Dear Parish Family, Today is Laetare Sunday!  “Lae-what?” you may ask.  Laetare [lay-tah-ray] is the Latin word for “Rejoice!” and it comes from the first word of today’s entrance antiphon.   Well, what is the “entrance antiphon?”  The entrance antiphon, or introit, is the opening sentence usually chanted at the beginning of a liturgy.  Here … Continued

Dear Parish Family, Thanks to the New Evangelization grant we received from the Trinity Foundation, four parish staff and I were at The Amazing Parish Conference in Atlanta from Monday to Thursday morning of this past week.  Joining 1100 people from about 200 parishes from across the country, we learned from the best experts in … Continued

The season of Lent is upon us! You have probably noticed a big change in the music at Mass. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about why the Lenten season is so different when it comes to music. Why is there no “filler music” during Lent…it seems so quiet and awkward! According … Continued

Dear Parish Family, We talk about the 40 Days of the Great Fast of Lent, but from Ash Wednesday to the Easter Vigil, there are 46 Days.  What gives?   Well, in the colorful history of this penitential season, there are three points that help us resolve the question: 1) The season of Lent used to … Continued

In this past Tuesday’s Gospel (Mark 9:30-37), Jesus gave his original disciples and, by way of the Sacred Scriptures, gave us present-day disciples a beautiful lesson on what comprises true greatness.  As they were journeying to Capernaum, the Twelve were talking amongst themselves about who was the greatest among them.  When they get to Capernaum, … Continued