As we enter into the Sacred Triduum this Holy Thursday and through Easter Vigil and then Sunday Masses, we celebrate the Victory of Christ over sin and death; we celebrate the gift of Eternal Life in God, given to us in Agape or Divine Love, which He then calls us to share in our human lives in the here-and-now. Our sharing of His Agape manifests in the choices we make: selfishness or generosity; choosing Christ or choosing the self; attending to Faith in God or establishing other “gods” in our lives and the practice of those “rituals” as a priority of life. As the old saying goes—and because of His Love for us, which is Free Will—the choice is indeed ours.

Holy Week, The Sacred Triduum As we enter into Holy Week this Palm Sunday, we are called to celebrate fully the suffering, Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ—full participation in the liturgies of the Church means more than just attending the Masses and other liturgies, it means to enter into them with mind, body and soul.

THIS Monday night, at 7 p.m., we will host a penance service at St. Catherine of Siena Parish for your Easter duty. Three priests, Fr. John Melnick, rector of the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Monsignor Thomas Barry, pastor emeritus of St. Patrick Church in Farmington, and I will hear confessions.

Archbishop’s Annual Appeal (AAA) is off to a good start as Catholics from across the archdiocese help in caring for and feeding the poor, healing the sick, educating the ignorant and caring for our retired priests as well as training new seminarians for the future of the Church of Hartford.

2025 Boston Mission Trip – Report to the Parishes Take this journey with us – As the bus pulled up, a sense of quiet and anxiety surrounded us as we prepared for our journey to Boston. We arrived at Hillside Community Church in Medford, unloaded our belongings and got right to work. Each evening, we reflected on our day, the high and low points of the day,

Contrition, Forgiveness & Mercy leads to Action, which Produces Conversion and Transformation The Third Sunday of Lent calls us to understand contrition, which is built upon repentance, forgiveness and mercy that lead us to a conversion of heart and a transformation of life.

Lent is a season for the conversion of the human heart; to place our hearts of a trajectory toward the Will of God. This conversion of heart is certainly a time of reflection, of penance and of almsgiving—yes; but, it is also a time of action, or movement toward the Good of the God. A time to see with eyes of the faith God’s Will for us, and then to put that action into Habitus, as St. Thomas Aquinas would say, practice.

During Lent, Catholics in the USA abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of Lent. They fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. To abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent means not to eat meat on those days. It does not intend the omission of eggs or dairy products. CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS...

I am honored to announce that Archbishop Coyne has approved my nomination of David and Maryellen Bailey to receive this Archdiocesan award for 2025. Maryellen and David joined our parish in January 1, 2008 and have been involved in various projects, activities and opportunities.

It’s a work in progress, Lord, I hope! This Sunday is a tough gospel to hear as well as one on which to preach, at least for me. In it Jesus commands us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us?! In practical terms, we might ask the question, just how am I supposed to love someone I am opposed to, like a Joy Reid or Tucker Carlson, or perhaps an organization like Planned Parenthood or Students for Life, or CNN or Fox News—and God forbid, the New York Yankees? How can I love “those people” who are so opposed to me, my way of life, my beliefs, and my traditions?

The Coming Engagement On this Sixth Sunday in Ordinal Time, we hear from the Gospel of Luke, chapter six, verses seventeen and twenty through twenty-six, in which we hear of the Beatitudes and the Woes. The context and setting of this gospel occurs just after Jesus has appointed His twelve apostles and then descends from the mountain top to level ground, a plain, and a large crowd has gathered to see and hear Him—the people want to be healed and taught. Scholars tell us that the setting emphasizes Jesus’ accessibility and His desire to connect with the marginalized and the suffering.

On this Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear the Lukan Gospel (5:1-11) and according to scripture scholars there are at least seven (7) themes upon which one may pray or meditate. The gospel narrates the calling of the first disciples, specifically Simon Peter, James and John, while they were fishing. The seven themes are: Divine Call and Response; Faith in Action; Abundance through Obedience; Transformation and Mission; Humility and Recognition of Sin; Community and Collaboration; and, The Eucharistic Symbolism.

When we prepare to receive Holy Communion, it must be with openness to the Sacrament and with a well-prepared soul and mind. What am I receiving? When we approach the altar, am I prepared by prayer to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Savior of the World? And am I reverent, or am I chewing gum (I have seen this) or am I greeting people enroute? After I have consumed the Body or the Blood, do I return to my pew and pray, do I join in with the Communion hymn of praise, or do I rush out of the Church to avoid the announcements and to get to breakfast fast?

Confirmation and More… This weekend’s gospel is vitally important for everyone, but especially for our Confirmation students and their parents, as the gospel illustrates Luke’s purpose to portray the power and importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

On Monday, March 24th at 9:30 a.m. or Tuesday, March 25th at 7 p.m., there will be a book club discussion on “33 Days to Eucharistic Glory” by Matthew Kelly’s organization, Dynamic Catholic.

The Wedding Feast at Cana is the first miracle Jesus performed during His earthly ministry, but if Jesus were to reappear today, with regards to the above mentioned Catholic marriage stats, He might have to “pull off” a different kind of miracle when it comes to securing enduring marriages. But I digress…At the Wedding Feast of Cana there are multiple themes for our consideration, including but not limited to transformation, divine revelation, and the role of Mary in the life of Christ

In today’s gospel’s first verses (15/16), Luke directs us to reflect on the expectations the people, whom John the Baptist is preaching to, about of the coming Messiah, Jesus. We are told that the Baptist recognizes the people’s eagerness as he speaks to them about “the one who is to come after him” and emphasizes the Messiah’s transformative power. This reflection allows us to consider our own expectations of Christ in our lives—what will He do for me and what does He call me to do and be?

As today’s gospel recounts the journey of the Magi to the birthplace of Jesus, we have a passage that is rich in the themes of revelation, worship, and the recognition of Christ’s significance. The Magi’s journey, guided by a star, signifies the search for truth and meaning in life. Catholics are called to embark on our own journeys of faith, seeking a deeper understanding of God and His Will for us

On this the first Sunday liturgy of 2025, we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, which is a significant feast in the Roman Catholic Church meant to emphasize the appearance of the Lord to the Gentiles by the visit of Magi (Wise Men or royalty) to infant Jesus. The Epiphany calls us to acknowledge the manifestation of the Christ as the son of God to all the nations. Our Catholic traditions calls us to highlight several leading aspects of this feast:

A blessed thank-you to all our parishioners for your active participation in our Christmas Masses. The 4 pm Vigil on Christmas Eve, the children’s liturgy, was packed and actually was at per-Covid numbers. Amen! To our ushers, lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, altar servers, decorators and more—THANK YOU for all your faith and for all that it leads you to be and do here at St. Catherine of Siena Parish. Amen!