Bulletin Article: May 29

I thank those who participated in our recent Parish Discussion Session. The Parish Pastoral Council will set the next one of these at their June meeting. The majority of our discussion was over the finances of the parish and our need to complete many maintenance projects.

June 19th is not only Father’s Day, but is also the Feast of Corpus Christi. This is a Feast of the Eucharist, so we will have our annual Eucharistic Procession which will take place at 4pm. There will be a reception to follow the procession in the gathering hall of the church.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

Ascension of the Lord Homily

40 days following His Resurrection, our Blessed Lord was taken up Body and Soul into Heaven. Therefore, we gather to celebrate this Transferred Solemnity of Ascension Thursday today.

Some would consider the cross and resurrection as the sole important elements of our redemption. We cannot also forget about the importance of the Lord’s Ascension. The Ascension is, after all, a cause of our salvation just like the cross and resurrection.

The Roman Canon shows this importance as it stresses, “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.”

The Passion and Resurrection can easily be spoken of concerning there importance to our salvation, but what can be said of the importance of the Lord’s Ascension?

Yom Kippur is known as the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Central to this day are the themes of atonement and repentance. It was this feast that served as the only time in the year where anyone would enter into the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was the innermost room to the Temple. The Holy of Holies was seen as being the spiritual junction of Heaven and earth. It is for this reason that the sanctuary of the church is sometimes referred to as being the Holy of Holies. We find that it elevated and thus it reminds us of Heaven. This space is special because it is here that the Sacred Mysteries of the Mass are celebrated.

Our second readingfrom Hebrews reflected upon Christ and His relationship to this room, “As the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; if that were so he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world.” Therefore, it is the Ascension of our Lord which brings this to completion. He enters into Heaven and He acts as the true high priest who completes the work of our salvation. This is very important for us for without the Ascension our salvation would not be complete. Christ was not just another high priest who would enter into the Holy of Holies, but He was THE high priest who would enter into the Holy of Holies to bring everything to its fulfillment.

Saint Thomas Aquinas’ would look upon this important reality of Christ and state, “Christ by once ascending into heaven acquired for himself and for us in perpetuity the right and worthiness of a heavenly dwelling-place.” With this in mind this Solemnity of the Ascension is important because it (1) completes God’s atoning work, (2) allows us to enter into Heaven, and (3) anticipates the time when He will come again.

As we come to celebrate this Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension into Heaven we should look upward, with the apostles, towards Heaven and desire that one day we will indeed see Him face to face. The world in which we live is filled with a lot of chaos, just look to the Ukraine or Uvalde, but the Lord’s Ascension shapes our hope that we do not belong to this world. Let us be taken up to Him by how we live our life on this earth. May He always be the source of our faith and hope as we dare to go where He has now gone.

Bulletin Article: May 22

This past week was the final week of school for the students of our parish school. Please pray for the faculty, staff, and students of our school during their summer break. If you would like to inquire about enrolling your children in our parish school please contact the school office.

Next Sunday, May 29th, we will celebrate all the graduating seniors of our parish at the 10am Mass. I invite our seniors to join us for this Mass and to wear their gown to Mass. May the Holy Spirit descend upon you and lead you forth in the next stage of your life.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

5th Sunday After Easter Homily (Extraordinary Form)

Our Epistle states, “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves.” As Saint Augustine puts it, “Do not deceive yourselves by coming eagerly to hear the Word and then failing to do it. If it is a good thing to hear, it is a much better thing to do.” Therefore, we are being instructed to put into action what we have heard through the Gospel message.

Our life is not as simple as coming to Mass, reading scripture, saying some prayers, and lessening to a homily. As important as these may be, so too is it important to live our faith outside of the doors of this Church. We are called upon to do something more than the mere minimum that is required for us to get by. We should be so in love with God that our heart is moved towards a true spirit of charity which is sent outward from self.

