March 1, 2026

February 24, 2026

Dear Friends,

 

This weekend presents to us, in our Gospel, the Transfiguration. Matthew 17 is particularly poignant as one of our parishes is named after this event. It is also important for all of the faithful to reflect upon as we go forth seeking hopefully a “Change of Heart” this Lenten season.

 

The custom of reading this gospel passage near the beginning of Lent may have come from the ancient tradition which held that the transfiguration of Jesus took place forty days before Good Friday. The response of “It is good for us to be here” carries right to this present moment for you and me. It is good that we gather together to reflect on the word of the Lord and be nourished with the Bread of Life, Jesus Himself.

 

As Saint Augustine said, “may we become what we receive.”

 

How is your Lenten journey going so far? What is happening in the interior of your lives and within your heart?

 

Jesus often referred to individuals with “hardened hearts.” He cited scribes, pharisees, and even His own disciples. Some of these moments occurred when He healed on the Sabbath (Mark 3:5), after walking on the water (Mark 6:52), and His post-resurrection appearances (Mark 6:14)

 

Are we possibly discovering any hardness of hearts in relationship to belonging to Jesus? After all, if we belong to Jesus, we are to love as He loves.  How are we doing with loving as Him? Are there any issues we need to address honestly? Is He telling us something we need to address in the interior, depth of our very self, soul, and heart?

 

Jesus is addressed in the New Testament as the rock, our spiritual foundation. Like in the Old Testament when Moses addressed the grumbling Israelites thirst in the desert, striking the rock as directed by God to satisfy their thirst, so too we read in 1 Corinthians 10:4, that the people ”…drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”

 

Jesus is the spiritual life and foundation of faith. Jesus as our “rock” is a prominent metaphor for His strength and protection. When we accept Jesus as our secure refuge and foundation, we better understand and address where we need changes of our own hearts.

 

May we take time to in our personal prayer and communal prayer these remaining weeks of lent to prepare well what it means to belong to Jesus. May we drink from the “spiritual rock”, our foundation in Him, and continue journey alongside our brother to Jerusalem.

 

Let us know indeed it is good for us to be here with one another and prepare for the eternal life that lies ahead.

 

With faith and blessings,

Father Rob 

 

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Father Rob's Weekly Message

February 22, 2026

February 17, 2026
Dear Friends, Our Lenten journey began this past Wednesday. So many of us gathered at our masses and services to mark our foreheads with ashes. These ashes remind us of our mortality and to renew our lives by repentance and living/embracing the Good News of Jesus Christ! Indeed, our six weeks of preparation leading us to another Easter Sunday invite us to a “Change of Heart.” The scriptures we heard on Ash Wednesday, the ones that are placed before us this weekend, and all the sacred texts leading up to Easter invite us to reflect on our Baptismal lives. Where is the Holy Spirit inviting us to go deep inside our very hearts and souls to address a necessary “Change of Heart?” This Sunday we heard a call out asking the Lord to be merciful for we have sinned. Jesus, sinless, had temptations in the dessert wilderness. The devil presented several temptations before the Lord, but He did not submit to them, Jesus had the strength and prayer to keep God the Father before all else. You and I have constant temptations placed before us. How many times in our lifetime have we fallen prey to them, the ways of the world and have let decisions and choices be embraced over choosing the ways of Jesus? What temptations can we honestly see before us right now that are interrupting our full commitment in following Jesus? Addressing them is to focus on how we will have a “Change of Heart.” I hope you can set yourselves aside for personal prayer, worship in our faith communities and avail yourselves to reconciliation in the coming days. Also, check our websites, weekly emails and bulletins for special Lenten opportunities our parishes are offering. You also should have received a postcard listing several of the offerings we have leading up to Easter Sunday. May we keep one another in prayer these next several weeks that our lives will be deeper in faith with Jesus. Blessings, Father Rob

