Bulletin Article: June 26

I have signed a contract with Jones Lawn Care to repair the labyrinth which is located outside of the church. He will level all bricks and repair areas that are damaged.

I am hopeful that prior to the start of the school year a security door will be installed inside of the school. This door will provide an extra of security which will keep people from having instant access to the school building without first being buzzed in. 

We have finally received approval with the diocese to move forward with an architect, Uwe Rothe, to devise a master plan for our campus. This will be helpful in defining what can be achieved in the lower level as well as other needs that we have for our campus. There is a major need to make sure that we can have proper space for parish social gatherings.

We are currently working with Michael Stone, architect, to design bathrooms and kitchen for the lower level. This will hopefully go out to bid for construction in the near future. Despite whatever the long term plan for the lower level may be these bathrooms will be a necessary improvement.

The master plan and bathroom/kitchen project are being funded by the HOME Campaign. All remaining money from the HOME Campaign will be used in the lower level to carry out projects designated from the master plan.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Homily

This past Friday, June 24th, was the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. June 24th is also the actual day that we celebrate the Solemnity of the birth of Saint John the Baptist. This celebration of his birth was moved to Thursday this year due to the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus also falling upon that day. June 24th is also the day that the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade.

At the time of the Vistation Mary went in haste to be with Elizabeth. It was here that the baby within the womb of Elizabeth leaped with joy for he came to enter the Messiah, the one whose way he would prepare the way. There are only three births which we celebrate throughout the liturgical year: the birth of Jesus, the birth of Mary, and the birth of Saint John the Baptist. Mary and Jesus were conceived without original sin and Saint John the Baptist came to be sanctified within in the womb of his mother at the encounter with the Lord.

There those who object to human life starting at the moment of conception. They see the child within the womb to be nothing more then a mere fetus. If we are people of faith we must object to this notion and always fight to protect the sanctity of human life from conception until a natural death. The Annuciation Mary “yes” to the angel Gabriel and she conceives a son. John the Baptist leaped with joy at his encounter with the Lord. Both of these moments would mean nothing if that were not life found within the womb.

For 50 years people have fasted and prayed due to a plague that has been unleashed upon our nation and world. This is a plague which has ravaged upon the unborn and torn apart families and marital life. Nevertless, this ruling has come to be undone on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the actual day of the birth of Saint John the Baptist.

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus continue to have mercy upon us and upon the whole world. The Heart of our Lord is a heart of love. He loves us so much that He came to lay down His life for us in order that we may be redeemed. Through His heart we are constantly being invited to enter in in order that we may find forgiveness and belonging. Despite the many grievances which go against human life we constantly find hope, healing, and peace through the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Let us continue to pray for sinners that they may come to know of this merciful heart. Let us continue to offer prayers of a reparation to the Heart of Jesus for those who show ingratitude and irreverence towards the Eucharist. May the Lord and His Most Merciful Heart stir up ardent diesires within us to grow in deeper love and ardent desire for Him. He is the one for whom we long and He is the one who heals all that has been broken down by sin and death.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

13th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

“He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” This is an important verse that cannot be skipped over. It would be easy to read this verse and not allow its important meaning to be revealed to our mind.

Jerusalem was the destination to which He was oriented. It would be here that He would come to die in atonement for the sins of the world. As the Lord comes to state of the importance of this holy city, “it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.” By entering into the holy of Jerusalem Jesus comes makes clear His divine claim to kingship.

This journey to Jerusalem is not only arrival of the holy city, but the trip that is made in order to get there. The village of Bethpage is one of the last villages that exists from the path from Jericho to Jerusalem. This village is located on the Mount of Olives. It is the prophet Zechariah who states that this would be where God’s kingship over the whole world would be revealed.

As Jesus further journeys into this holy city it is noted that He rides upon a donkey. This symbolizes to the world His kingship as a king of peace, simplicity, and humility. This is so because the prophet Zechariah notes that peace, simplicity, and humility will be found with the king who enters the city upon the donkey.

