SMOS Trivia Night 2025: The Parish & School communities had a lot of fun raising important monies for the Mandeville Multicultural Scholarship Fund at the annual Trivia Night, which was the capper to our Catholic Schools Week celebrations – on Saturday, February 1, 2025.

Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time

~ By the time you read this the weekend of February 8-9, I will be on the first leg of a Pilgrimage to Italy and Rome in celebration of the Jubilee Year 2025. As you may remember, this pilgrimage was advertised often last year, and I am happy that 26 pilgrims will be making the trip to Italy for the Holy Year. Our pilgrims include 6 folks from St. Margaret, 4 people from Mary Queen of Peace where I formerly served, several members of my family including my sisters and brother, several good friends, and a few folks that I have yet to meet!  

Our first stop in Italy is Milan, where I zm this weekend. In Milan we will visit the famous Cathedral where St. Ambrose served and where St. Augustine was baptized. We will also visit Leonardo da Vinci’s famous fresco “The Last Supper”, which I am very excited to see! From Milan, we will make our way to Bologna, where we will visit the tombs of St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Bologna and see other sites and Churches. We will make our way to Florence, where we will visit its breathtaking Duomo (Cathedral) and see Michelangelo’s sculpture “David” and other art at the Academy. On our way to Rome, we will have a stop in the hillside town of Orvieto, site of a Eucharistic miracle in the 13th century. The heart of our pilgrimage will be in Rome, where we will visit the four major basilicas of the city: St. Peter, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran, and St. Paul Outside-the-Walls. At each basilica, we will pass through the Holy Doors, which are only open during the Jubilee Year. The doors are a symbol of Christ, who is the Way to the Father, and the Door to Grace. Of course there are many sites in Rome that we will also see, including the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain. We should see and hear Pope Francis at his Sunday Angelus address in St. Peter Square next weekend. After a few days in Rome, we will head south to Naples, where we will spend an afternoon at Pompeii, the city famously destroyed by a volcano eruption in the year 79 AD. Along the Almafi Coast, we will sample some of the famous limoncello that comes from the area. At every city, I know we will have some great pasta and wonderful wine. And gelato every day is a must in Italy! We will celebrate Mass most every day, and I will certainly be praying for all of you, the parish family of St. Margaret of Scotland, that every person in our parish receives grace and blessing during this Jubilee Year. Please pray for me and for all our group, for our safety during these weeks, and that we will have a spiritually beneficial pilgrimage.

Our associate pastor, Fr. Patrick, will be present during these weeks I am away, and Fr. Charlie Bouchard, OP will also be assisting on Sundays. I am grateful to them for their ministry!  

A few odds and ends:

• Congratulations and Blessings to Brother Dominick as he is ordained a Deacon this weekend.  Please let me know how his first homily was!
• Our Scouts will gather for Scout Sunday this Saturday at the 4:30pm Mass. Thanks to all our Scouts for what they do for the parish and to their leaders for all that they do for our Scouts!
• Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy World Marriage Day to all the couples living their vocation through the Sacrament of Matrimony!
• Thanks to all who contributed to our Giving Tuesday efforts last year. Our new chairs for the Church Hall have arrived. Check them out at Coffee and Donuts!
• Our Youth Ministry is raising funds for their Summer Service trip with their M&M drive. Thanks for donating and supporting our teens!