Transfiguration This past week we celebrated the feast of St Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Jesuit Order(formally called the Society of Jesus) in 1570. His order, which is the largest religious order in the world today, serves primarily in parishes and education in 112 nations around the world. More than the impact he…
“…all things work for good for those who love God.” So says St Paul today in the second reading. Perhaps you have heard this before or even said this to others, perhaps trying to encourage someone going through difficult times. It’s a one of the phrases in the Bible that can keep us going…
175th anniversary of the Claretians In our Claretian family, this week marks the beginning of our Jubilee Year for the 175th Anniversary of the founding of the Claretian Missionaries (formally known as the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary). Our foundation began on the feast of our Lady of Mt Carmel, July 16,…
Where is God in the summer? It would seem that sometimes Churches close down in summer, Mass attendance is down, meetings are suspended, faith formation programs take a break. Some will say in summertime, we don’t have to go to church every Sunday, that God is everywhere, He is in the beaches, in the…
You would think from today’s Gospel, Jesus does not want us to be smart when He says, “you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned but revealed them to the little ones…” (Matt 11:25) This passage highlights how God skipped speaking to the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, and the sages…
In our Claretian family, this weekend (july1st) marks the beginning of the jubilee year (2023-2024) to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the Claretian Missionaries, formally known as the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our missionary community began in a small seminary room in the diocese of Vic Spain (near Barcelona) on July…
This week is dedicated to National Religious Freedom Week in the Catholic Churches in the United States starting on June 22nd (the memorial of Sts Thomas More/John Fischer who were killed by King Henry VIII for standing up for the truth of our faith) til June 29th (feast of Sts Peter/Paul put to death for…
2 Hearts This past weekend we have celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Jun 16 our patronal feast) and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (July 17 our Claretian patronal feast). Perhaps just hearing of a feast dedicated to the Hearts of Mary and Jesus makes you think of romantic…
The following video is the installation of the new HVAC units on the roof of the parish hall at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Springfield, MO, June 15,2023.
Corpus ChristiThe last few weeks have been packed with Solemnities (ourhighest feasts) from Easter to the Ascension to Pentecost totoday, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. As is the case withhaving many celebrations so close, each one doesn’t seem asspecial and since we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christevery Sunday it is hard to know…
Today is the impossible day, the day we celebrate the Holy Trinity (that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Trying to explain how there can be one has stumped humanity for centuries and I am sure I cannot do this in one or a thousand pages. Better we use today to reflect that God…
Have you ever had a life changing event? A marriage? Leaving your town or country? Death of a loved one? Or travel to another country? My mission to Indonesia was such an event. There that I learned the 3 most important feasts in our Catholic faith, Christmas, Easter and today, Pentecost. If we were to…