As further enters into this city He is greeted with joy by those who are waving palm branches. This takes us back to 2 Kings and 1 Maccabees where palm branches were waves because the “great enemy of Israel had been crushed.” It is the Lord who we welcome in for what He does for us upon the cross crushes the cursed serpent.

By resolutely determining to journey to the holy city of Jerusalem He puts all the events of His Passion into effect. When His mind had been made up to journey to this city there was no turning back. He came to this city out of love in order to lay down His life for us. With the bigger picture of salvation in His mind He was willing to make this journey that would cost His earthly life in order that we may be saved.

We too receive an invitation to join with the Lord upon this journey. Our Gospel adds, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” Through His sacrifice upon the cross we have been given a great gift. Now the question is what do we do with this gift? Hopefully we set our sight upon Him and His coming Kingdom and don’t look back. It is easy to long for another life than what the Gospels challenge us towards through the many temptations that come at us within this life.

We must each reflect upon the great love that Christ shows for us upon the cross. We should reflect upon the sacrifice that is being asked of us within this life that we should offer out of love. Embrace these sacrifices by coming to strive to imitate the Lord and the firm determination that He had as He journeyed towards Jerusalem.

13th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

 This weekend brings about the conclusion of a program that our parish has been offering for around eight weeks entitled “The Choice Wine.” This program focuses upon the importance of the sacrament of marriage and its need to be rooted in Christ. At the Wedding Feast of Cana He gave a wine that was found to be far superior to anything else which was offered at that wedding feast. It is for this reason that we have the couples who have participated in this program sitting together. Today they will have the opportunity to have their marriage blessed using the current ritual for the blessing of marriage.

Our Lord addresses us in our Gospel, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The Lord is inviting each of us to follow after Him. It is easy to allow excuses to give rise within our life. There is always something else that we can chase after that leads us far away from Him. The sacraments are a beautiful gift that comes to us for through the sacraments we come to encounter Christ and the gift of God’s grace. If we are to set the ultimate goal of Heaven before our sight and strive to get there we must make this journey with the help of God’s grace.

A vocation is a call that comes to us from God towards a distinctive state in life. It is through embracing this call and state in life that an individual can reach holiness. As the Second Vatican Council document, Lumen Gentium, states that there is a “universal call to holiness in the Church.” Therefore, there are those who become priests, join a religious order, entered into marriage, or have embraced the single state as their vocation. We are all called upon to embrace holiness in our everyday life. Again in all these matters this is a call which comes from God who calls out to us, “Follow me.”

Concerning marriage we are told in the Marriage Exhortation from the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, “This union, the is most serious, because it will bind you together for life a relationship so close and so intimate, that it will profoundly influence your whole future. That future, with its hopes and disappointments, it successes and its failures, its pleasures and its pains, its joys and its sorrows, is hidden from your eyes. You know that these elements are mingled in every life, and are to be expected in your own. And so not knowing what is before you, you take each other for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death.”

On this day that we bless marriages may each of you come to be strengthened Christ. In the midst of the sorrows and pains of this life set your sight upon Him. In this midst of the joys and pleasures of this life set your sight upon Him. So many take their sight upon Him and by doing so they stumble about lost for it is Christ for whom they long. May the sacrament marriage come to be strengthened in our parish and world. Let us embrace our vocation and set our sight upon Christ and the coming of the kingdom of God as we set out to embrace this call towards holiness. It is this universal call to holiness that restores all that which has been broken down by sin and death.

Bulletin Article: June 19

Congratulations to Deacon Jim Haselsteiner who was ordained last weekend. He has been assigned to our parish and will also assist at Saint Michael Parish in Erwin as needed. Deacon John Hackett will begin to step aside from ministry at our parish. I thank him for all that he has done at our parish community.

