Weekly insight and thoughts from Fr. Damian Zuerlein
Pastor’s Letter 5.10.26
Happy Mother’s Day! We have been listening to John’s gospel through our Easter season. This week, Jesus is again at the Last Supper with his disciples and is talking to them about the oneness between God the Father, Jesus and us. In John's gospel, Jesus is in charge....
Pastor’s Letter 5.3.26
Dear Friends, Our Easter Season readings are so rich, with so little time to reflect upon them during Sunday Mass. It is always a challenge for me as a preacher to narrow it down to a couple points in the homily. Last Sunday, the Church gave us as the second reading...
Pastor’s Letter 4.26.26
Dear Friends, Most of you are probably very aware that the young woman who suffered from mental illness and who broke into the rectory two years ago was killed by Omaha police as she attacked a three-year-old with a knife. In my comments to the press in the days that...
Pastor’s Letter 4.19.26
Dear Friends, One of the most powerful expressions of friendship and mutuality is sharing a meal together. We normally eat with people we like and with people who are like us, but sharing a meal with a person we do not know is a great way to break down social...
Pastor’s Letter 4.12.26
Dear Friends, Pope Leo gave, as Popes normally do, a message to the world on Easter Sunday. The press seemed to think it was a message for Donald Trump and his administration but that is not the case. All that the press commented on was their perception that it was...
Pastor’s Letter 4.5.26
Happy Easter, Friends!!! I heard a story from one of our moms the other day. She said her daughter was surprised to learn how long the Easter Season lasts. She said, “Easter lasts for fifty days?” Her mom replied, “Yes. We fast for forty days and feast for fifty.”...
Pastor’s Letter 3.29.26
Dear Friends, With our celebration today of Palm/Passion Sunday, we begin our annual reflection on the Paschal Mystery. Lent officially ends with the beginning of the Triduum. I encourage you to join us at each of the three days of the Triduum: Holy Thursday Mass at...
Pastor’s Letter 3.22.26
Dear Friends,A couple of weeks ago, I gave a presentation to the people who will be joining Ixim on the annual mission trip to Huehuetenango in Guatemala. The presentation was on the virtue of solidarity, which is core to what we attempt to do on our mission trips. It...
Pastor’s Letter 3.15.26
Dear Friends,This week we celebrate the feast of St. Patrick. Poor guy always ends up with his feast day in Lent. This year, at least, it is not on Friday. His statue is in the niche on the southwest corner of the church.You may remember Patrick’s story; he was living...
Pastor’s Letter 3.8.26
Dear Friends,During their Lenten retreat at the Vatican, Pope Leo and the team at the Vatican heard reflections from Bishop Eric Varden. Some of these reflections were specific to the ministry of a bishop or a priest, but many of them provide great insights for all of...
Pastor’s Letter 3.1.26
Pope Leo and the staff of the Vatican were on a Lenten Retreat this week given by Bishop Eric Varden who is a Trappist. This was the second meditation he gave on the retreat:St. Bernard keeps us on our toes. He states: ‘I would have you warned: no one lives on earth...
Pastor’s Letter 2.22.26
Dear Friends, Pope Leo has given us a challenge for our Lent – to listen. Here is what he wrote: Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in...