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10-02-2022--27th Week in OT Jesus is teaching the Apostles of two millennia ago and us today, in order for our faith to be increased, we must be truly humble and acknowledge all that I have and all that I offer is a gift from God. Naturally then, Faith increases when we are willing to “bear our share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.” Here is the mystery, faith of this intensity, even if its as tiny as that of a mustard seed can make a miracle happen!

9-25-2022--Dear Friends – we could be shocked in a way after reading the parable this weekend.  You may ask, shocked in what way?  As we read in the scriptures, the rich man, even in the afterlife, is still speaking to the poor man as a servant who is “supposed” carry out tasks for him.

We are called this weekend to consider our character.  (The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is always dishonest in great ones.) – Again – an examination of character. We hear the definition(s) of character often in our life. But how do we examine our character before the light of Jesus?

9-11-2022--We hear a timeless complaint this weekend, “This man [Jesus] welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Yet, showing mercy CHANGES us! Jesus came into the world precisely to show the power of mercy. Jesus emptied Himself and became one of us so that sinners can become saints!

9-04-2022--We reflect this weekend, that the Lord wants to give us a love that SO EXCEEDS even the “highest human love.” In order to receive and share the love that our Lord Jesus so desires to give us, we must set aside any “attachments of this world” that can cause us to stumble in growing closer to the Lord. (In other words, our path to growing in holiness.) Certainly, for some, it can be a cross “letting go” of our “attachments of this world” in order to grow in holiness. Yet St. Paul illuminates in his letter to Philemon one way in how this can be done; that is by treating individual(s) as a beloved family member(s).

8-28-2022--This weekend we are blessed to be hosting Fr. Alan Bower representing Cross Catholic Outreach. This official Catholic ministry was founded to link parishes in the U.S. with priests, religious brothers and sisters, and laypeople working in Church missions overseas. Its programs span the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

 A special announcement St. Anne’s will begin to offer the Vigil Mass each Saturday evening at 4:00pm beginning in September. As everyone is aware, we are facing a shortage of Priests in the Archdiocese. Currently, all of the Parishes in our Family, offer the Vigil Mass at 5:00pm. In the event of an emergency, it would be impossible for a Priest within the family to assist at St. Anne’s or for the Priest of St. Anne’s to help at another Parish. And so, it was decided within the Family of Priests that St. Anne’s would offer the Vigil Mass each week at 4:00pm so that

8-14-2022--We hear the theme of “fire” for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Actually, each of us stand together on the night of the Easter Vigil bless the fire. The fire of the love that comes to us from the passion and is then shone to us in the light of the Baptismal candle. When we grow closer and closer in our relationship with the Lord, the light and fire that comes from the Holy Spirit burns within us. As we invite others into a relationship with the Lord, we help to set their hearts on fire with the light and love of the Lord. So that they can become both a “messenger” and “inviter” to others.

08-07-2022--We hear in this weekend’s Gospel, that Jesus was preparing our ancestors in faith for Passover.  (He does this for each of us as well.) Yet, we do not know the date or the hour, so we must make it part of our life to spend time “preparing.” To stop ourselves from the busyness of life and prepare, requires faith. (Also, it requires patience.) Indeed, our faith, helps us to “prepare.” Remember this beautiful definition of faith … “faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”

7-31-2022--18th Week in Ordinary Time Recently, I was told by an elderly Priest, it would “profit all of us” if we have a bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Indeed, it’s a valid point, to discern what our ancestors in faith lived through and how it’s related to what we live through today.

7-24-2022--July 24, 2022 – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time We hear a famous, beautiful, and yet ever simple question, “Lord, teach us to pray.”  Consider for a moment, why would they ask that?  Scholars teach us, our ancestors in faith who are asking the question desire to pray with the same closeness and confidence that they witness in Jesus.

7-17-2022--Sunday, July 17 – Sixteenth Sunday in OT   I have shared often with you, the famous Fr. Michael Schmitz teaching, that is, “we are wired for God.”  Indeed, that is the emphasis of this weekends sacred readings.  “There is need of only one thing” … to live in the presence of the Lord.  

7-10-2022--15th Sunday in Ordinary Time   A brief reflection on Saints God sends us…   Teachers of our faith tell us, “the measure of God’s judgement of the world at any given period of history is the ‘size of the Saints’ he sends to assist us in our time.”  

7/7/2022 -- Fr. Craig and the staff will NEVER ask for donations using gift cards and NEVER via text or email. Please be careful.

6-26-2022--Dear Friends, As we are nearing the end of June. Some good news, we as a Parish are at 24% toward(s) our CSA goal. Meaning, we have received $16,610 dollars towards our goal of $68,100.00.

06-19-2022--On Friday, June 24 we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. We will begin that Friday before Mass, with a time of silent prayer. At Mass, we will hear from the 15th chapter of Luke’s Gospel, it is the timeless parable of the lost sheep. Jesus addresses those listening, “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?

06-12-2022--To open our soul to His Love and to receive graces In June, we will hear the story of St. Peter. (Still in Sacred Scripture, called “Simon, son of John.”) As you know, Simon-Peter says, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” We are called to enter into PRAYER and imagine, being on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, where our Lord Jesus asks Peter, three times for a “profession of love.” We must remember, Jesus’ ways are NOT our ways. Consider, whenever our Lord Jesus, in Sacred Scripture asks questions, it IS NOT to “gain information.” Jesus does this in order to open Simon-Peter’s soul (and even each of our souls) to His Love and to give graces.

06-05-2022-- Each year at Pentecost, we reflect on the POWER of the Holy Spirit. Servant of God Luis Maria Martinez teaches us, “Christ’s Paschal Mystery was brought to completion. The Holy Spirit is present within us – we can live in freedom as adopted sons and daughters of the Lord. We are strengthened with unique gifts from the Holy Spirit.” St. Thomas Aquinas would say, “that the Holy Spirit interiorly perfects our spirit…” “the Gift of the love of God is the Holy Spirit.”

5-29-2022--If you happen to live in the Archdiocese/Diocese [also known as ecclesiastical provinces] of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha and Philadelphia, the Solemnity of the Ascension is celebrated on Thursday, May 26, 2022, this year.  All other Archdiocese/Diocese “transfer” the celebration of the sacred Solemnity to Sunday.

5-22-2022--Jesus’ self-giving love is to be the pattern of our love for others. We open up the scriptures and we first hear from the 14th Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we hear how the early church celebrated the Rite of Ordination, with one of the Apostles laying their hands upon the head of those who we designated as the earliest leaders of the ancient church.