Next weekend the Choice Wine program will come to it’s conclusion. There will be a blessing of marriages at the 5pm Mass on June 25th to conclude this program. This first run at this marriage ministry has been very successful and I look forward to having it offered again in the near future.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

Corpus Christi Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Our Blessed Lord stated in the Gospel of Saint John, “I am the living bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

It should be no secret that our world is filled with many storms. Scandal, division, disease, doubt, and more continue to come our way. It is so easy to allow these storms to sweep us away from our faith. Some get so caught up in these storms that they begin to live a life which is exempt from Christ and His Church.

It was Jesus who calmed these storms within the lives of the apostles. He commanded these storms, “Quiet! Be still!” And at His command we were told that “the wind ceased and there was great calm.” He then asked His apostles, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

Thankfully we continue to encounter this same Jesus whom the apostles encountered in the Most Holy Eucharist. We have each received the invitation to place our trust in Him and His presence among us. With faith placed in this Sacrament of Love we would begin to orient our heart and soul towards that which can calm all the storms of our life.

As Saint Teresa of Calcutta had stated, “Jesus has made Himself the Bread of Life to give us life. Night and day, He is there. If you really want to grow in love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to that Adoration.”

This is what the United States Council of Catholic Bishops invites us to do as we move into this time of National Eucharistic Revival. Jesus is truly present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Most Holy Eucharist. What you see with your eyes is bread and wine, but through the words of consecration we truly have the presence of Christ among us.

He is the bread of life that has come down from Heaven. It is He who should be the source and summit of our faith. Jesus is inviting us to enter into relationship with Him in the Most Holy Eucharist. We do precisely that whenever we come to Mass and receive Him with a true sense of reverence, we do precisely that whenever we come before the tabernacle to be present with Him, we do precisely that whenever we go to confession to fix that which has been broken down by sin, and we do precisely that whenever we profess our faith in Christ Jesus who is present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist.

May our encounter with our Eucharistic Lord bring about a true change within our heart. The one who you will receive today in the Eucharist is Christ. Not a symbol, but truly Christ. May our heart desire to dwell with Him always. What can we do to reinkindle our relationship with Christ who is present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist?

Bulletin Article: June 12

I welcome Tonya Chavez to our parish and school staff. She will start her position as Development Director on June 15th. She will work with Andrew Cooper for the next two weeks. Andrew’s final day on staff will be June 30th. I thank Andrew for all that he has done for our parish community and look forward working with Tonya.

Next Sunday, June 19th, is the Feast of Corpus Christi. This is a celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ which is the central element of our faith. We will have a Eucharistic Procession this day at 4pm. There will also be exposition from 3pm-4pm for those who wish to come to pray before our Eucharistic Lord.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

Trinity Sunday Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

The Trinity is a form of family and of community. Within the Trinity we have three distinct Persons who at the same time are one God. Each of these Persons pours themself out entirely to the others holding nothing back, but not losing their own identity. The Trinity truly is a perfect glimpse into love, what family life should be, and how a community should act. God took on our human flesh in the second person of the Trinity and through this gift we are to enter more fully into the life of the Trinity and thus too the life of the family.

In his book “Three to Get Married” Fulton Sheen entitled one chapter, “Love is Triune.” Here he writes, “As the three Divine Persons do not lose their personality in their oneness of essence but remain distinct, so the love of husband and wife leaves their souls distinct. As from the love of the Father and the Son proceeds a third distinct Person, the Holy Spirit, so in an imperfect way, from the love of husband and wife there proceeds the child who is a bond of union which gives love to both in the spirit of the family.”

Pope Pius XII also remarked on this concept, “The family appears still more splendid if we consider that it is God’s image and likeness of the Trinity. Just as the essential unity of divine nature exists in three distinct Persons, consubstantial and eternal, so also the unity of the family is realized in the trinity of the father, the mother and the children, all of them living in the unity of fruitful love.”

Whenever God creates it is not just left alone. We are each called to enter more deeply in union with Him. In the family mom and dad do not simply have a child and leave them alone. Families must be a picture of God and His love that is made manifest to the world.

