Pastor’s Corner

When I was a child and even as a teenager, my family used to visit another family. One time, we were all sitting around the table - my parents, brothers and sisters, and the parents of this family with their children. We were in conversation or playing a game, I am not totally sure, all I remember is it was loud at the table. All of a sudden, the mother jumped up and went down stairs to the base...
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This Divine Mercy Sunday I have been blessed to have heard the Bishop's homily already and so I could take it and save myself some time in preparing this homily. The Bishop mentioned how we are lucky that Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus first appeared. I agree and I am certain that our Lord arranged it this way so that we could experience the Risen Christ with Thomas. I personally find it very fas...
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There was a boy in a kindergarten class. He had some real educational and behavioural challenges. He was often in trouble and was rarely able to understand a lesson which caused him to be ridiculed by his peers. His teacher tried to help him fit in but it was a thankless task and she wondered the affect that school was actually having. As they were getting ready for Easter, the teacher handed all...
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Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord? As I was singing this song this Lent, I realized that I was there when my Lord was crucified. How? Because when I sin I crucify my Lord. I have had a really hard time taking in the message about the seri...
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Some thirty years after Father Sorin built the University of Notre Dame, its main building suffered a major fire which gutted the structure. There was no loss of life but this building was essential for the university because all the classes were held in there. Fr Sorin was on a trip when it happened, but he quickly returned and was seen walking through the ruined building. Everyone thought he wo...
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During my travels in Spain, I was speaking to a woman in what I thought was acceptable Spanish. The woman just flat out told me, “I do not understand you!” I felt very deflated. I had another experience there though. I went to confession in Spain and the priest spoke Spanish and I speak very little Spanish, especially not technical words for sins. Yet he heard my confession and then spoke to me ...
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If we were to draw one theme from the First Reading and Gospel today, we would probably say thirst. The Israelites are thirsty, and angry. They felt ripped off and wanted to have water to live. This is a real life and death problem. If you don’t know where your next drink is coming from, death is there waiting. Thirst makes us desperate. It is not like hunger. When you are thirsty you don’t mak...
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This summer on my pilgrimage, I arrived at a smaller town with a big church, massive actually. Though it was massive and made out of craven stone, it was sad to see a tree growing out of the roof. I went in to see if I could celebrate Mass. When I arrived inside the church, I found it to be absolutely stunning. It had many beautiful altars that would make anything we have here look like first ti...
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During Mass, suddenly a cloud of smoke and sulfur poured out into the entire church, and Satan himself appeared in all his hideousness. The people ran screaming from the church except for one old fellow in the back. Satan, in a rage, stomped up to the fellow and extended himself to his full height and yelled at the man, “Don’t I frighten you?” The man looked calmly at him and replied, “Nope, not...
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James Herriot, a vet and author, recounts the story of his first caesarean section on a cow. He had not been trained in the procedure in his education. He hired a younger vet, fresh out of college, and they visited a farmer whose cow needed the operation. Usually the cow would die in times past but the younger vet convinced James to try the operation. So, James decided to try and he said to the y...
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