From the Desk of Fr. Mike
Each Person is a Brother/Sister
Posted by Anne Serwe on 9/09/19
In the second reading this weekend St. Paul is writing a letter to Philemon. This is one of the shortest books in the bible, comprising a single page, yet in some ways it is one of the more interesting. Philemon owns a slave named Onesimus who has run away and ... Read More »
Teaching the Lives of the Saints
Posted by Anne Serwe on 9/03/19
I like watching the afternoon westerns on ME TV, especially the old Gunsmoke reruns that are shown at lunch time. Growing up my mom would never let us watch the show, so much of the stories are pretty new to me. It occurred to me a while ago that ... Read More »
Giving God Room
Posted by Anne Serwe on 8/26/19
The disciples continue to push the question of who is “in” and who is “out” this week. Their primary concern is to make sure they are getting “in”. Jesus does not give them a clear answer and in fact he creates confusion. Not only are some who think they ... Read More »
A Wonderful Celebration of our Community!
Posted by Anne Serwe on 8/19/19
Thank you to Maggie Arnevik who was the chair of the Parish Festival and to the countless volunteers who made last Saturday and Sunday some of the most fun and remarkable days of our parish calendar. I am especially grateful to all who helped chair the many different organizations ... Read More »
A Promise to Us
Posted by Anne Serwe on 8/11/19
Brothers and sisters: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. HB 11:1-2 Our father in faith, Abraham, was an old man and his wife Sarah is described as old and dried up. For all practical reasons he should never have expected ... Read More »
Visiting Mission Priest the weekend of July 20 & 21
Posted by Anne Serwe on 7/15/19
Fr. Leon Martin from the Society of the Catholic Apostolate or as they are known, Pallottines, is presiding here at St. Joe’s next weekend—July 20 & 21.
Pallottines is a religious community of over 2300 members spread over several countries in the five continents. It was founded in Rome ... Read More »
Holiness is not a Contest
Posted by Anne Serwe on 7/08/19
This is an excerpt of Pope Francis’ homily on the feast of St. Peter/St.Paul June 29th:
The Apostles Peter and Paul stand before us as witnesses. They never tired of preaching and journeying as missionaries from the land of Jesus to Rome itself. Here they gave their ultimate witness, ... Read More »
God's Love for Us
Posted by Anne Serwe on 7/01/19
Harley and Carlotta Flor told me that last Sunday was their 68th wedding anniversary. In making an announcement to the community about this wonderful event I transposed the numbers and told everyone that it was their 86 wedding anniversary. Deacon Tom leaned into me and said that he did ... Read More »
Eucharist is a Gift
Posted by Anne Serwe on 6/26/19
The Eucharist is such an amazing gift to us. It is Jesus’ way of being with us always. It is such a simple gift; bread transformed into his body; wine become his blood. At the same time it is beyond human comprehension to understand how the God who created ... Read More »
Being Prepared
Posted by Anne Serwe on 6/17/19
It seems that the majority of mass shootings occur either in schools or churches. Most schools have adjusted their security styles to limit access into the school and to protect their students throughout the day. They have fire as well as shooter drills to practice what happens in those ... Read More »