I’ll admit it. It took me 50 years to get the point. I’d passed by the poor boxes in St. Boniface Church off and on for 50 years. Sometimes I’d fish around in my pocket for loose change (that was in the days when we had loose change in our pockets) and drop a few coins in the slot. I’d notice the words of Jesus carved into the boxes: I was hungry, I was thirsty…you fed me, you gave me to drink. But only recently did I get the point. Those boxes aren’t objects nailed to the wall—something added long after the building was buil...

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Fast. Pray. Give alms. Last week I talked a little about fasting. Inspired by Pope Leo’s Lenten words, I urged us to fast from angry words and harsh judgments. Next week, I hope to say a few things about almsgiving (AKA works of charity). But, for now, let’s look at prayer. Especially during Lent, we might have a pretty good idea about how to pray. We try to get to Mass more often… We stop by a church to pray before the Blessed Sacrament... We say our rosary… We make the Stations of the Cross… All good! Don’t stop doing these thi...

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So, Lent’s begun again. Once more, we turn to the old challenges: to fast, to pray, to practice works of charity. Sometimes the list looks pretty familiar: We’ll give up this dessert, this drink… We’ll say our rosary, do the Way of the Cross... We’ll throw that loose change in the Rice Bowl... All good stuff, mind you! But this year, Pope Leo suggests another form of fasting. Listen to his words: I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt...

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Lent’s finally at hand. Ash Wednesday comes this week (hopefully after some festive Mardi Gras celebrations on Tuesday!). Time to start the old routine—What do I give up? Where can I find fish on Fridays? What can I add to my prayer schedule—a weekday Mass, some visits to the Blessed Sacrament, Friday Stations? This year, we’re adding something that’s not part of our usual routine. We’re going to start using (or re-using, depending on your own experience) some old music. Some Gregorian chant. It’s quiet and reflective. Often e...

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I know we’ve had a number of changes in our parishes’ lives these past few months. I know I’d like to settle down and just do the “normal” (whatever that might be!) for a while. But, as Lent, Holy Week, and the Sacred Triduum approach, we’ll face some changes. Some of those are internal to us, as the linked parishes of St Ann and St Boniface. We’ll try to avoid overlapping or duplication as much as possible. (How many meatless meals do we all need to share together? How many adult formation events do we need to schedule in how ma...

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Last Saturday, when we saw record numbers at Masses, people asked us: “What are you going to be doing Sunday?” A good question... The snow had cancelled all but one Mass—and that with probably a record low of six souls (including the two priest concelebrants). What were Fr. Dias and I to do? We cooked. Now, that’s not hugely surprising. One or the other—or both—of us cook most days. But we have a project coming up: Rectory, Set, Cook. I’ve avoided this for years, but Fr. McCarroll recommended me to one of the organizers of this v...

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Around this time last year, I walked down the hall of St John Neumann Elementary School. As is usual, students had artwork hanging on the wall. And, as is always quite usual in a school setting, the focus was timely. January includes Martin Luther King Day; February is set aside as African American History Month. So, I saw a good number of pictures of people like Frederick Douglass— who wrote a firsthand account of how brutal slavery in America had been—and Dr Martin Luther King—whose nonviolent spirit promoted racial justice in the 1960s. I thought at ...

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I know for the past few months—and, actually, for the past couple of years—we’ve been asking “How will things be different when St. Ann and St. Boniface Parishes link? What will change? What will be ‘business as usual’?” Today’s feast, the Baptism of the Lord, gives us a chance to look at a change: The way in which we prepare and celebrate the baptism of our children. There are two aspects to this question—one’s practical, the other’s theological. Both matter! The practical: Both parishes bring a histor...

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There’s an old tradition that during the Epiphany Mass, the priest or deacon would announce—with solemn chant, mind you—the dates of the movable feasts for the coming year. Ash Wednesday, Easter, Corpus Christi, and even the rather distant First Sunday of Advent would be proclaimed as a glance into the Church’s future. This Epiphany, I have a few announcements for our parishes, announcements that offer us a glance into our local Church’s future. First, Chris Dell, our secretary at St Boniface, has decided to return to school. We wish her ...

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This week, we’ll say our farewell to 2025! And we’ll greet 2026 Anno Domini! In the busyness of all that, let’s now forget that January 1—known to the secular world as New Year’s Day—is also a Catholic holy day of obligation in honor of Mary, the Mother of God. Masses, of course, are available at all our county parishes. Here we have 4 pm (St. Boniface) on New Year’s Eve, and 8 am (St. Lawrence) and 9:30 am (St. Ann) on the day. But, as we look back on this past year, let’s highlight some key moments for us as the C...

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