is April 1st and the only Mass of the day will be at 7pm. Good Friday is April 2nd and we will have service at 6pm (English) and 7:30pm (Spanish). Easter Vigil Mass will be April 3rd at 8:30pm. Our Easter Sunday Masses will be 8am, 10am, 12pm (Spanish), and 2pm (Latin).

Please note that due to anticipated length of liturgies there will not be confessions prior to Sunday obligation Masses on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. If you desire to make a confession you may do so Wednesday at 6pm, Saturday at 9am, Good Friday at 9am and following the 3pm Living Stations of the Cross, and anytime by appointment. 

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins 

5th Sunday of Lent Homily (Extraordinary Form)

When you walk into a Church from Passion Sunday moving forward to Easter you quickly notice what is missing. Around us all of the statues, images of our Lord and saints, and crucifix are all veiled. This year we have made an exception for the statue of Saint Joseph on this Sunday for his feast day was this past Friday and we remain in the Year of Saint Joseph.

This practice comes to us from the closing verse of our Gospel: “They took up stones therefore to cast at Him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.”

So too as Jesus hid Himself do we veil these images. As we move into Holy Week the events which lead to our Lord’s Passion are quickly approaching. Through the cross we have been set free from sin and death. Sadly, despite this truth we continue to find ways to put barriers in the way between us and the Lord. Therefore, these veiled images should bring about a great longing within us that what has been taken away from our sight may one day be restored.

As the veil came to be torn in the Temple, so too through our Lord’s sacrifice are we able to be reunited with Heaven. If it were not for Christ and His cross we would be unable to anticipate this great reality. What has been taken away from our sight are all Heavenly things. So often we take our sight off of Heaven as we place our trust in the ways of the world. These days are important for us to enter fully into because our life should constantly be lived in preparation of this Kingdom which is to come.

Christ went to hide Himself because it was not yet the time for His Passion. This time was set aside to prepare for what He would soon undergo. Likewise, Holy Week is a most sacred time in the life of the church. Next Sunday we will celebrate Palm Sunday where we will joyfully welcome Christ into the holy city of Jerusalem and then are shouts of joy will turn to anger as we should out, “Crucify him!” Then on Holy Thursday we will set our sight upon the priesthood and the Eucharist as Christ gathers with His apostles at the Last Supper. On Good Friday we will come to commemorate His death and then we will anticipate His glorious Resurrection at Easter.

Let us spend these final weeks and days of Lent desiring to be reunited with that which has been taken away from our sight. If it has been a long time since your last confession then go with haste. If you discern that you are in need of the sacrament of confession then make the time that is necessary. Spend time with Sacred Scripture especially with the Passion narratives from the four Gospels. Make the time needed to spend time before the Lord present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist. 

Through all of these ways we set that which is important before our sight and thus when we arrive at Easter we will be given every reason to rejoice for that which has been taken away from our sight will come to reunited with us.

5th Sunday of Lent Year B Homily

If you were to read through the Gospel of Saint John you would constantly come across Jesus making reference to His hour. We first hear of this hour at the Wedding Feast of Cana where He says to His mother, “My hour has not yet come.” We also heard of this hour today in our Gospel where He said, “Yet what should I say? Father, save me from this hour? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.” At the conclusion of the Last Supper He would state concerning this hour, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you.”

The use of this word “hour” does not signify the passing of a span of 60 minutes, but instead is made in reference to His Passion, His Death, His Resurrection, and His Ascension. It is all of these actions which are summed up by the term, Paschal Mystery. The Paschal Mystery is God’s plan of salvation which comes to be fulfilled by these four events. The unity of these events is summed up for us in the Roman Canon which states, “Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the blessed Passion, the Resurrection from the dead, and the glorious Ascension into heaven of Christ, your Son, our Lord.”

This word, Paschal, comes from the Hebrew, Pasach, which means Passover. It was at the first Passover that the Lord passed over the homes of the Israelites and would strike down the first born Son if the household was not marked with the blood of the sacrificial lamb. So too through this hour which comes, the Blood of the Lamb is spilled upon the cross. We know Him to be without the blemish of sin. Through this life giving action we now have the hope of new and eternal life.

Next Sunday we will enter into Holy Week via Palm Sunday and this hour will become more vivid for us. The crowd will joyfully welcome the Lord into Jerusalem and just as quickly will begin to shout out, “Crucify Him!.” We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper and then anticipate the point when the Lord dies upon the cross. From here we will rejoice at the Good News of the Resurrection and 40 days later celebrate His Ascension into Heaven.

May we realize how important this hour is for without this hour we would not be saved. Seeing that we now prepare for this hour which unfolds we must ask what ways we have turned away from the Lord through sin. Let us always come to be reconciled with Him especially by making use of the Sacrament of Confession. Very soon we will arrive at Easter, but may we do so through full preparation for these sacred mysteries which will unfold. Namely the Passion, the Death, the Resurrection, and the Ascension of our Blessed Lord.

Let us be found ready to celebrate the Paschal Mystery and to fully enter into it by handing out life over to Christ Jesus and the pursuit of the Gospel. As we say in one of the options given for the Mystery of Faith, “Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.” In this manner we prepare to enter into this hour and from it strive for the Kingdom of Heaven above all things.

Bulletin Article: March 14

I thank Deacon Hicks Armor for presenting to our parish community concerning the importance of stewardship. Stewardship should transcend the simple giving of money and become a way of life. Therefore, I thank all who give of their time, talent, and treasure for the good of our parish community.

We are currently in the Year of Saint Joseph which will conclude on December 8, 2021. During this year we will continue to pray the Prayer to Saint Joseph after Mass, so please remember to bring the prayer card with you. Wednesday is the day of the week which is traditionally devoted to Saint Joseph. To highlight this the Litany of Saint Joseph and the Seven Sorrows and Joys of Saint Joseph will be prayed following 8:30am Mass.

March 19th is an important date because this is the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. There will be Mass at 7am, 8:30am, and 7pm (Spanish) for this solemnity. To highlight this solemnity our parish will have a Saint Joseph Table in the gathering area from March 19-21. This devotion springs from a drought which brought about famine. Through devotion to St. Jospeh rain fell and the famine came to an end. At the time of harvest a special table was prepared in honor of Saint Joseph on which foods would be placed to share with the poor. Therefore, I invite you to bring food to leave on the table for the poor from March 19-21. Traditionally, what is brought is breads, pastries, and pasta. If bringing something for the table please make sure that it is nonperishable or has a long shelf life. All donations will go to our parish food bank or to a local charity that can use the food.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

4th Sunday of Lent Homily (Extraordinary Form)

The last public Mass in the Diocese of Knoxville, due to the pandemic, was March 19, 2020. Now that we have come a year since this reality we have a lot to rejoice for. This 4th Sunday of Lent reminds us to do precisely this, to rejoice. From our Introit we are instructed: “Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and come together all you that love her; rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow.”

Therefore, from sorrow we are to find joy. This can only be a reality if we come to place our trust upon the Lord. This past year a lot has been taken away from us, but at the end of the day our relationship with the Lord is something which can never be taken away. It was a sad moment in the life of the Church when public Masses where shut down. Nevertheless, today we are able to rejoice and hopefully have a true longing and appreciation for the sacraments.

Our Gospel was taken from Saint John and through the feeding of the multitude we were given a glimpse into the Most Holy Eucharist. Life will continue to have its ups and downs, but the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith which draws us into relationship with Christ our Lord who is truly present with us under the appearances of bread and wine.

This world believes to understand what is needed in order for us to be fulfilled, but this longing for fulfillment never comes. This fulfillment can only come if we place our trust in the Lord. With our trust placed in the Lord we are always given every reason to rejoice no matter the temptation or hardship which may come our way. When it seems that we are being crushed by the weight of the cross we must remember the hope which always springs forth in the form of the Lord’s Resurrection and rejoice.

Eucharistic devotion must be something which is important in the life of the faithful. We make so much time for everything which is fleeting before us and so often treat the Eucharist as if it is an afterthought. The Lord looked out upon the multitude and saw them in their need. He desired to feed them to not only feed their bodily hunger, but to also feed their soul. So too does the Lord reach out to feed us in the Most Holy Eucharist.

As Saint Peter Julian Eymard put it concerning Eucharist adoration: “Look upon the hour of adoration assigned to you as an hour in paradise. Go to your adoration as one would to heaven, to the divine banquet. You will then long for that hour and hail it with joy. Take delight in fostering a longing for it in your heart. Tell yourself, “In four hours, in two hours, in one hour, our Lord will give me an audience of grace and love. He has invited me; he is waiting for me; he is longing for me.”

