2018 archive of From the Desk of Fr. Mike
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
Posted by Anne Serwe on 12/31/18
From Fr. Mike and all of the staff here at St. Joseph of the Lakes we hope you and your family had a very Merry Christmas and blessings for your New Year!
Christmas and TV Ads?
Posted by Anne Serwe on 12/10/18
The Advent/Christmas season confuses me more and more as I get older. There has been a great working to secularize our nation, and for the most part I have not minded the effort. As long as there is religious liberty it makes sense to me that no one religion ... Read More »
We enter the Church's New Year
Posted by Anne Serwe on 12/03/18
It has been a very pleasant first month in my new residence. I have pretty much moved in though I have not hung any pictures or unpacked the boxes that were packed away a year ago. I am still waiting for a built in bookshelf and some window treatments ... Read More »
In Appreciation of the Human Spirit
Posted by Anne Serwe on 11/12/18
When I was in my second year of theology (2nd post college year) I had my first experience of abject poverty. I had been sent to the Archdiocesan mission in Venezuela for the month of January. In the last week of the visit we traveled to Caracas (the capital ... Read More »
Great Hope in the Midst of Darkness
Posted by Anne Serwe on 11/04/18
We have entered into the season of the dead. This past week we celebrated both All Saints day and All Souls’ Day. Our scriptures in the last weeks of the church year will be reflecting the end of time and the final judgement. The physical darkness of the onrushing ... Read More »
Driven by Faith
Posted by Anne Serwe on 10/29/18
In several stories of Jesus’ life, he heals blind men. Today’s story of Bartimaeus is rather straight forward. Bartimaeus knows that Jesus can heal him, so as he becomes aware that Jesus is near he begins calling out to him: “Son of David have pity on me”. Jesus summons ... Read More »
Meet People Where They Are
Posted by Anne Serwe on 10/08/18
I received an anonymous note in such a manner that the writer would not even spend money on a postage stamp. The note was basically an article cut out of a paper in which the writer (Fr. Michael Miller) answers the question “ when does Mass begin and end”. ... Read More »
Celebrate Diversity with the Roman Catholic Church
Posted by Anne Serwe on 10/01/18
I am probably going to be read as a heretic by a few as they read this but the scandal of Christian separation weighs heavily upon me. The Protestant reforms of Christianity begin with the Roman Catholic Church not serving her members very well. The arrogance of the hierarchy ... Read More »
A Servant to the Least of Us
Posted by Anne Serwe on 9/24/18
I have been very blessed in my journey of priesthood. My first assignment as a pastor was at Holy Name in South Minneapolis. It was a small failing community with a school that could not be sustained. The neighborhood was changing and although there was a faithful group of ... Read More »
Ready to be Home
Posted by Anne Serwe on 9/17/18
According to several sources the new rectory should be ready for me to move into during the last week of September. I am not sure of the moving day yet, it is being worked out, but hopefully by the first weekend of October I will be residing at 141 ... Read More »