Dear St. Mary on the Lake and Sacred Heart,             As we enter into this new year one of the things I am excited for is the number weddings we have coming up.  We have a nice number of young couples inquiring about getting married and actively preparing for this great sacrament.  There is a tremendous cultural pressure against getting married at all, and if they are looking to get married, then pressure against getting married in the Church.  I am the more edified then b

Dear St. Mary on the Lake and Sacred Heart,                A Blessed 2026!  I am excited for the New Year and all that it holds. A few events that I would like to highlight that will be coming up so you can get them on your calendar. •     Youth Appreciation Night hosted by the Knights of Columbus- Sacred Heart, Jan 17 at 6pm. •     Trivia Night - Hosted at Sacred Heart Jan 24 at 6pm. •   Bible Study focusing on the “I am” Statements of Jesus.  Jesus’ seven statements are “I

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,                    We celebrate this weekend the feast of the Holy Family.  A great way to celebrate this feast day is to revisit the famous phrase “The family that prays together stays together” popularized by Fr. Patrick Peyton.  (His own story is rather amazing- use this link if you want to learn more about his life: https://www.fatherpeyton.org/  )                  This weekend let us examine how we are praying together as a fam

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,             A very Blessed and Merry Christmas this coming week!  I look forward to seeing everyone for our Christmas Masses.                 As we enter into the celebration of Christmas, I want us to protect the spirit the season cultivates- a sense of yearning, of hope, of expectation, of searching.  This is a critical spiritual sense for us for it means we always looking for God.  It means we will not settle for anything less th

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake, As we continue through our season of Advent preparing our lives to receive Jesus more fully, I want to share the Litany of Trust, written by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, a Sister of Life.   From the belief that I have to earn Your love  … Deliver me, Jesus (repeat after the following) From the fear that I am unlovable  … From the false security that I have what it takes  … From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute  … F

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,             I hope you are having a Blessed Advent.  Of all the seasons I think that Advent is the one most underexperienced.  With all of our Christmas plannings and parties that happen even before Christmas happens it tends to get lost.  The frenetic pace of life is the opposite of the sense the season should have.             That being the case Advent requires fighting for it a bit more than the other seasons.  What do we have t

Dear St. Mary on the Lake and Sacred Heart,             As we begin this Holy Season of Advent, I want to share one of my favorite reflections on this season.  It comes from St. Bernard of Clairvaux: “W e know that there are three comings of the Lord. The third lies between the other two. It is invisible, while the other two are visible. Three Comings of the Lord In the first coming he was seen on earth, dwelling among men; he himself testifies that they saw him and hated him

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,             I will be taking off three days this week, (Mon-Wed), for hunting camp with two of my brothers, Fr’s Gary and Randy.  We will do our best to defend our farmer’s crops and everyone’s cars.  A tough job, but we force ourselves to do it every year!    I always appreciate the story of St. Hubert, patron Saint of Hunters as many of us head out to the woods.   “Born around 705 A.D., St. Hubert was quite the playboy. As nobilit

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,              I will be taking the 5 th  and 6 th Graders from Sacred Heart this Tuesday to the St. Louis Center in Chelsea.  The St. Louis Center serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in an intentional, faith-based community.  It is run by the Servants of Charity.  I am grateful for the good work they do upholding and protecting the dignity of those our world so often looks past.  I am grateful for our

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,             I am looking forward to the School Gala this upcoming Saturday, Nov 8th- always such a great event celebrating and supporting our school.  As of your reading this, I don’t know if any tickets are left or not, but you can check with the parish office.  I hope to see you there!               November is the solemn month of the year in the Church when we specifically remember and pray for those who have died.  Because Novem

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,             This weekend I want to give some updates on various projects at both parishes.  The first word is Thank You for your generosity that makes all of these things possible!             At St. Mary on the Lake the redone landscaping and electrical work finished so nicely – our grounds are beautiful.  We are well along in the process of purchasing a small parcel of land that part of our Stations of the Cross are on.  In the re

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,             I will be gone this week (Mon-Fri) for my annual retreat.  It is built into the IPF program I am doing, so I will be out at Mundelein Seminary north of Chicago for the week.  Please know I keep you all in my prayers on these retreat weeks, especially at the Masses each day.  Please keep me in your prayers too.  I am very much looking forward to these five days of time with the Lord.             We will have our regular M

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,             This weekend in our Diocese we celebrate Safe Haven Sunday.  ...

Dear Saint Mary on the Lake and Sacred Heart,             Thank you for your prayers for us this past week at our priest convocation.  It...

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,               My brother, Fr. Gary, and I both agree that we are getting soft in parish...

Dear Saint Mary on the Lake and Sacred Heart,             My family is very excited about the recent announcement of the 18 th  grandbaby...

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,             We celebrate this weekend the Exaltation of the Cross.  The Cross which is a sign...

Dear Sacred Heart & St. Mary on the Lake,                  I want to share this prayer, the Litany of humility, that you might find...

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake, Have a safe and blessed Labor Day weekend.  This Saturday is the final 6:00 evening vigil...

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,             I am excited for school starting this week!  It is always too quiet with everyone...