The Seed
Veiled in Mystery
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 3/30/22
You may notice this weekend that our statues and crucifixes in church have hidden themselves. This is the traditional practice of veiling sacred images during the final days of Lent, the period known as “Passiontide”. Rather than recreate the wheel, I found a helpful article that shines some light ... Read More »
A Season of Reconciliation – We will have another Day of Grace on April 6th
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 3/25/22
Additionally, we have many opportunities throughout the week to receive this Sacrament in the normal parish calendar, so please familiarize yourself with these times, and don’t feel like confession has to be an “event” that only happens once or twice a year; let this sacrament be a normal part ... Read More »
Fed by the Word
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 3/16/22
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Jesus Christ is the Word of God, he gives logic and meaning to our lives and reveals to us the fullness of divinity while at the same time revealing what it means to be fully human. This is ... Read More »
Beacons of Light Update
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 3/10/22
Now that we know the final Family of Parishes and the priests assigned to the family, many of us want to know: what now? What’s next? Does anything have to change? I want to address this because it is important to be upfront and honest with my parishioners.
Even ... Read More »
And We're Off!
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 3/02/22
Growing up, I must admit: Lent was not my favorite. I always gave up sweets, but it was a real struggle for me. I became a master of “justification” - by about week two or three of Lent, I’d be whipping up a loaf of pumpkin or banana bread, ... Read More »
Lent is nearly here!
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 2/23/22
Lent is nearly upon us! This is the time of year for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a time of penance and sacrifice. It is a time of conversion. But, most of all it is a time of joyful preparation and awaiting the celebration of the saving act ... Read More »
The Way We Celebrate Mass
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 2/17/22
Since Father Hess and I have been here you may have noticed some adjustments in the way the mass is celebrated. For the priest’s part, you may have noticed a more solemn or subdued demeanor, especially during the canon of the mass (the canon is the prayers that the ... Read More »
Good Stuff!
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 2/09/22
I am grateful for so much good going on in the cluster. On February 2nd, we had a beautiful, (mostly) candlelit Mass for the Feast of the Presentation. Of course, the weather made things a little uncertain, but it held off and I was pleased that we had such ... Read More »
The Depth of Our Tradition
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 2/04/22
The Italians have a rather cryptic proverb: “Traduttore, traditore” – which in English means: “Translator, traitor”. What our Mediterranean brethren mean by this proverb is: when translating, something of the original meaning is always lost. The translator always bears a certain amount of “guilt” for “betraying” the original and ... Read More »
The Devout Life
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 1/24/22
I wrote this week’s article on the feast of St. Francis de Sales (January 24th), who is one of my all-time favorite saints. I’m not sure when he and I became acquainted, but I have been drawn to his spirituality and approach to Christian holiness for some time now. ... Read More »