The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

Posted by Fr Terry Grachanin on 12/31/22

Is 9:1-6 | Ps 96 | Ti 2:11-14 | Lk 2:1-14

The manger scene is one of the many beautiful traditions we as believers have around the Christmas season. In the weeks leading up to it, many of us have one on display in our homes whether on a ... Read More »

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Posted by Fr Terry Grachanin on 12/31/22

Gn 3:9-15, 20 | Ps 98 | Eph 1:3-6, 11-12 | Lk 1:26-38

One afternoon, a chef, as she sliced a red onion to sauté in butter, said that the storyboard of her mind floated back to the tiny onion seeds she had planted the January prior. She shared ... Read More »

Third Sunday of Advent

Posted by Fr Terry Grachanin on 12/31/22

Is 35:1-6a, 10 | Ps 146 | Jas 5:7-10 | Mt 11:2-11

This weekend, we hear of John the Baptist sitting in prison. He waits for the one who is to come. No angel bursts his bonds. No heavenly blast levels the stones to release him. The holy prophet ... Read More »

Second Sunday of Advent

Posted by Fr Terry Grachanin on 12/31/22

Is 11:1-10 | Ps 72 | Rom 15:4-9 | Mt 3:1-12

A forester, when he was in school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, recalls skiing one winter morning through a birch grove as the sun rose. The white birch bark glowed pink in the snow, reflecting the sunrise. ... Read More »

First Sunday of Advent (Year A)

Posted by Fr Terry Grachanin on 12/31/22

Is 2:1-5 | Ps 122 | Rom 13:11-14 | Mt 24:37-44

For those who have been privileged to stand at the lip of the Grand Canyon, you can see into a vast distance. You know that you are the edge of something. Today, we are on the edge of ... Read More »

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls')

Posted by Fr Terry Grachanin on 12/31/22

Wis 3:1-9 | Ps 23 | Rom 6:3-9 | Jn 6:37-40

Today’s Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed invites us to renew our hope of resurrection. Together, the Universal Church calls to mind our beloved friends, relatives, and ancestors who have died and profess a steadfast belief in their ... Read More »

Solemnity of All Saints

Posted by Fr Terry Grachanin on 12/31/22

Rev 7:2-4, 9-14 | Ps 24 | 1 Jn 3:1-3 | Mt 5:1-12a

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Many of us could recite these familiar words in our sleep. We pray the Lord’s Prayer each time we gather for Mass, ... Read More »

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Patronal Feast Day)

Posted by Fr Terry Grachanin on 12/31/22

Is 52:7-10 | Ps 121 | 2 Cor 4:7-15 | Mt 28:16-20

Last Sunday, fourteen of our young adult parishioners received the sacrament of Confirmation. What first began on the day of their baptism, has now been brought to a fullness as fully initiated Catholic Christians. Their foreheads were ... Read More »

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted by Fr Terry Grachanin on 12/31/22

2 Kgs 5:14-17 | Ps 98 | 2 Tm 2:8-13 | Lk 17:11-19

All is gift, all is grace: a difficult concept in an age when everyone feels entitled to everything.

Often, as children, we might be fortunate enough to understand early on what a gift is. But, grace? ... Read More »

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted by Fr Terry Grachanin on 12/31/22

Hab 1:2-3; 2:24 | Ps 95 | 2 Tm 1”6-8, 13-14 | Lk 17:5-10

Today’s first reading speaks to a theme many of us can relate to: the silence of God.

Habakkuk was a prophet who lived about 600 years before the birth of Jesus. It was a time ... Read More »