Weekly insight and thoughts from Fr. Damian Zuerlein
Pastor’s Letter 5.3.20
Friends, Like many of the pastors in the Archdiocese, I am taking this opportunity to tell you where we are at in the process of starting to offer Mass again. When the Governor and the Archbishop said that we could start having Mass (within the guidelines), it...
Pastor’s Letter 4.26.20
Dear Friends, In a recent article in the British journal, The Tablet, the historian Tom Holland wrote about the impact the plagues played in early church history: “At the end of the second century, and then again in the middle of the third, bowls of wrath were poured...
Pastor’s Letter 4.19.20
Dear Friends, In the rectory, I have a reprint of a painting by Caravaggio that depicts the calling of St. Matthew. Like most of his paintings, this one has lots of darkness and glimmers of light similar to the paintings of Rembrandt. Chiaroscuro is the term...
Pastor’s Letter 4.12.20
Happy Easter Friends! Our odd Holy Week has come to an end and we now celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and the promise of life eternal for all who choose to follow. Thank you for your ongoing care for our community and for your faithfulness during this...
Reconciliation April 7th & 8th
Pastor’s Letter 4.5.20
Dear Friends, I am not sure if you had a chance to see the special prayer and blessing for healing that Pope Francis gave last week. It is entitled Urbi et Orbi and is available online. There were powerful images of Pope Francis walking through St. Peter’s...
Pastor’s Letter 3.29.20
Dear Friends, Some parishioners have been asking, “if I live by faith, then I should not feel any anxiety, right?” Then they continue on to say that they have anxiety over the current crisis and begin to doubt their faith. This doubt of their faith simply...
Pastor’s Letter 3.22.20
Dear Friends, I am back from my travels to New Zealand! I had a great visit with my nephew Jason and he was a terrific host. He took Fr. Boes and me on many hikes through the spectacular beauty of the mountains of New Zealand. If any of you watched the Lord of the...
Pastor’s Letter 3.15.20
Prayers for the World during the Outbreak of the Coronavirus To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation. Through that charity which bound you to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we...
Pastor’s Letter
Dear Friends, The first Sunday of Lent we are offered the temptation of Jesus in the desert as our gospel. It is a moment in Jesus’ life that may strike many people as odd. Why does Jesus have to go through this? Why do any of us have to go through temptations? C.S....
Pastor’s Letter 2.23.20
Dear Friends, Lent starts on Wednesday. That is the day Catholics and a few of our Protestant brothers and sisters go walking around with black smudge marks on their foreheads. You know, we call it Ash Wednesday. So, let me repeat what I have said the past few years...
Pastor’s Letter 2.16.20
Dear Friends, On this weekend when many people are celebrating Valentine’s Day, I am on a quick trip (I will be back on Monday) to Guatemala to meet with the Huehuetenango leadership team to do planning for our summer mission trip and to do a bit of long range...