What can families do in order to accomplish this task? They can pray together, they love deeply, they can love generously, and they can love joyfully.

Our society is a busy place and so often families are fragmented as they are pulled all over the place. The Trinity serves as an important reminder that we must come together and enter into communion with God. By entering into the life of the Trinity we begin to love as God loves. Our word “charity” comes from “love.” Charity is not simply giving money to someone who is in need. Rather charity is the love that is encountered within the Trinity.

Therefore, I invite all here to enter more fully into this love. May our families begin to pray together and thus love God together. From this love encountered in God we are sent forth to love more deeply, to love more generously, and to love more joyfully. This is the love which is expressed in the in the Most Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Bulletin Article: June 5

I thank each of you for the kindness and prayers pertaining to my 10th anniversary as a priest. Please keep Jim Haselsteiner in your prayers as he now prepares for his ordination as deacon on June 11th. He will be the deacon at 5pm Mass on June 11th and will preach. There will be a reception for him following Mass in the gathering hall. Due to this ordination there will not be Mass  at 8:30am and confessions at 9am on June 11th. 

I am pleased to announce that William Reiser has been hired as the new facilities manager for our parish. He will take over from Pat Marek on August 1st. Our parish continues to look for a youth minister. If you are interested in applying for this job please contact me or the parish office.

Now that we have moved into the summer daily Mass will transition back into the chapel on June 13th. The 7am Mass will remain in the chapel year round while the 8:30am Mass will return to the church in August due to the return of the students of our parish school. First Saturday Masses will remain in the church due to the amount of people who attend.

Our parish Eucharistic procession will be June 19th at 4pm. Those who made their first communion this year are invited to wear their first communion clothing when they participate. This procession will bring our parish community together as we set our sight upon Christ present with us in the Eucharist. It is through Him that we are made one.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

Pentecost Homily

Today we come to celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost which brings about the conclusion of the Easter season.

What is this celebration of Pentecost all about? The people of Israel also celebrated Pentecost. For them this day marked the 50th day since the Passover. On this day they would come to bring their fruits to the temple in Jerusalem to offer them to the priest in gratitude for all that God has done for them. At the time of Passover they came to be liberated from their slavery and entered into the desert as they wondered about for their ultimate destination of the Promised Land. Once they had entered into the Promised Land it was said that they would receive seven crops which would bear fruit.

From Deuteronomy we hear, “A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil, and honey.” The people would mark the first of each of these fruits which would spring up. When they had collected all seven they would be brought to the Temple to be given to the priest in order that they may be offered to God.

For us Pentecost marks the 50th day after the celebration of Easter. It is this solemnity which marks the gift of the Holy Spirit which descended upon the apostles as a strong driving wind sending them out into the abundant harvest of the Lord. We do not have crops like the people of Israel, but we do have the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

These seven gifts are given to us in the 11th chapter of the Book of Isaiah, “The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.” From this list it would seem that there are only six gifts, but the Latin text uses the word piety for the sixth gift instead of fear of the Lord which is only listed once in the Latin.

Again the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are, (1) wisdom, (2) understanding, (3) counsel, (4) strength, (5) knowledge, (6) piety, and (7) fear of the Lord. 

A lot takes place in our life over the course of one year. Hopefully as we continue to nurture our faith and relationship with God we constantly find growth. The gift of the Holy Spirit is important. Not only at the day of baptism or confirmation, but always. We should realize through our encounter with the Holy Spirit we receive these seven gifts. We should be thankful for these gifts and offer them to God.

At Pentecost the apostles received these abundant gifts and from them they were sent into the world to live the faith and to evangelize. So too do we receive these same gifts. People say I need this or that in order to evangelize, but in the end all that we need is what God has already given us. Let us not impede the gifts of the Holy Spirit , but be found thankful and willing to be moved more fully by these gifts.