December 14, 2025
December 8, 2025
Dear Friends,
The third weekend of Advent is referred to as Gaudete Sunday! This Sunday is a day of rejoicing within the penitential season of Advent, named from the Latin word for “rejoice.”
Our celebration will be marked with the lighting of the pink candle on our Advent wreath, which signifies a foretaste of the joy of Christ’s coming at Christmas and His second coming.
The day’s readings and themes emphasize hope and joyful anticipation, even amidst life’s challenges.
Isaiah the great prophet sets out our hope in the one who is coming. James counsels patience in the face of delay, offering us a spirit of waiting and expectation. Matthew proclaims how John the Baptizer is praised by Jesus for his way of life and focus on the message of God, which allowed him to be seen as the forerunner of Jesus’ own message.
Our beautiful season of Advent is coming soon to a close. May we all take time amid all we have to do and want to do to prepare for acknowledging the true meaning of Christmas. I know I must remind myself, like each of you, to take a breath with all the demands upon us and center on the birth of our Lord.
I look forward to celebrating with you these last days of Advent and the Christmas season!
Blessings,
Father Rob
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Father Rob's Weekly Message
Dear Friends, For three weekends now we have been engaged in the Gospel of John, reflecting upon the Samaritan woman at the well, the man born blind, and this weekend, Jesus raising Lazarus!!! These three passages from sacred scripture are some of my most beloved. To drink the water Jesus offers and to have never to thirst again…I pray to accept His gift. To reflect and pray our Lenten theme, “Change of Heart” and recognize where I need to continually open my eyes, widen my vision, and become more like my Lord among the people I live among, …is the sight I desire. To know the life I seek is the journey with Jesus that leads me to salvation…is a grace that encourages my mind, heart, and spirit to keep the pace with Himself who walks beside me. How far have you and I come since Ash Wednesday? How are your “hearts” doing? Any hardness becoming softer? Any realizations where we can love more? A week from now we will be taking steps alongside Jesus into His/Our Holy Week. I hope you will plan on joining our parishes for all the liturgical opportunities planned. Check your postcard mailed to you before Lent began, our website, weekly email, and bulletin for times and locations of our services. And do pray for our Catechumens and Candidates that will be fully received into the Roman Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. I really hope you will come to the Easter Vigil and support these wonderful individuals. Blessings to all, Father Rob
Dear Friends, Our parishes have a wonderful group of individuals who are well on their way to be fully accepted into the Catholic Church at our Easter Vigil. These individuals recently went to Sacred Heart Cathedral to celebrate the Rite of Election. During this celebration of prayer Bishop Matano acknowledged each Catechumen and Candidate. Last weekend these sisters and brothers of ours celebrated their First Scrutiny. For parishes, like ours, who have candidates for the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) and OCIC (Order of Christian Initiation for Children) there are three Scrutinies as part of their prayerful preparations. All three Scrutinies are connected to the weekend Gospel. The purpose of these Scrutinies is to purify the hearts and minds of the Elect, helping them to turn away from sin and toward a deeper, more intimate union with Christ. These are moments of intense prayer for protection and spiritual strength. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth weekends of Lent, our liturgies are tied to specific Gospels that highlight Jesus’ power to heal and transform. Last weekend we met the Samaritan woman at the well. She encountered Jesus as Living Water. This weekend, we have the healing of the man born blind. This Gospel proclaims Jesus as Light of the World. Next weekend, we witness Jesus raising Lazarus from death. Here Jesus is recognized as Resurrection and Life! All three of these Scrutinies are not only meant for the Elect, but also for us as well. We are invited to participate in these rites to reflect on own life-long need for conversion and to renew our commitment to living a Christian life. This is a prayerful and blessed time to have a “Change of Heart” in preparing for Easter! May we continue to pray for our OCIA and OCIC sisters and brothers in their final preparations: Jake & Kate DiOrio, Devon Forrest, Ellen & George Gardiner, Lila & Vance Gilroy, Rosemary Kinney, Abigael & Haleigh LaRocca, Josh Miller, Sarah Moore, David Rivera, Quinn Thrash and Michael Soltow. And, let us remember one another too in prayer as our family of faith grows! Blessings to everyone, Father Rob
Dear Friends, Reflecting upon, and examining our lives, we are now into our third week of Lent addressing where a change of heart is being invited of us. Two Sundays ago, we encountered the devil tempting Jesus in the desert. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert. The Spirit of God remained with Jesus for these forty days. The devil tempts Jesus, but the Lord will let anything come between him and his father. Last Sunday we had the passage close to our hearts of the Transfiguration of Jesus. This “mountain top” vision was a powerful prayer experience for Peter, James, and John. These invited men coming to this moment have now seen Jesus for who He really is! It makes me recall what “mountain top” experiences have I seen? How has my vision been able to see the Lord for who he really is and bring it to the depths of my existence? This Sunday, our first reading from the Old Testament has the Israelites in their desert complaining because they do not have water to drink. Grumbling to Moses they question, where is God in all this? Moses calls out to God and God provides. He instructs Moses to go strike the rock and water will be provided. Indeed, it comes forth, God is ever present to the people. Their hearts will change for the time being. And on this very weekend we meet the Samaritan woman at the well. There Jesus sits and waits for this individual. Jesus speaks to her with kindness and patience. She listens to him, asks questions, and responds to his invitation to drink the water he’ll provide that will never make her thirsty again. She was ready to move from material needs to spiritual (Change of Heart). The third week of Lent is before us. How have you been doing with temptations, prayer on mountaintops and knowing God is present to you providing what is lasting, Have you been seeing changes in your heart for the good? Are you feeling and recognizing a deeper invitation to be closer to Jesus? Moses struck a rock and water came forth. How is God striking our hearts this lent. What is coming forth from ourselves? Is there life giving water that satisfies our spiritual thirsts? Is there still any hardness of our hearts attached to material temptations that we really need to address and be honest about with God? We still have weeks ahead of us before Holy Week. Let us pray together that we will make the most of this time for a blessed Easter. I ask you in your prayer to also remember our sisters and brothers who will become one, holy, catholic, and apostolic among us at the Easter Vigil! They are a beautiful group of people. How blessed we are to have them share faith among us and for us to do the same for them. To a “Change of Heart” and continued blessings, Father Rob
