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

This Thursday … a Most Blessed Christmas of Hope! The calendar points to winter’s arrival with the shortest day of the year on December 21. The longer time of darkness certainly mirrors the concerns of many hearts in difficult and fearful times in our world. How much more, then, do we understand the great joy of the shepherds, the Magi, Joseph, and Mary at the Good News that the Light of the World has come: “Today a Savior has been born for you, who is Messiah and Lord.” As w

From Safari….. Veronica was a spunky little lady. At eighty five, she swam laps every day in the pool. She loved people and they loved her. An academic she studied everything from Thomas Merton to Ira Progoff. She spent time as a spiritual director and helping out where she could. Her hearing impairment allowed her hearing aid to become a means of instantaneous centering. Finger to ear, she would switch off the hearing aid - -- and that, quite simply, was that. She then found

One of my favorite prayers in the Roman Missal comes in this Advent season. The ideas are expressed in a few different ways; this one from the First Sunday: May these mysteries, O Lord, in which we have participated, profit us, we pray, for even now, as we walk amid passing things, you teach us by them to love the things of heaven and hold fast to what endures As we draw near the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of Hope, it is good to look back on what you have been praying and

From Safari…. This weekend brings us the beginning of Advent and the start of a new liturgical year. We move from Year C, the year of Luke, in the Lectionary to Year A, the year of Matthew. The composition of the Gospel of Matthew dates between 80-90 AD. A core message in Matthew – in Jesus God becomes Emmanuel: God with us. An angel bestows that title in the opening narrative, and Jesus confirms that title in his final words: “I am with you always.” Unique to Matthew --- the

Who is Mary? What can we rightly say about the woman who accepted the incomparable call to be the Mother of Jesus, our Redeemer? And more specifically, how does her intercession for us relate to the Cross of her Son? Picture her in your mind. The image you paintings, holy cards. Scripture and prayers like the Rosary and Litany of Loreto present her faith, trust, obedience. Devotional reading, private revelation, and personal prayer depict various aspects of her times, her inn

From safari…. This is the only Sunday this month when we celebrate a Sunday in Ordinary Time. We are just two weeks away from the start of a new liturgical year. A time to look back at the story of our salvation, as told by the writer Luke. What are some of your favorite scripture readings from the past year? God’s grace is amazing! Outdoors we are preparing for the coming of winter. The outdoor growing season ended this past Saturday for me. An Elephant Ear Plant and a White

What was on this spot before me? As we observe the Solemnity of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome this weekend, the spiritual meaning is real and clear: we are part of one Body in Christ, the Church. We unite in a communion of faith in the Creed, life in the Sacraments, and Community in the one history of salvation going back in time to Jesus and his fulfillment of all things in his Cross and Resurrection. No matter where we worship, no matter how grand or how humble t

From Safari… Two days, life changing, incredible stories, join the multitude! The twin festivals of All Saints and All Souls kickoff November. Since All Saints was not a holy day of obligation, you may have missed the stunning and compelling vision of a New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation. In part we heard, “After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lam

Somberness, like fog, blankets at least my world --- mass shootings, school shootings, assassination of Charlie Kirk, starvation and...

This year, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross falls on Sunday. In the sorrows, violence, and challenges to hope that touch our...

From Safari…. Two questions to ponder: who or what are the most significant people or things in your life? Spouse, friend, or family...

As I write, we have just completed our Fall Festival at Sacred Heart. I am again in awe at the generosity of so many people to make this...

When the railroads were first introduced to the U.S., some folks feared that they'd be the downfall of the nation! Here's an excerpt from...

When was the last time you … - thanked someone in your household for the regular tasks they do? - prayed the Rosary? - read a favorite...

From safari…. I am back after a month of being on safari. (A journey not to observe wild animals but rather to observe the life around...

Come to a Town Hall Meeting to Share Your Input and Learn More The All Things New (ATN) Planning Committee has been meeting regularly to...

Luke continues to describe the important characteristics of a disciple. Today’s passage speaks about the need to pray. Many of the...

“What are we to do, my brothers?” That question comes from the very first day of the Church’s ministry to the world on Pentecost. Hearing...