As Christians we must set our sight unto the Lord. It is the Lord who is both Perfect and True and thus when we look upon Him we see our own imperfect state. Whenever we examine our conscience we looks towards Him to ask what ways we have failed to live out our faith by putting what we believe into action. Have we been true workers of God and faithful followers of His Word?

Conversion of heart is something more then mere words that last for only a moment. To be converted is to live for we live for the Lord. Conversion transcends a moment because day by day we must live for the Lord our God. We must come to invite the gift of God’s grace into our life and must be moved by the truth of the Holy Spirit. Conversion is a commitment that we make unto the Lord that we will come to amend our life with His help.

As we state in the Act of Contrition, “I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.”

We cannot simply be a “hearer of the word, and not a doer.” There are many Christians who do precisely this. They are ordinary people among us, they are members of the clergy, they are celebrities, they are politicians, and they come from all walks of life. These individuals do harm to the faith for they cause scandal and lead others away from it through their actions and words.

We instead must take a spirit of conversion to heart. We cannot simply state these words, but must believe them within the depths of our heart. Sure we will fall into sin along the way, but we cannot forget that we must return to His mercy in order that we may live. The more that we surround ourself with good and holy things the more we must all these good and holy things to take hold within our heart.

This day we are being invited to “be doers of the Word and not hearers only.” What can we do to listen more intently to this Word and how are we being called to put this Word into action? Let us be sent forth from here and true spirit of faith that always proclaims Christ Jesus and all that He has handed onto us through the Church.

“Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.”

6th Sunday of Easter Year C Homily

As a Church we now prepare for two important feasts. On Thursday we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension into Heaven which will be transferred to next Sunday and the Solemnity of Pentecost which will be June 5th.

At the Ascension the Lord is taken into Heaven Body and Soul. He does not leave us alone as if we were orphans, but promises to send forth the the gift of the Holy Spirit upon us. It was at Pentecost that the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles as a strong driving wind which sent them out into the abundant Harvest of the Lord.

The Holy Spirit remains central to our life of faith in this day and age. After all, the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. This means that the Holy Spirt is God who in the words of the Nicene Creed “proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.”

Sadly, the Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as being the “forgotten” member of the godhead. We so easily speak of the importance of God the Father and God the Son, but feel so ill-equipped when it pertains to the importance of the Holy Spirit.

The Apostles came to understand the importance of the Holy Spirit. From the Acts of the Apostles we can clearly see that they did not make decisions without first consulting with the Holy Spirit in prayer. As we were told in the Book of Acts, “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us.” The Lord tells us of the importance of this Spirit, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”

We must also make the Holy Spirit our Advocate and guide. We live in a confusing world which is filled with many voices. Truth is something which is so often objected to in order to push a spirit of relativism. It is this spirit which leads one to reject truth for this relies upon a person, place, time, and circumstance.

Pope Francis has stated, “We live in an age rather skeptical of truth.” His answer to this dilemma, “be imbued with the light of the Holy Spirit, so that he introduces us into the Truth of God.”

We are each being called upon to chase after truth in our everyday life. Once we know something to be true then we are called upon the embrace and live it. The faith is an encounter with truth, but there are those who want to decide what is truth for them at the expense of the Church’s teachings. Again the Holy Spirit guides us into an encounter with truth.

As we prepare for the Solemnity of Pentecost may we come to invite the Holy Spirit into our midst. Let us be willing to be more open to the Holy Spirit. In the words of Pope Francis, “Holy Spirit may my heart be open to the Word of God, may my heart be open to good, may my heart be open to the beauty of God, every day.”

Graduation Homily

Today we celebrate this joyous day in the life of our graduates. You have committed yourself to academic excellence and so this morning we are able to celebrate with you on this occasion of your graduation. 

The Lord instructs us in some pretty important words: 

“I am the vine you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will will bear much fruit.”

Throughout your time here these words have rang true. You have been brought up not only in academics, but also through a relationship with the Lord. It is God who is the vine. We must allow ourself to remain connected to Him.

