May 1st is International Labor Day. Throughout the world people celebrate the gift and value of work. In light of that, on May 1st the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. Since 1881, and Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical letter, On the Condition of Human Labor, the Church has celebrated the worker and work and one’s right to work. This letter of Pope Leo was the impetus for the vocation of a young boy in Vermillion, Minnesota, John A. Ryan (1886-1945). John became a priest of our Archdiocese and later a teacher at the Catholic University of America. His brother Lawrence became … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – April 30, 2023

During the Easter Season, the 50 days between Easter Sunday and Pentecost, the Gospel according to John and the Acts of the Apostles are the scripture readings at Mass. The Acts of the Apostles is the second volume of a two-volume work, the first of which is the Gospel according to Luke. In the Gospel Luke writes of the ministry and teaching of Jesus and in Acts he writes of the spread of that teaching and ministry. As Jesus left the Apostles he told them to go throughout the world and teach what He had taught them. Today’s Gospel reading is from the Gospel according to Luke. We are told of … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – April 23, 2023

Sixty years ago, Holy Thursday, 1963, Pope John XXIII issued his final teaching to the world. The letter he wrote is called Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth. On establishing universal peace in truth, justice, charity and liberty). John knew he had an inoperable cancer and had no more than three months to live. In a sense this letter was his “last will and testament”. It was also his last instruction to the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council. At that time they were working over the document called “Schema 13”, later to be called “The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in Today’s … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – April 16, 2023

I have so many memories from childhood of the events surrounding the Feast of Easter. In those days the Lenten fast and abstinence from meat was observed each day. Before Ash Wednesday dad would go to the Pioneer Sausage Company on Rice Street and buy an 18-inch long hard salami. He would hang it from the light fixture in the kitchen. The smell of that salami filled the kitchen throughout Lent – it was truly a constant and physical act of penance and anticipation of Easter. In those days Lent ended at noon on Holy Saturday and dad would climb upon a kitchen chair and with a butcher knife cut … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – April 9, 2023

This is the week called “Holy” in which we observe, as the ancients said, “The days of Awe.” Today we begin with Palm Sunday, or as it is now called, the Second Sunday of the Passion. The central piece of this celebration is the commemoration of Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the proclamation of the Passion of the Lord according to Matthew. Worshipers take pieces of palm home and display them as a way of saying through out the year “in this house Jesus is King and Lord.” Thursday, Holy Thursday, is the solemn celebration of the supper of the Lord. Friday, Good Friday, the Church … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – April 2, 2023

Next weekend begins Holy Week, the most solemn week in the life of the Church; the week in which we are invited to walk deeply in the mystery of God’s love and mercy made manifest in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. I encourage you to try and set some time aside to pray and reflect on that mystery of Christ and remember how it plays out in your life. That kind of remembering has a special meaning. It is not just a recalling of historical events; it is personally entering into the event and knowing that the mystery played out so long ago is now truly being played out today in … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – March 26, 2023

This Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Lent, marks the halfway point in the Lenten Season. Maybe this is a good time to reflect a bit on my observance of the Season, and if needed to make a midcourse correction. Lent is a period of conversion, of serious preparation for a new way of thinking. From the earliest days of the Church prayer, fasting and almsgiving have been the hallmark of Lenten observance. Prayer:  What is my prayer life like? Is there a particular place where I do my daily prayer? Do I have a regular time for daily prayer? If so, what does the prayer time consist of? Am I faithful to … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – March 19, 2023