Dear friends,

I am sure you have all heard this phrase: “To Jesus through Mary”. This simple, but profound truth is the very heart of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish. Our existence, our mission, is singular: to lead all who pass through our doors to heaven through a deep and abiding focus on the Eucharist, the very source and summit of our faith, and a devoted love for our Blessed Mother, Mary, our Patroness.

Dear friends,

According to recent studies… a great number of priests quit each year. They don’t quit because they have a lack of faith in God. They don’t quit because they don’t believe in the calling God has placed on their life. Most don’t even quit because of financial reasons. Priests quit because they are overwhelmed with mental exhaustion.

Dear friends,

Two weeks ago, I was out for a Pastors’ Retreat organized by Amazing Parish Movement. The retreat, which focused on the theme: “Abide in me”, taken from John 15, touched me deeply at very many different levels. It kept on reminding me over and over again that for my mission among you as your pastor to bear fruit, it must be rooted in Christ and his cross. This means that all my actions must flow from, be sustained by, and nourished by my deep relationship with the Lord. However, it is what happened at the airport in Dallas on my way to Missouri that inspired the title of this article. Somehow, it also anticipated my retreat experience.

Dear friends,

I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your generosity as we come to the close of our reflections on Stewardship in this month of September. Thank you for sharing your time, your talent, and your treasure so faithfully with our parish. Know that your commitment not only strengthens our community but also helps us live out the mission Christ has entrusted to us through our parish.

Dear friends,

This weekend, our focus turns to the stewardship of treasure, and we're asking you to consider a financial commitment to our parish. This isn't just about meeting a budget; it's about recognizing that everything we have: our talents, our time, and our financial resources, as we have been emphasizing, are gifts from God. How we use these gifts is a reflection of our gratitude and our faith.

Dear friends,

As I mentioned in some of my past articles and homilies on stewardship, we often think of stewardship in terms of tithing or charitable giving. Still, it's a much broader concept that encompasses all aspects of our lives. Last week, we considered the stewardship of time. We pointed out that time is the one commodity we all possess, yet so often squander. However, unlike money, it cannot be saved or earned back. Every second that passes is gone forever.

Dear friends,

As we celebrate the Memorial of Mary, our Lady of Sorrows, this week, I feel first and foremost deeply saddened because of the recent gun attack injuring and killing some innocent school children inside the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. Why should hate be embraced by any human being against other human beings when all people are wonderfully created in the image and likeness of God? (Genesis 1:26-28) My heartfelt condolences go to all who suffer loss, grief, and sorrow. May peace prevail on earth if we all consider each other a brother/sister, a friend, or a neighbor. Our world will become a wonderful world. Oh, yes, it will become a wonderful world indeed!