Little Bethlehem will be in our Parish this weekend displaying their carved olive wood religious items which will be for sale after the 5:30 vigil Mass and after 7:30 and 10:30 Masses.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Though we have returned to the season of Ordinary Time and the “wearing of the green”, we have celebrated and will celebrate today the second of the two Dogmatic Solemnities that are the bedrock of our Faith. Today is Corpus Christi, or the Body and Blood of Christ Solemnity.   Again we approach this Mystery with awe and wonder and perhaps ask ourselves: “does God really love us this much that He condescends to be the Bread of Life for our spiritual and physical nourishment?”   I guess He does. And that should bring us to our knees in humble thanksgiving and gratitude. 

     As Catholics and with our brothers and sisters in the Orthodox Churches we have the unique privilege to partake of the very Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for which others could only hope.  In order to be a  true Sacrifice there must be a priesthood which is guaranteed by Apostolic Succession, possessed only by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.  Therefore our reverence and devotion to the Holy Eucharist must be of ultimate respect.  We genuflect or bow before our Eucharistic Lord upon entrance into His Presence in Church.  We refrain from unnecessary talking because of our recognition that He is here.  We humbly receive Him upon our tongues or upon the throne of our hands held before our hearts and consume this precious gift before we leave the Altar. Sometimes we can become a little bit careless in these things and Corpus Christi is always a good time to renew our behavior in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament.

     This Solemnity is also a good time to renew our earnest prayers for an increase of vocations to the Holy Priesthood.  Remember: “no priest, no Eucharist”,  So it is incumbent on all to pray daily that God will choose holy men to serve His people as priests.

      The Holy Eucharist is of course the most intimate means by which we are united to God, individually, and to one another collectively. That is why one must be in union with the Church in order to receive our Lord.  And, of course, in order to receive Him we must be in the state of grace, that is, without mortal sins.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), assures us that we are properly disposed to receive our Lord in Holy Communion.

    As we participate in the Corpus Christi celebrations we recall these teachings of the Church and renew the joy we have in knowing that He is here.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Having made the transition from Eastertide to Ordinary Time (this is the 11th week in O.T.), the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity initiates where we will be going throughout the coming days.  All things unfold through our understanding, limited though it be, of Who God is and how close He desires to be with us.  One God, Three Divine Persons, co-equal, co-eternal: Father, Son (Who took on our humanity) and Holy Spirit (ever moving amongst us) is the Supreme Being Who fashioned each one of us a to figure Him out but St. John’s beautiful words; “God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him.”

      When we make this our meditation our understanding of God becomes ever more intense.  We realize Who we are drawn into and how daily we are called to mold our lives as He Who made us.  The Son has shown us how.  The Spirit infuses us with the necessary gifts.  And the Father waits for us to come to Him, not just in the future but here and now.

       Congratulations to our fifteen newly Confirmed young parishioners. May they be true to their Faith all their lives.

          And blessings of strength and wisdom upon our fathers on their special day.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

      The Great Fifty Days now culminate with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  This feast of ancient Israel was a celebration of God’s blessings upon His people with the first fruits of the Spring harvest.  Like Passover, the faithful would bring their sacrificial gifts to the priests for blessing and thanksgiving and rejoice that God had “multiplied” their good work with an abundance.   Now, at the New Christian Pentecost, the seeds that were planted by Christ in His Sacred Passover bear fruit, not with grains and produce, but with human beings who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior.  Our forebears in the Faith are the new harvest and it continues to be cultivated by the Eternal Word of God, being enlightened by It and nourished by His Sacred Body and Blood.  We are therefore in a continuous Pentecost until the end of time.  The Holy Spirit, Whom the Father and the Son have sent, endlessly motivates, advocates, generates, protects, guides and directs the Church, ever sanctifying Her in the mission of spreading the Gospel.  This work of the Holy Spirit invigorates us both collectively and individually as we put into practice the 7-fold gifts bestowed upon us at our Confirmation.

     Today, at the, 10:30 Mass we rejoice with and for our young parishioners who commit themselves  to living the Christian life and accepting the responsibility of being more perfect witnesses to Jesus Christ.  May they flourish in His sight as we assure them of our prayers and support.

    We extend congratulations and hopeful encouragement to all those who have graduated these past weeks.  May they be open to receiving God’s inspiration for their future, keep them safe from harm, and faithful to Christ at all times and in all places.

     We shall conclude our celebration of the Great Fifty Days with the celebration of Solemn Vespers on Pentecost evening in St John’s.  Rosary will be prayed at 3:30 and Vespers and Benediction will follow.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in  Christ, 

As the exhilaration of Eastertide,  and all that has ensued during this time, draws to a close we  remember that every Sunday is  a “little Easter”. Christ has not  departed from us, but has entered into our presence in a more universal and mystical way, namely  the Sacraments and the Sacred Scriptures. Just as if  someone were speaking to us we rightfully afford  them our undivided attention, so too, when we hear  the Word of God proclaimed or read It for ourselves  we hear the Lord speak to us. With open heart and  open mind we listen to the Word and then celebrate  His Presence in the holy rites of the Church. This is  Faith-in-action.