What happens in the world around us is often out of our control, but no matter the difficulty or trial which may come our way we are ultimately given every reason to rejoice. We must rejoice for through the he cross we have been set free and through the Resurrection, for which we not prepare, we are given every hope. Let us receive the Lord present with us in the Eucharist with the upmost devotion and come to adore Him always. Through the Lord’s presence among us we are always given every reason to rejoice.

4th Sunday of Lent Year B Homily

A central theme to the Lenten season is that of the cross. It is from the cross that we have been liberated and set free. This bronze serpent alluded to in our Gospel is used in reference to the cross. We can say that the cross is God’s chosen instrument of forgiveness and thus from it grasp springs forth God’s mercy and love.

From the Book of Numbers we are told: “Moses therefore made a bronze serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.”

To be bitten is made in reference to the reality of sin. If we were bitten by a poisonous snake we would end up dead. So too through mortal sin our soul is deprived of sanctifying grace and thus when we die it would be impossible to merit Heaven.

God in His infinite mercy could do as He wished to bring upon our salvation. He chose to take on our human flesh out of love and to die upon the cross in order to bring about this reality. So too according to Numbers was it not enough to hold up the bronze serpent, but one must also look upon it in order to live. So too the Lord has died upon the cross and we have been redeemed, but sin continues to plague our soul. We must dare to look upon this bronze serpent with a true spirit of repentance in order that we may be healed.

The Sacrament of Confession is one of the seven sacraments. We must remember that a sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ which bestows grace. Therefore, confession, just like the other six sacraments, was instituted by the Lord. Who are we to say that we are not in need of the sacrament of confession for this would be to proclaim that we know what is best for us and therefore are not in need of what Christ has given us.

So too those bitten by the serpent had to look upon the bronze serpent in order to be healed. An Israelite could not simply say that they knew what was best to bring about their healing, but they had to heed the command of God which was brought to them by Moses. Going away by oneself and to commune with nature was not an option because this was not what was commanded and extended unto them.

Some Catholics exclaim that they are not in need of confession because their sin is between them and God. As true as this may be we cannot forget that confession was given to us by the Lord who said to the apostles: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Let us thus come to make the sacrament of confession a way of our life. Why put off this sacrament when all that we have to do is follow and trust in the great gift that Christ has left to the Church? I invite each of you to frequent this sacrament because through our frequenting of it we dare to look upon the Lord and to seek His forgiveness and mercy. The sacrament does not have to be pushed to Advent and Lent alone, but should be looked upon throughout the whole of the year. Let us seek out and obtain the abundant mercy of the Lord. For this abundant outpouring of mercy we are given every reason to rejoice.

Bulletin Article: March 7

Congratulations to those who received the Sacrament of Confirmation over the past two weekends. If there are any adults in the parish who have been baptized in the Catholic Church and still need to be confirmed please contact me. I would like to schedule confirmation for those still in need on Pentecost Sunday, May 23rd.

Please join us for our Lenten Day of Recollection on March 13th either in person or on our parish YouTube page. Deacon Hicks Armor will travel here from Chattanooga to present on stewardship. Mass will be at 8:30am, the conference will be from 9:15am, and will conclude with Holy Hour with confessions starting at 11:05am.

March 12-13 serves as 24 Hours with the Lord. Throughout these 24 hours we will have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and other organized opportunities for prayer. Hopefully these 24 hours will assist us in our preparation for the Easter season.

Finally, I continue to thank all those who assist our parish anyway. Your commitment to our parish is a response to the Gospel and is what is found at the heart of stewardship. Recently we were able to paint and patch the walls in the bathroom and elsewhere around our campus. Our Tuesday Work Crew helped to prep this project and Javier Tapia, Lupita Tapia, Fernando Vázquez, Tony Aguilar, and Rubén Ponce specifically gave of their time and talent in bringing it to completion. 

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

3rd Sunday of Lent Homily (Extraordinary Form)

This 3rd Sunday of Lent brings us back to what was presented on the 1st Sunday of Lent. This being that the devil is the great tempter and so we are told that Christ “had cast out the devil.” This passage makes reference to those who are left deaf and dumb which in the words of Titus of Bostra is to say, “He calls the devil deaf or dumb, as being the cause of this calamity, that the Divine word should not be heard. For the devil, by taking away the quickness of human feeling, blunts the hearing of our soul.”

