Pastor's Notes
Christ the Good Shepherd makes himself known
Posted by Fr. David Barnes
Dear Friends in Christ,
Many years ago, I think before you could take photos with your phone, I was in Rome and was visiting the catacombs one afternoon. It was a beautiful, warm sunny day and, in typical Italian fashion, the catacombs were closed for lunch! I decided I ... Read More »
Thank You For Your Witness
Posted by Fr. David Barnes
Dear Friends in Christ,
During the Easter season, the Church’s Liturgy quite often draws from the Acts of the Apostles. The pages of the Acts of the Apostles provide to us an amazing description of what the Church at its very beginning was like. We listen to the powerful ... Read More »
He is Risen, Indeed!
Posted by Fr. David Barnes
Dear Friends in Christ,
He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!
On the night of the Last Supper, as Jesus sat at table with his apostles, he said, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you . . .” (LK 22:15). We can say that the Lord ... Read More »
03/31/24 - He is Risen!
Posted by Fr. David Barnes
Dear Friends in Christ:
He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!
Because this week’s bulletin is given over almost entirely to remembering the names of those in whose memory flowers have been donated, I have been told to “keep it short!”
On the first Easter evening two disciples walked ... Read More »
03/20/24 - Entering into Holy Week
Posted by Fr. David Barnes
Dear Friends in Christ:
I have vivid memories of me as a young boy standing on the kneeler of our pew watching my two older brothers serve Mass on Holy Thursday. On one level, I did not know what was happening because I was so young. On another level, ... Read More »
03/13/24 - The Crosses We Bear
Posted by Fr. David Barnes
Dear Friends in Christ,
Everyday people walk into St. Patrick Church carrying with them the heavy burdens of life. Some are undergoing medical testing or preparing for surgeries. Others are worried about their children, their grandchildren, or some other relative. There are people who are anxious about employment or ... Read More »
03/08/24 - A Peek Behind the Curtain
Posted by Fr. David Barnes
Dear Friends in Christ,
This morning (it’s Tuesday as I write this), I am thinking about the past twenty-four hours at St. Patrick Parish. For most parishioners, what they see of the parish is what happens in that one hour on Sundays when they are at Mass. I’d like ... Read More »
02/20/24 - Traveling the road of Lent together
Posted by Fr. David Barnes
Dear Friends in Christ,
On February 15th the Roman Martyrology (the book that contains the names of the saints who are commemorated on each day of the Church’s year) commemorates twenty-one men who were martyred on February 15th, 2015. All of them were migrants who were working in Libya. ... Read More »
02/14/24 - Life gets away from us sometimes
Posted by Fr. David Barnes
Dear Friends in Christ,
I remember some years ago a priest said to me, “When you arrive somewhere new, write down the repairs that you notice are needed, because after a year, you’ll not notice those things anymore.” When you first arrive somewhere new, you think to yourself, “We’ve ... Read More »
02/07/24 - Lent is Coming!
Posted by Fr. David Barnes
Dear Friends in Christ,
Lent is coming! This Wednesday the Church begins her yearly pilgrimage to the Sacred Triduum, the commemoration of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of the Lord. Like the Israelites who were led by the Lord from the slavery of Egypt to the freedom of the ... Read More »