Blessings to all mothers and grandmothers, to new moms and those expecting a child, to single mothers and foster mothers and those who are “second mothers” in caring for children outside their own family circle. There is a program titled “Called and Gifted” which helps people recognize their gifts from God and inspires them to put them to use for the Gospel. Mothers, of every age and circumstance, are called to this vocation of love by God,and gifted in countless ways to live

From Safari …. Some twenty years ago in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, a gunman shot ten girls in an Amish School, six of the girls died, and then killed himself. Midst their own grief, many of the families comforted the families of the man who shot their daughters. They visited the man’s parents as well as his wife and children. They stood with the family at his burial, outnumbering the non-Amish there. Some criticized the quick and complete forgiveness with which the Amish res

Good Shepherd Sunday The Gospel for each Fourth Sunday of Easter is from one of the passages where Jesus calls Himself the “Good Shepherd.” It is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, as we reflect on the mystery of God’s call and the beauty of humble and unselfish service. For me, my call has been to priestly ministry, collaborators with the bishop, with fellow clergy, and with the lay faithful to make visible in a human way the holiness, wisdom, and service of Jesus in the

From Safari…. Some years ago, two teenagers with a long history of crime and misbehavior robbed a YMCA on the lowest East Side of New York City. On the way out they saw a young man at the telephone switchboard. They were frightened and assumed that the man must be calling the police. They held and beat him violently with brass knuckles and a black jack. They thought he was dead; they hid him behind the swimming pool and escaped. Later that evening, a woman who came to swim wa

The following may sound familiar from prior years, but the eternal gift of God’s mercy we celebrate in the Easter season is worth pondering anew on this Second Sunday of Easter, known as Divine Mercy Sunday for 25 years now, thanks to St. John Paul II. As you may recall, the Polish Pope died on the vigil of that celebration just four years later in 2005. His final words were: “Let me depart to the house of the Father.” This is a reference to Jesus’ promise that Jesus goes to

From Safari….. “Christ is Risen!” “Indeed He is Risen!” We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song! Easter is our annual 50-day celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our Easter faith does not deny death, but embraces it as part of living, showing us how to join life and death the way Jesus did in his Paschal Mystery. The first lesson of Easter teaches us that that faith is harder alone than in community. The first step toward the promise of resurrection occur

Fr. Ron and I invite all of you to the Holy Week services, as the schedule shows on the front page. The Triduum (literally, “three days”) is the core of the entire Church year; these days are the most important in the entire liturgical year and in all of human history. God came to suffer, die, and rise in the flesh, so that we might be forgiven of all our sins and live forever in peace and joy. That’s the heart of the Christian mystery, and it is well worth celebrating wholeh

From safari….. After dying in a car crash, three friends go to Heaven for orientation. They are all asked the same question, "When you're lying in your casket, and friends and family are mourning over you, what would you like to hear them say about you?" The first friend immediately responds, "I would like to hear them say that I was one of the great doctors of my time, and a great family man." The second friend says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and s

[Every so often, I share this simple outline of the Sacrament of Penance as an encouragement for those who are uncertain about how to go to confession because it has been a while. Jesus awaits us always with infinite love and mercy, sharing the gift of the Cross and Resurrection to set us free.] The Sacrament of Penance (or Reconciliation) is one of the seven sacraments given to the Church by Christ. Through confession of our sins and their absolution in this sacrament, we ar

From Safari…. Water is life. We have to have water to live. A person can live up to three weeks without food but only three days without water. Water is all around us; 11,842 is the number of lakes in Minnesota of at least 10,000 acres in size, in fact, seventy-one percent of the earth is covered with water. Unlike some parts of the world, water flows freely from the faucet in our homes. And yet we can thirst. One’s thirsts are often more than a thirst for water. Some thirst

A few weeks ago, Pope Leo issued his message for the 60 World Day of Social Communications. This observance had its origins in the Second Vatican Council. While the first document of the Council addressed the Church’s liturgy. Sacrosanctum Concilium), the next topic the world’s bishops addressed was the Decree on the Means of Social Communication (Inter Mirifica, December 4, 1963). The Latin title refers to media as “among the wonderful things” that humanity had produced – pr

From Safari… In a word most would say Lent is about sin. It is a time of repentance and time of conversion sin to become a more authentic Christian. Our readings for the First Sunday of Lent support this idea. The first Sunday of Lent begins where it does every year, in the wilderness. Jesus, after his baptism is lead out into the desert where he is tempted. After our baptisms we too go out into the world and the Spirit accompanies us. Why would this account be so important t

The great and hope-filled season of Lent begins this week on Ash Wednesday, February 18. The ashes come from burning previous years’ palms. They remind us of our good intentions to welcome Jesus as the crowds did a few days before his Crucifixion. But we know that time, the demands of our responsibilities, our distractions, and our struggles can make those desires to have the Lord central in our lives seem to wither and turn to dust. Yet God makes a new beginning precisely fr

From Safari….. I find the scripture readings this weekend challenging ---- share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless, clothe the naked when you see them; remove from your midst oppression, false accusation, malicious speech; you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. We would rather hear about God’s love for us, his presence in our lives. And yes, in the scri

You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Those familiar words come from the prophetMicah (6:8), a clear-sighted statement of the essentials of faith in how we live our lives. But putting them into practice is not always simple. Balancing the many competing claims of justice for individuals, communities, and nations; knowing what is truly good for oneself and other

From Safari…. At times our lives experience dark seasons --- a broken relationship, the death of a loved one, chronic illness, diagnosis of cancer, unemployment, rising costs, shrinking pay checks, or loneliness. During these times it is easy to slip into despair or hopelessness. Isaiah, writing to a people in darkness, speaks of a light that will transform. By the time of Isaiah, the kingdom of David had been divided into the northern and southern kingdoms. The northern king

For almost 40 years now, I have worn either a Rose for Life or the Precious Feet pin on some item of clothing. Both are a silent testimony, widely recognized as a commitment to e. First created in 1974, just a year after the Roe v. Wade decision, the Precious Feet pin is the exact size and shape of an unborn child’s feet at 10weeks. But much has happened in that child’s life by the time he or she reaches the age of 70 days. Already at conception, every detail of the entire ge

From Safari… With the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Christmas season ends. Short period of Ordinary Time begins Monday, as February 18th is Ash Wednesday. By his baptism by John, Jesus’ forever changes the nature of baptism. For John the Baptist, baptism was an outward expression of turning one’s heart to God. Jesus, already at one with the Father, is baptized by John, as act of self-emptying, sharing in our human nature. The descent of the Holy Spirit, is another epi

As I share in this month’s FlockNote, growing up, I tried a couple of times to position the Magi from our family nativity scene starting from the hallway and making their slow way from Christmas to Epiphany across the living room to the stable at the foot of the Christmas tree. This interfered clearly with my mother’s plans to vacuum and with everyone’s navigation of the room, so it didn’t get much traction. But for me, it captured the movement and momentum of these searchers

From Safari… My faith journey found me on loan to Crookston Diocese (or was I traded for two priest, undisclosed cash and a future number one pick) 40 years ago. I was assigned to Sacred Heart parish in East Grand Forks, as associate pastor (in today’s jargon Parochial Victor), One of my duties was a part time teacher in the parish high school. Sr. Basil, the principal, had a strict dress code. One item on the do not wear list was blue jeans. She always commented that clothin