March 29, 2026

March 24, 2026

Dear Friends,

 

The two Gospels for this Palm Sunday certainly evoke reflections on the “Change of Heart” theme for us. The two Gospels go from shouts of praise and triumph, to calls for crucifixion and death. Gathering around Jesus, folks go from wanting to be in his presence, to desiring his presence be eliminated in their lives. These are individuals who let their hearts know Jesus for who he is, but become individuals persuaded by outside forces to deny Jesus for who he is.

 

These sacred texts are food for thought for us. Might we ask ourselves, have we possibly been fickle about our own relationship with Jesus? Have we had moments of yes, I do know the Lord and believe in him totally, to moments of doubt, despair, and questioning just where is he in my life? Do I welcome his presence? Do I ever walk away from his presence?

 

This Holy Week who do we identify with? Are we shouting praises or calling out to death? Who is in our crowd that we associate with? Is the crowd of this earthly world or of the eternal world?

 

In the coming days we will be with many different people in our scriptures. There will be Pilate, Peter, Mary of Magdala, soldiers, bystanders, Judas, Veronica, Simon of Cyrene, Mary the mother of Jesus, the women at the tomb, and others. Is there someone we may identify with, whether we want to admit it or not? Is there more than one person in whose shoes we may have walked?

 

Change of heart is a reality for all of us. Hopefully, we are working our hearts in the direction of being more like Jesus. Let’s pray for one another this Holy Week that we will be fully ready to say yes, alleluia to our upcoming Easter.

 

We have several opportunities for reflection on our invitation to a “Change of Heart.”

 

Holy Tuesday, the Chrism Mass will take place at Sacred Heart Cathedral at 6 PM. This very evening our newly installed Bishop John Bonnici will bless the sacred oils. These oils are the Sacred Chrism (a perfumed oil, consecrated for confirmation, ordination, and dedication), Oil of Catechumens (used for baptismal candidates), and Oil of the Sick (used for the infirm).

 

Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the Paschal Triduum. It commemorates the Last Supper, where Jesus instituted the Eucharist. Here we hear the commandment to love and serve. The celebration will begin at 7 PM at Saint Catherine’s. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be in the chapel until 10 PM.

 

Good Friday, we come together again at Saint Catherine’s at 3 PM, commemorating the crucifixion, suffering, and death of Jesus on Calvary. At Transfiguration, Simple Stations of the Cross will take place at 7 PM.

 

Holy Saturday, at 8 PM, we will gather at Transfiguration for the most solemn celebration in the Christian liturgical year, marking the transition from mourning to the joy of Christ’s resurrection. During this most beautiful celebration our Catechumens and Candidates will be welcomed into the church. I hope you will come, support, and welcome them into our faith family.

 

On Easter Sunday, we are blessed to have two masses at each of our churches. They will be at 8:45 AM and 10:45 AM.     

 

My dear friends I will be holding you in prayer and hope you can join me in these sacred liturgies.

 

Blessings ,

Father Rob

 

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Father Rob's Weekly Message

June 28, 2026

June 23, 2026
Dear Friends, Both of our parishes are very generous in reaching out to others who are not as blessed as ourselves. Countless collections and asks are before us year-round, reminding us of how much our God blesses us daily. Your response of generosity was evident again with the HELP UKRAINE appeal! The overwhelming generosity of sleeping bags, socks, underwear, diapers, wipes, walkers, crutches, canes and wheelchairs were a sight to see. Thank you to everyone who made a donation and delivered your offerings at Saint Catherine’s. When everything was boxed and gathered together, your donations went to a former Xerox warehouse in Webster. I was told it was so amazing to see how much had been gathered by various churches and other organizations. May we keep the people of Ukraine in our prayers for their returned peace and for peace for all our sisters in brothers throughout the world who are facing war, strife, and conflicts. I often mention, from the Nicene Creed, the four traditional marks (or essential characteristics) of the Christian being “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.” Someone suggested I might share their meaning in my bulletin article. So I will. These four descriptors define the foundational identity and mission of the faith: ONE: The Church is unified as a single body under one head, Jesus Christ, reflecting the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. HOLY: The Church is consecrated by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and its members are called to live holy lives, set apart for God’s work. CATHOLIC: Originating from the Greek word katholikos, meaning “universal” or “according to the whole”. It signifies that the Church is meant for all people, in all places, at all times, without exception. APOSTOLIC: The Church is rooted in the foundational teaching of Jesus’s original apostles and is tasked with continuing their mission to proclaim the Gospel. May we all strive in praying the Nicene Creed our intent to live our Baptismal life before everyone. As I mentioned above, one powerful way is when we are generous in sharing our blessings with others, here in our own community and throughout the world. With faith and blessings, Father Rob