Once you move away from this institution I hope and pray that you will bring with you not only your academic knowledge, but your love for God. The world has many voices which compete for this relationship, but you must dare to allow Him to be the one who reigns supreme. It is from Him that all things should flow. 

“I am the vine you are the branches.” Let each of us be these branches who remain united to Christ and His Church on this earth.

May God continue up to bless you the Saint Mary School Class of 2022.

Bulletin Article: May 15

Tomorrow, May 16th, will be our next Parish Discussion Session. This will begin at 6:45pm and end at 7:45pm. There will be a pot luck dinner for those who wish to attend starting at 6pm. This will take place in the gym and there will not be a Zoom option. It is the purpose of these to bring the parish community together to enter into discussion concerning the parish community.

Please pray for the students of our parish school as the end of the school year quickly approaches. Also, please pray for all those who will be graduating this year.

In Christ, 

Fr. Dustin Collins

4th Sunday After Easter Homily (Extraordinary Form)

God manifests Himself in three Persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

God the Father is important for He is the creator of all things. God the Son is important for He came in order that we may be redeemed. God the Holy Spirit is also important, but for many it seems this final Person of the Trinity goes forgotten.

As our Gospel instructs, “But I tell you the truth: it is expedient to you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you: but if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He is come, He will convince the world of sin, and of justice and of judgement.”

It is the Catechism which states, “The mission of the Spirit of adoption is to unite them to Christ and make them live in him.”

Therefore, it is the Holy Spirit who reveals Jesus to us. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches us about Jesus on order that we may become more like Him. It is the Holy Spirit who makes us ready to receive Jesus in a true spirit of faith.

The Holy Spirit is at work within our life through Sacred Scripture and the sacraments. 

It was the Holy Spirit who inspired the authors of the sacred text to write. It is the same Holy Spirit who inspires us whenever we read Sacred Scripture that Christ and His will may be formed within us.

As we are told concerning the Holy Spirit in the Catechism, “The Holy Spirit, whom Christ the head pours out on his members, builds, animates, and sanctifies the Church.”

Therefore, we can say that it is through the sacraments that we receive the gift of God’s grace. It is the Holy Spirit who assists us in doing all that God has taught us to do. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the Church and throught the Church we receive the gift of the sacraments. Without the sacraments we would be deprived of this o’ so important gift of God’s grace.

On June 5th the Church will come to celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. It will be here the we will come to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church. May we continue to prepare ourself for the Holy Spirit’s coming among us on this important day in the life of the Church. Each Person of the Most Holy Trinity is of great importance. May gift of the Holy Spirit move us  into the abundant harvest of the Lord to go about His business in all that we do.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face fo the earth.

5th Sunday of Easter Year C Homily

 God warned Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat you shall die.” Sadly, they gave into the tempter and thus Adam was told by God, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

These verses make reference to the effects of the Fall. We must remember that the Garden was perfectly created, but sin and death entered into it due to the consent of Adam and Eve towards the eating of this fruit. Each of us continue to be effected by the Fall. It is for this reason that baptism becomes so important for through baptism all sin, including original sin, is washed away. It was due to the Fall that it was necessary for the Savior to come in order to save us.

Throughout this Easter season we have been proclaiming the Good News of the Lord’s Resurrection. Without the cross and resurrection we would continue to antipate the day when the Messiah would come. It was through His saving act upon the cross that the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven were opened wide and now we have the hope of Everlasting Life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Book of Revelation speaks to this triumph, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.” In other words, that which has entered into the world through the Fall is overcome in the life to come thanks to Christ and what He has done for us.

We should easily be able to point out all of the difficulties that continue to plague our world. These hardships are brought about through the effects of sin and death. We know that war continues to exist in the Ukraine. We know of the lack of respect pertaining to human life from conception until natural death. We can easily point towards bad things which happen to good people. Despite all of this and more we must remember that God always wins.

There is no reason for us to give into despair and to lose hope for God always wins. That which happened in the Book of Genesis was not the end nor was the cross the end. God always wins and thus He came to take on our human flesh and dwell among us. God always wins and thus He died upon the cross and rose again on the third day. God always wins for “there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.”