February 15, 2026

February 11, 2026
Dear Friends, This fresh New Year has certainly given us a winter season we haven’t experienced in quite some time. Hopefully, everyone kept warm, comfortable and safe last weekend. We speak about how cold it is and how we are cold but let’s be grateful we have appropriate clothing to put on, warm homes, schools, places of work and places we frequent. I am mindful, as all of you are, of our sisters and brothers who are not as fortunate as ourselves. Thank you for your donations of winter clothing, food donations and monetary support to the wonderful services in our area who attend to those living on the streets and those in residence at our warming shelters like the House of Mercy and Open Door Mission. May we continue to support these needed shelters and the great folks who attend to the vulnerable in our communities. Last weekend the Msgr. Schnacky Players put on their final performances of this year’s Melodrama, “The Last Curtain Call.” The production was written by our own parishioner Patrick Ashley. Patrick had the support of other parishioners and folks from the wider community to offer this play. Some members of our Parish Staff, including myself, attended last Friday night’s play. The weather challenged some to attend and others not to come out. This was on top of many who wanted to be there but were sick with colds, the flu, etc. Nevertheless, those of us who were in the audience had an enjoyable time. Thank you to Patrick and all those who came together to make the 45th production such a great success! This coming week we will begin a new liturgical season. Ash Wednesday is just around the corner. The theme for this year is “Change of Heart.” As you look and pray over the next six weeks of Lenten Scriptures you will understand the theme. The scriptures place before us words to contemplate like hardness of heart, compassion, temptation, sin, hardship, seeing God as our rock of life, living water, moving from darkness to light, graves opening up, and so much more. As we come together in prayer and our liturgical celebrations may these coming weeks bring us to the fullness of life preparing for Easter. Please check our bulletin, website, and weekly emails for the services offered Ash Wednesday and throughout Lent. May we pray for each other that we may examine in our personal lives where a “Change of Heart” will deepen our relationship with Jesus. Blessings, Father Rob

February 8, 2026

February 3, 2026
Dear Friends, Do any of you remember the call out expression, “What would Jesus do?” This very moment, in your life and my own, do we reflect and live what we can honestly acknowledge, what would Jesus do? Are we honest with what Jesus has revealed to us? Let’s look at the Ten Commandments. Let’s look at the two greatest: “Love your God with your whole heart, soul, and being” and “Love your neighbor as yourself”. Neighbor. Hmm. Are you thinking of the story of the Good Samaritan? What about Jesus telling us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors? Last weekend, our Gospel was Matthew 5:1-12. Folks love the Beatitudes and I certainly believe we can not reflect on them enough. How about, “Blessed are the peacemakers, they will be called children of God.” Are you a peacemaker? We are in the midst of very troubling times , not only in our world, but right here in our nation. Do you want peace? The Peace of Jesus? Another saying in my memory bank is, if you want peace, work for justice. WOW! Justice. Peace. Love. No one should lose their life living for justice, peace and love in the image of Jesus Christ. We live in a nation and world of diversity. And diversity is good when we, like Jesus, are open to seeing the goodness and blessings in all people. Jesus started out in a small circle but expanded it by saying I need to move on to others, all people. Today, yesterday, and so many yesterdays in the past, people have brought their prejudices to alienate, persecute, and hurt the Body of Christ. In Jesus’ own day, he was confronted by His faith and politics. He ended up on the cross because of His viewpoints. We talk about separation of church and state, but let’s face it, if we are truly living our Catholicism, there is no separation. Do we not base our lives totally on the Gospel as we profess? We are called to be disciples of faith living the justice, love and peace of our Lord. Not every moment is so peaceful. Look at the scriptures. Jesus challenged injustices. Jesus spoke out and Jesus gave His life for the salvation of all his beloved sisters and brothers of all races and nations. We have been challenged, have we not? All life is sacred, Yes! From the womb to the tomb. All life is sacred and no one, should be assassinated because of their ideologies: John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Robert F. Kennedy, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Charlie Kirk, Renee Good, Alex Pretti and so many others we hold in our prayers and thoughts. This is a time where we as church have been called out by leadership of Cardinal’s Blasé Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., and Joseph Tobin, of Newark, New Jersey, and Pope Leo to be voices who speak up for the dignity and blessings of our sisters and brothers who live rightly in our nation and world. Please check out these Cardinal’s words if you have not already. May our hearts be open and not hardened to where we are to love everyone. Yes, everyone. Blessings, Father Rob