The Faith is meant to bring us into union with God  and one another. This is a recurrent message from  our Holy Father Leo whose very motto is “that all be one in the One. In today’s Gospel we hear our  Lord praying for His disciples and those who are yet  to come that all may be one. In a world so sadly torn  by divisions it is really up to us, with God’s grace, to  make it happen. Ponder the many ways and opportunities we can cooperate with God to bring that  longed for unity to family, community, our nation and  our world. With God all things are possible and that  is why we pray earnestly, especially in our Novena to  the Holy Spirit, to use the gifts bestowed upon us to  bring forth a more peaceful and fraternal world. 

Let us pray especially this week for our candidates  for the Sacrament of Confirmation who are preparing for the fullness of the 7-fold gifts on Pentecost  Sunday. May we, who are Confirmed, take time to  review what we have received form the Holy Spirit  so that we can renew the face of the earth. 

With Blessings, 

Father Langan

5/28 (vigil) St. Joseph’s, 5:30 PM

5/29- St. Mary Magdalen, 7:25 AM and 12:05 PM

St. Bernard’s. 6:00 P.M.

The 10:30 Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary Magdalen Church on May 25.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     The Word of today’s Gospel gives us a great deal of consolation and peace.  When our Lord speaks to us about not letting our hearts be troubled we certainly need to hear that in a world that is filled with so much discord and animosity.  But if we trust in the Lord’s word our worry can change to hope.  And certainly in these last days there has been much hopefulness.

    The election of Pope Leo XIV gives us hope in a renewed vigor of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The Pope’s vision and determination to bring stability and unity to the Church lifts our spirits and challenges us to take up the banner to proclaim to all: “Jesus Christ is Lord!”  May we be courageous and faithful in following our new pontiff’s lead and support him daily with our prayers.

    Once again the raging waters have wreaked havoc on our St. John’s property.  Many discussions are taking place to try and rectify this perennial problem once and for all.  In the meantime, our “savior” Mike Cavage and Pioneer Construction, came to our rescue, as they  previously have done, to shore-up  the damaged bank and restore accessibility to our church   We are immensely grateful for their immediate action and attention to our dilemma.

      Remember that this coming Thursday we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven.  It is a Holy Day  of obligation wherein we are commanded and bound to participate at Holy Mass.  The schedule of Masses are in this bulletin.

    We offer our heartfelt congratulations to the children of our First Holy Communion class who last Saturday received the Holy Eucharist.  Let us pray that they grow each day in the living and practicing of the Faith and that parents be diligent in bringing them to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day.

    Finally we have a wonderful opportunity to visit and greet the new Holy Father by making a pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi and Loreto this coming November 5-15.  I will be the chaplain for this trip which is operated by ProRome tours.  For complete information contact: https://prorometours.com/jubilee2025/

With Blessings,

Father Langan

The 10:30 Mass usually held at St. John the Evangelist Church will be held at St. Mary’s this Sunday, May 11.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we progress through these 50 days of Eastertide we can certainly say it has been quite eventful.  With the passing of Pope Francis and the expectation of a new Holy Father we have been occupied with the temporality of human life and the continuity of life as well.  As of this writing, we do not yet have a successor to St. Peter but whomever he may be, we pledge our heartfelt prayers and devoted obedience in all things necessary regarding our Faith.

    We cannot imagine the immensity of this calling to serve Christ and His Church that is why our prayers are vital for him to accomplish the ministry to which he has been called.  And how very appropriate that all of this is unfolding in the light of this Sunday’s Good Shepherd Gospel.  The Fourth Sunday of Easter has always been designated under this particular title to impose upon us the necessity to pray not only for the Holy Father as Pope but also to pray for those who are called to collaborate with him as bishops and priests in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.

      So as you offer prayers and sacrifices for the Pope please implore our Divine Lord to call men to serve Him in the Holy Priesthood.  You are only too well aware of the decline of vocations.  Young men, for whatever reason, are reluctant to make the commitment of offering their lives completely and humbly to Christ and His Church.  Only our prayers and support can encourage them to. As St. Pope John Paul II said: “put out into the depth”, trusting in the Lord Who never abandons us.

      And speaking of the new Pope, as I mentioned in last week’s  message, you may have the opportunity to greet him in Rome accompanying me on the Jubilee pilgrimage from November 5th to the 15th, 2025.  All information can be found on the ProRome website: https://prorometours.com/jubilee2025/.I have been chaplain on a number of ProPome pilgrimages and have the highest praise for their expertise and professionalism.

With Blessings,

Father Langan