Despite all that we continue to see played out within the media and our world let us remain people of hope. Let us realize and believe that at the end of time there will be a new Heaven and a new earth. God will always triumph! Let us turn away from sin and begin to live for the Lord for His Kingdom is one which will never pass away.

Truly, God always wins! 

Bulletin Article: May 8

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers!

Next Sunday, May 15, will be Family FunFest. I look forward to because it is a perfect opportunity to build up parish fraternity. On this day we will have food, music, and games. Please join us from 11am to 4pm

As a reminder we will have our next Parish Discussion Session, Open Forum, on May 16th. This will be our first back in person since COVID. There will be a potluck dinner at 6pm. The discussion session will be from 6:45pm-7:45pm.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

3rd Sunday After Easter Homily

Today we observe Mother’s Day. Therefore, I offer my prayers to all mothers who are in our midst. I thank you for your “yes” which was made to the gift of life. May each of you stay close to the Blessed Mother for she is also the mother of us all. Devotion to her will guide us in this life in order that we may better come to know her Son and the joys that He always ushers into our life.

As our Blessed Lord instructed in our Gospel, “A little while, and now you shall not see Me: and again a little while, and you shall see Me: because I go to the Father.”

Here the Lord in making reference to His death and burial, and how He will return in glory through His Resurrection. As the Lord continues to dwell with the apostles He will soon return to His Father who is in Heaven. We know and profess that He ascends to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of His Father.

The reality of His death is something that is painful because death seems like it is a form of defeat. As Saint Paul states, “Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 

Despite the sorrow that is held through death we must hold onto the joy that is to come through His Glorious Resurrection. There is always something that lies in store for us in the midst of all of life’s struggles. With the Lord’s Resurrection held in firmly in our sight we can hold onto this hope.

So many take the struggles of their everyday life and refuse to align these struggles with the cross. The cross cannot be rebuked because it is a central part of our life of faith. Just because we have the cross does not mean that we deny His Resurrection. As Fulton Sheen had summarized concerning the cross’ importance, “Keep your eyes on the crucifix, for Jesus without the cross is a man without a mission, and the cross without Jesus is a burden without a reliever.”

Thankfully Christ Has died, risen, ascended to His Father, and will come again. Liturgically we have the opportunity to be reminded of these important events in the life of Christ. The Church has recently celebrated His cross, continues to celebrate His resurrection, and will very soon proclaim His ascension into Heaven. These mysteries are mentioned to us in the Roman Canon which tells us, “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.” 

Let us look upon the cross and from it see the great joys that spring forth for us through His Resurrection.

Bulletin Article: May 1

Our parish has had a very busy week since Easter. We were blessed with a fruitful Easter Vigil where many came into the Church through baptism, this past Thursday we celebrated the sacrament of confirmation, and this past Saturday we celebrated first communion. May we continue to pray for all those who have recently received sacraments.

May 7th is a stewardship opportunity for our parish. On this day we will have our spring clean up day. Please come following 8:30am Mass to assist in making our grounds beautiful. The Knights of Columbus will provide lunch. It is always great to see families come to work together.

I thank Stephanie Mann for her time as Youth Minister. She will step down from her position in the summer after the Steubenville trip. July 10th will be her final day on parish staff. I remain grateful for all that she has done for our parish youth and building up this program in our parish. She has planted the seed of faith in the hearts and minds of so many and those fruits continue to be seen day by day.

We are now taking applications for Facilities Manager and Youth Minister. The job description  for these jobs can be found on our parish website. If you are interested in applying for either positions please contact me or email our parish secretary with your application.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

St. Joseph the Worker Homily

This past year was the Year of Saint Jospeh. This was an important year in the life of the Church for it reminded us of the importance of this great saint who so often goes forgotten. Today is the feast day of Saint Joseph the Worker and in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite we observe this feast and commemorate the 2nd Sunday after Easter.

