If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.                             Isaiah 58:9-10

As we all know, the attendance at Catholic Churches (as well as many other religious communities and fraternal organizations) has declined to the point that parishes are now contracting.

You can’t always tell from the outside what people are dealing with on the inside. Our inner journey is a lot more private, a lot more personal. . . . Whenever you’re down, for whatever reason it is, there needs to be a glimpse of hope, a glimpse of life, that is refreshed in us by those around us, who care for us.

Last month we received a donation in memory of Archbishop Hunthausen. I think the Archbishop was a lamb of God for his holiness, his gentleness, the way his lived The Way and for his treatment by the Vatican. The donors wrote the following memorial:

Allison Chappell’s funeral was held at St Therese on December 23, the morning that the city was covered in ice. Allison had taken her own life a month earlier. Deacon Greg talked about his own battles with depression and how even when depressed, he put on a performance when awake. “You can’t always tell from the outside what people are dealing with on the inside,” he said.

Editor’s note: Allison Chappell grew up at St Therese where her parents and grandparents were parishioners, went nine years to our school, served as a CYO camp counselor and became a school counselor. She fell into a serious depression about the time COVID hit and took her own life last November. Her tragedy has left many people deeply shaken. This eulogy is by Jim Valiere, a former teacher and administrator at St. Therese School. Many of us will spend the rest of our lives trying to process this grief.

We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Non-Believers, Look heavenward and speak the word aloud. Peace. We look at our world and speak the word aloud. Peace. We look at each other, then into ourselves. And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation. ​​​​​​​Peace, My Brother.  Peace, My Sister.  Peace, My Soul. 

By their faith, God took the form of a human, challenged religious authority, and brought the sins of humanity down upon himself. The God who is love came for all the world.

What are the signs of our times? We are enduring a fresh outbreak of racism and antisemitism, of belief in incredible conspiracies. Our churches are turning gray as the past few generations believe in the Judeo-Christian ethic but not in the institutional Church.

Let us experience Advent as waiting for the miraculous moment when God emerged as humankind.

This is the importance of the phrase “first born of the dead”.  Jesus’ resurrection begins the reconciliation of humanity to God in all our collective sin and in all our individual sins.  Regardless of our sins, we will be reconciled to God.  

I hope you can see from my few examples that our mission statement gives us all wide latitude with how we might use our many diverse talents to make this parish and our corner of the world a little bit better. All such works are pleasing in the eyes of God.

Let us answer the call, share the fruits of our faith and do what we can do to fulfill our role as parts of the body, as stewards of St. Therese parish.

Dear Lord God, You alone are the source of every good gift and the mystery of each human life. We thank you for creation and for your tender, faithful love.

Being convinced of your own righteousness is what arrogance is all about. It leads one to do terrible things.

The National Synodal Synthesis calls from healing of division, a more welcoming Church, a greater role for women, and greater transparecy.

“Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Jesus to his traveling companions, Luke 17:19

The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do! Luke 16:3

The LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once to your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved."