In addition to remaining the pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, the Archbishop has asked me to also be the pastor of St. Pius V Parish. One of the things this means for St. Margaret of Scotland is that I intend to reconstitute a Parish Pastoral Council.
In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus tells his friends: “You know the way to the place where I’m going.” But Thomas replies, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going – how can we know the way?” Perhaps you’ve been in Thomas’ shoes…
Mass on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, will be at 8:00am. Please join us that morning as we pray for all the faithful departed, especially those who gave their lives in service to our nation.
Ascension is not a tragedy. It is a threshold. The old way of being together had to end so that something deeper could begin. There will be sadness now — but that sadness will turn to joy.
Join us for several celebrations this month at St. Margaret of Scotland, including Fr. Dominick’s ordination and First Mass, graduations, and of course, Mother’s Day!
In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus tells his friends: “You know the way to the place where I’m going.” But Thomas replies, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going – how can we know the way?” Perhaps you’ve been in Thomas’ shoes…
As part of the Bicentennial celebration, all the faithful of the Archdiocese are invited to participate in an Archdiocesan-wide, prayerful and unifying initiative called the Prayer of the People.
We can imagine their conversation in the couple of hours the walk to Emmaus would have taken: “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.” Yes, we can easily imagine saying such things, mostly because we have all said them.
As my journey shifts toward Chicago and yours continues here at Saint Margaret, the work of the Gospel remains the same. There comes a time when we have to take ownership of our faith.
We rejoice this night, and we take strength from our gathering, from the stories of the Scriptures, and from this Eucharist, that we may bring the love of Christ outside the doors of this Church into a world that needs to hear the Good News that we proclaim tonight: that the power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.
This Second Sunday of Easter is also the Octave (Eighth) Day of Easter, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. We continue to rejoice the great love and mercy shown to the world through the Paschal Mystery.
We rejoice this night, and we take strength from our gathering, from the stories of the Scriptures, and from this Eucharist, that we may bring the love of Christ outside the doors of this Church into a world that needs to hear the Good News that we proclaim tonight: that the power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.
Happy Easter to all! All Christians are filled with joy this day to see Jesus Christ victorious over the powers of sin and death. Let us take hope from this day, especially when life overwhelms us, and always remember that life will be victorious.
Know of my prayers for you and your family for a blessed Triduum and Happy Easter. Let us keep these days together, let us keep these days holy in our hearts, and let us celebrate these days worthily and well!
This Holy Week is at the heart of our liturgical year, and all are invited to join us for the services of the Triduum – the great three days when we celebrate and observe the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.
Fr. John encourages everyone to make every effort to join our parish family for the holy Triduum, especially Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. He also welcomes all to join for confessions on March 28 from 3-4:15pm.
This week, Fr. John reflects on the significance of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, highlighting themes of friendship, honesty with God, and the call to let go of burdens to embrace new life in faith.
During the days of Lent, there are (usually) two great feasts that the Church celebrates as solemnities, that is, the highest ranking on the liturgical calendar, on a par with Christmas and Easter. The Solemnity of St. Joseph and the Solemnity of the Annunciation both take place in March this year.
Fr. John Vien emphasizes the importance of choices in life, highlighting God’s selection of unlikely individuals for significant tasks. He urges Christians to respond actively to God’s call through faith, prayer, and good works.
Fr. Patrick calls on believers to seek spiritual sight through faith, love, and openness, contrasting the blind man’s growing confidence in Jesus with the Pharisees’ refusal to recognize the truth.