Saint Joseph is the only saint to be known as the worker. From Matthew’s Gospel we hear reference to his line of work, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son.” Spiritual writers throughout time have noted that Saint Jospeh shared two titles with his Heavenly Father. Both are known as being “fathers” and “builders.”

Saint Joseph reminds our society of the importance of being a father and a worker. 

Our world is in need of men who are willing to be fathers as well as husbands. Saint Joseph shows the importance of these rolls as he acts as foster father to Jesus and husband to Mary. Our world needs to reclaim this proper understanding of fatherhood as is displayed by Saint Joseph. The father is the one who stands in the place of the Heavenly Father within the confines of the home. Instead of this important understanding the modern world thinks of the father as something so much less.

Our world is also in need of a proper understanding when it pertains to the importance of work. As Saint Clement of Alexandria would write to early Christians around the year 190, “Tend to your farming if you’re a farmer; but know God while you labor in the fields. Sail if navigation is your profession, but invoke always the celestial pilot.”

Work is important for our human society. It is even redemptive and can lead us towards the celestial point of Heaven. The Rule of Saint Benedict states, “Ora et Labora” “Pray and Work.” Saint Joseph reminds us of this important reality for he was a man of prayer. As he went about the toils of the work of his everyday life he never pushed prayer and his relationship with God off to the side.

The Christian understanding of work transcends that of the pagan mind. Ordinary labor holds dignity and is something that can lead us towards divinity. Christ is God made flesh and He too was found at work with Joseph as His guide. Let our own labor be a means which leads us towards prayer and thus lifting up our hearts to the Lord our God.

May Saint Joseph continue to be our guide. May we always come to foster proper devotion to him in order that we may draw closer to Christ.

Saint Joseph the Worker, pray for us.

3rd Sunday of Easter Year C Homily

The apostles went fishing and that night they caught nothing. Then they encountered the risen Lord and they were asked, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” He then instructed them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.”

What is it that we find when we cast our net towards the right side of the boat? When we are willing to be present with the Lord we receive the gift of His grace. 

When the age for the norm of reception of the sacrament of Confirmation in this diocese was lowered there were some who were upset with this change of age. They wanted to stress the importance of education in order to retain our youth in the faith over the gift of God’s grace. An infant can receive confirmation and receives an equal amount of grace as the most educated of adults. This reality is true not only with confirmation, but with all of the other sacraments.

Christ instructed His apostles to cast their net to the right side of the boat. They consented to Him and received a great gift. So too must we allow ourself to be opened to receive the gift of God’s grace. The Catechism of the Catholic states, “Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and eternal life. Grace is a participation in the life of God.”

The apostles participated in this gift in the life of God when they listened to the Lord. Whenever we have the opportunity to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we listen to the Lord and are made present to Him. Some confess that their mind wonders during the Mass. We should do the best that we can to listen and be found attentive, but despite what is lacking within us may we realize that God is the one who is at work within our life. We can only do the best that we can with His help.

The presence of adults at the Mass is important, but we cannot overlook the importance of our youth. I am speaking not only those in high school, middle school, or elementary school, but also those toddlers and the loudest of infants among us. I feel for families who feel that they are not welcome here because their child makes noise at Mass. We need the joyful noise of our children among us. Why would we want to deprive them of the gift of God’s grace?

Sure if your child is crying uncontrollably use the cry room and then make your way back into the Church. When a child is making noise let us not rebuke parents for bringing their children to Mass, but be filled with joy at the grace that child receives as well as us.

To the parents of those children who make such joyful noise I give you thanks for your endurance. I understand that your ability to listen at Mass has diminished, but please realize that you too are receiving the gift of God’s grace just like your child. You are answering God’s call, you are living up to your state in life as a parent, and you are ensuring that your child is found receptive of the gift of God’s grace. Christ and the gift of God’s grace is present not only to adults, but to all the baptized.

Therefore, let us ALL be found attentive to Him and cast our net out through His help in order that we may come to receive the gift of His grace in great abundance.