June 21, 2026

June 17, 2026
Dear Friends, Already halfway through this wonderful month of June and I am saying, Rob, if you can, slow down and enjoy the present moment. This past Friday we recognized “Juneteenth.” We certainly need to recognize this federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. This day marks June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and freed the last enslaved people in the United States. This tragedy of our history of slavery brings me to tears. How human beings can be so cruel to others who are created in the image of God, like ourselves, baffles me. My tears, also bring me grief when I think of the inhumanity of Jesus’s crucifixion and others who were sentenced to such a demeaning death. Guilty or not, the sacredness of human life is before me. I pray we all respect the life of all our sisters and brothers. And the arrival of June 21st! Well, it is Father’s Day and the beginning of our summer solstice! I recall my own father this day. He was a good man and faithful to his Lord. There is no doubt in my mind that dad is in his eternal kingdom with Jesus. That is peace to me, and I hope for many of you this day thinking about your fathers who have experienced the fullness of their baptism. Blessings to all our dads, and those who live as dads with us for our liturgies! AND summer is officially beginning (It’s not Memorial Day). May our summer be good to all and may we be very good to all people in our world. I share this prayer as we begin our summer days with one another. Creator of all, thank you for the warmth of the sun and the long, bright days of summer. As the pace of life slows, grant us the space to refresh our minds and bodies, warm our souls with the awareness of your presence, and teach us how to dwell wholeheartedly in the gift of this season. God bless our coming and going. God bless our love of sunlight and the gentle, cooling breezes. May our days be filled with the joyful laughter of loved ones, and our nights be brightened by the starry sky. May we find wonder in the world around us and rest in the peace of this season! AMEN. My blessings and joy to you, Father Rob

June 14, 2026

June 9, 2026
Dear Friends, June is a month that has many of us involved in several types of celebrations. I shared that last weekend I was blessed to be with my friend, Father Clarence Rumble, to join in mass and celebration of his 40th anniversary to the Ordination of the Priesthood. We have been blessed friends for 49 years and I am so grateful! This past week, on Wednesday, we welcomed our new members to join our Parish Pastoral Council and bid with deep gratitude to those whose term has ended. Joining us in the coming three years are Keith Bock, Christine Spring, Tom Kilian, and Kevin Marren. Their alternates are Bill Hulbert and Dade Kelly. We will be excited to welcome Matteo Smith as our Youth Representative. How blessed we are by all these six individuals willing to be servants for our Parish Pastoral Council. I am also grateful to all those who were willing to be candidates for our council and were not selected this time. I pray they will continue to be present to our parishes serving with their compassion and love. I am also very grateful for the council members completing their terms: Tom Cincebox, Charlene Weeks, Bob Ciccone, Rebecca Hartman, and Michael Musa. Each of these individuals have brought blessings to us in their years of service. God be with them now and forever. The days are blessed with many graduations. I’ve had a preschooler at morning Mass share with me his excitement about graduation! For him, our kindergarteners, grammar school and middle school graduates, our high school graduates, our college and university graduates, and those preparing to take exams for their doctoral dreams, God Bless each and every one of you! I am grateful to know the blessings, from our precious preschoolers, to those who are preparing to make our society and world better with their visions and gifts! God is so good and how fortunate I am to see this goodness in our young people! June is here and gifting us with so much to celebrate and appreciate from our Lord! You are in my joy and celebration of faith! Thank you for being present to me and our sisters and brothers! Blessings to all, Rob