To Christ’s healing miracle there were those whose hearts were so hardened that they claimed that He was “casting out devils in the name of Beelzebub, the price of devils.” He turns this statement around and reminds exactly whose Kingdom this is. Christ has come to destroy the kingdom of Satan and to establish the kingdom of God.

We must allow this Kingdom to be made manifest on this earth. There are many ways in which our hearing has been blunted and due to this reality the Divine word is unable to be heard within our life. It is very difficult to be a Christian because our culture spreads a message which is so often contrary to the faith. Over the course of time we become desensitized to sin and no longer see it as being such. Television, music, magazines, and other forms of media all bombard our minds with messages which cause great confusion.

In the midst of these culture wars there are those who have been led astray and solely see the Church as being a social club who is committed to social work instead of being the beacon of faith and morals. Therefore, the family finds itself under attack and the child within the womb finds itself under attack. We cannot take relative positions concerning faith and morals for our Lord reminds that a kingdom divided against itself will not stand.

Therefore, we must begin to stay close to Christ and the Church. We must begin to engage the culture in order that it may once again proclaim Christ and His mercy. In such a manner we begin to open up our ears to the voice of Christ and rebuke the attacks of the devil. Then we are able to hear the Divine word within our life to the point that we desire to conform our life to it.

This Lenten season serves as the perfect opportunity to do precisely this. We must open ourself up to God and His mercy. We must come to frequent the sacrament of Confession. We ought to analyze the messages that we are bringing into our life and home through our engaging in our culture and ask if these are healthy images which are leading us unto the Lord or towards confusion. There is no room in our faith for relativism for there is only room for Christ who is the Way the Truth and the Life.

Let us desire to hear the Lord more clearly and to serve Him in though, word, and deed. Let us strive not for the kingdom of Satan, but for the Kingdom of God.

St. Mary’s Men Evening of Recollection XV: Kindness

The seventh and final virtue for us to consider is “kindness.”

From Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians we hear: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Kindness therefore is a virtue which is able to lift the spirits and touch the heart of those whom we encounter within this life. As was said by Saint Josemaria Escriva: “It’s not enough to be good; you need to show it. What would you say of a rose bush which produced only thorns?”

Saint Veronica should serve as a model of kindness. As we know from tradition  as well as from the sixth station of the cross that Veronica was moved with compassion and in an act of kindness wiped the face of Jesus. This small action of kindness only lasted a few seconds, but from it we have the Shroud of Torin which continues to inspire many to this day. From a small act of kindness we too can reach out and touch the life of another in such a profound way.

Saint Josemaria reminds: “It is true that life, which by its nature is already rather narrow and uncertain, sometimes becomes difficult. -But that will help you become more supernatural and to see the hand of God. Then you will be more human and understanding with those around you.”

Kindness, therefore, is a genuine concern for the needs of others. So often we turn inwardly upon ourself and expect everything to be about us. With this attitude it is so easy to forget about others and what they may be in need of no matter how small these needs may be. An act of kindness does not leave behind the pain caused by thorns, but instead becomes equal to the rose bush in all of its beauty and splendor. The more human and understanding that we are to become the more we will be able to intact kindness with those whom we encounter.

During this time let us reflect upon the ways that we have failed to be kind and to respond to the needs of others. During this Lenten season how can we come to more effectively foster the virtue of kindness within our life?

Kindness is not speaking unfriendly of anyone, it is not thinking unfriendly of anyone, and it isn’t acting unkindly towards anyone. Kindness is speaking kindly of others, thinking kindly of others, and doing act of kindness to others. Let us grow in this virtue and be sent forth to practice the virtue of kindness always.

Bulletin Article: February 28

Our next Parish Open Forum is scheduled for April 19, 2021 from 6:30pm-7pm. I encourage your attendance at this parish meeting, so please mark in on your calendar and attend if you are able.

Our Parish Lenten Day of Recollection will be March 13th and will start shortly following the 8:30am Mass and will conclude at 12:05pm. Deacon Hicks Armor will be present to speak on stewardship and the day will conclude with a holy hour with confessions.

Don’t forget each Friday we have Stations of the Cross in English at 6pm and in Spanish at 7pm. The Knights of Columbus are also holding a soup supper each Friday with pick ups from 5pm-7pm.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins