St. John
Additional Christmas Poinsettia Memorials
Bp. Dolan’s Christmas Sermon: Give Your Sins to Christ
Recent Short, Daily Sermons
Fr. McKenna: Vigil of the Immaculate Conception
Fr. Lehtoranta: St. Peter Fourier
Fr. McKenna: Holy House of Loretto
Fr. Lehtoranta: St. Daniel the Stylite
Fr. Lehtoranta: Our Lady of Guadalupe
✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
I hope you are continuing to enjoy “the best Christmas ever,” this St. John’s Day. He is the saint of sweetest Christian charity, and of fierce burning hatred for heresy. A powerful combination! Alas, we have lost our hatred, and therefore our love is grown cold. Ask St. John’s adoptive Mother, Our Lady, to set things right.
Well, many thanks to all who prepared—and there are many—our beautiful Christmas. Our young Catholics, the next generation, stood out this year, and did an outstanding job in a quiet, peaceful way. Everything is lovely, and proceeding nicely. Thank you.
Nor are the “after next generation” Catholics lacking, our children. Their numbers were swelled by our Christmas visitors, from Texas and Illinois, to name only two states. It is a joyful, hopeful sight to gather so many little ones from all over, together at the altar and the Crib. We are growing. “Everything is proceeding nicely.” Be sure to introduce yourself to our guests. They are family.
Next Sunday we’re blessing the children, and having a little party for them after the High Mass on the Holy Name. Then, two days later comes Twelfth Night, with a party for everybody, after the special evening Epiphany Mass. In between, on Tuesday evening, we’re again hosting the local Tea Party meeting. They’ve invited me to talk… “History and History.” Should be a full week, but this week enjoy the days of Christmas, the joys of family and friends,and the sweetness of these early morning Christmas Masses to start your day at the Crib. Gather the family at the tree in the evening to end the day with the Rosary.
The “Christmas Star” was a bit of a no-show. These planets pretty closely align every year, but nothing seemed especially bright that St. Thomas night. And then came the clouds and took it all away. Well, the old year is going away, too. One might be tempted to utter “good riddance,” but remember that tears as well as triumphs are all hidden in God’s Providence for our sanctification, our salvation. May Our Lord, in His goodness, have mercy upon us now, and afford us a little rest, some restoration to prepare us for what lies ahead.
In the meantime, we do what we know best, wewatch and pray, hear Holy Mass and keep the feasts and fasts, and live as befits Christians at home as well as church.
Fr. McGuire and our seminarian Thomas Ojeka are with me this Christmas. Early that morn, as is his wont, Fr. McKenna departed for the snowdrifts of North Dakota, and souls, mostly young families, hungry for Holy Mass and the Sacraments. Fr. Lehtoranta, having bequeathed us his handsome blue Christmas tree, has gone to Milwaukee for the duration. He has a busy Christmas, as do we all.
Fr. Nkamuke anticipates a busy Christmas, andlooks to have had a charming Christmas program last Sunday, with the children. He will be traveling, of course. Seminarian Thomas Ojeka’s mother has prepared some persons for baptism in far off Cross Rivers State, including an old blind woman. Father is facing his adversities, surely. His phone was stolen and his bank account hacked. He has the name of the thief, but the police want a large payment to catch him. Oh, and somebody defrauded them, too. This is Nigeria. Keep Father in your prayers.
God bless you all richly in these waning hours of an unforgettable 2020.
–Bp. Dolan