March 3, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope you will join us Monday and Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. for our parish mission experience. The evenings are designed to help us to encounter the love of the Lord.

At the 9:00 a.m. Mass this weekend and the following two weekends we have the scrutinies for those who are preparing to be baptized (the elect) at the Great Easter Vigil. As they draw closer to promising to reject Satan and to place their faith in Jesus Christ, the enemy sees them slipping away and will try to instill doubts, cause problems, or discourage them. The Church provides these scrutinies so that they are strengthened and can withstand the attacks of the enemy. Each scrutiny has prayers for the elect as well as an exorcism.

The Gospels for these Masses have the account of the woman at the well, the man born blind and the raising of Lazarus. These show elements of baptism: The woman at the well focuses on water, the man born blind focuses on sight/light and the raising of Lazarus on new life. At baptism we are washed clean of our sins by blessed water, are given the light of Christ (the candle we receive) to walk always in Christ’s light and are given the promise of eternal life (see Romans 6).

They also focus on personal sin (the woman at the well was living with man number 6), sinning with others (the judgmentalism of the Pharisees), and the consequence of sin (death). These readings can help us to reflect on where we need the Lord’s healing so that we can live the promises we made in baptism, to reject the temptation to sin, and so walk in the promise of eternal life.

In Christ,

Bishop Tim Freyer

February 25, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we continue to try to serve you as best as possible, we have made a few changes that hopefully will be of benefit to you. One of the more common comments I have received is that people don’t know whom to call to reserve a room, set up a special Mass, how to get things in the bulletin, etc. To that end we have revised the second page of the bulletin to include these and other reasons why a person may want to reach out to the parish and to whom they should call/email. Included in this list is the phone number to call if there is something that is broken or not working correctly in a meeting room.

All leaders of ministries should have received a packet to schedule meeting space and facilities for the next fiscal year. If you have not received it, please contact Tom Leeman. The priority in scheduling will be based on our mission as a parish. The order (from highest priority to lowest) is: Celebration of the sacraments and preparation for these celebrations; growing in knowledge of our faith (school, faith formation, confirmation, bible studies, etc.); growing in relationship with Christ (prayer groups, devotions, etc.); growing in community and our service to others (Knights of Columbus, service ministries, social activities); any other parish organization or activity; ministries, groups, and events from outside the parish. My hope is that this will make it easier for all our ministries to use our beautiful facilities to draw closer to the Lord and one another.

In Christ,

Bishop Tim Freyer

February 18, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Years ago, a non-denominational minister I knew asked me why we Catholics “make such a big deal about Lent since it is not in the bible.” It is true that Lent is not in the bible, however we see the number 40 (there are 40 days in Lent) and the practices we undertake in this season used repeatedly in the bible. Before Jesus began his public ministry, following the call of the Spirit, he went out into the desert to fast and pray for 40 days and was tempted by the devil. Jesus gives us the example of spending significant time in prayer and fasting, especially before something important is going to happen or if we need to make a major decision. In the book of Exodus, when God finally freed his people from slavery in Egypt, they wandered in the desert for 40 years before entering the promised land. This time was a time of purification and helping the people to have the right spirit so that they could fully appreciate the good things waiting for them in the promised land. Noah spent 40 days in the ark during the time of the great flood, when God purified the earth of that which was evil. So, the idea of lent has a biblical basis, calling us to prayer, fasting, being purified of our sins and preparing us to have a heart ready to receive the graces of Easter.

Please plan on joining us for our Lenten mission on March 4-5. I have known Fr. Duy Le since he was discerning going to the seminary and have heard him speak many times. He is insightful and his passion for the Lord is contagious.

In Christ,

Bishop Tim Freyer