The Ascension of the Lord At times, we forget that Jesus’ act of “going to the Father,” the Ascension, is a totally separate act from his Resurrection. Even the Gospel writers seem to have failed to realize it; Matthew doesn’t mention the Ascension at all (and in Matthew 27:53 he the only mentions the Resurrection … Continued

Rosary Come To Life I did not become Catholic until I was 30 years old, and I did not pray the Rosary with much enthusiasm until “Praying with the Padres” during the Covid pandemic shut-downs. Praying with Fr. Brian, Fr. Chas, and their frequent guests helped me understand how to finally get the hang of … Continued

“Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.” (Psalm 24) Hello St. John Parish Family, As the number of us St. John pilgrims have returned from the Holy Land, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the enthusiasm and excitement with which we share about our experiences there, from Fr. Chas’ moving homily last weekend to … Continued

Happy Mother’s Day and Happy Good Shepherd Sunday! Moms (including stepmoms, Godmothers, care-givers, aunts who are like second moms, and all the other possible mom-like roles out there), what do you have in common with a shepherd, particularly a shepherd of the middle east, a couple of millennia ago? You might, understandably, think, “Not a … Continued

Resurrection from the Pandemic! Dear Parish Family, Though we were able to celebrate Holy Week liturgies last year, many were still leery about whether or not they should come back to Mass. As we exit from two years of Covid restrictions, this will be for many of us the first Easter Mass in two years! … Continued