From the Desk of Fr. Mike
The Difficulty in Renewing the Church
Posted by Anne Serwe on 2/13/17
Over the past several weeks there has been a major controversy stirring between the Knights of Malta and Pope Francis. It began with the grand master firing the third-in-charge (the chancellor) of the Order because there had been a moment when the Knights were distributing condoms to people in ... Read More »
Looking to our Future
Posted by Anne Serwe on 2/06/17
The worst of begging for money is coming in the next few weeks. I promise that once we get past the middle of March you will not hear much about giving from me for a while. Hopefully by that time we will also be caught up with our "Invest ... Read More »
A Few News Items
Posted by Anne Serwe on 2/02/17
On Tuesday evening, January 17, the Finance Commission met and with great discussion recommended to me that we move ahead with the ordering of the new sound and AV systems. We have collected over $122,000 as I write this so we are over 80% to our goal. They did ... Read More »
God is Here!
Posted by Anne Serwe on 1/23/17
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." From Sunday's Gospel.
For the longest time I would read this Gospel message and think that it meant I had to change from my "sinful" ways to become more perfect ... Read More »
An Important Visit
Posted by Anne Serwe on 1/18/17
Last week several former inmates of Lino Lakes came to the 10:00 am Mass to catch up with some of the members of the prison ministry. It was good to see them in a fraternal group with Deacon Clarence Shallbetter accompanying them. I did not get as much of ... Read More »
Lets Meet People Where They Are
Posted by Anne Serwe on 1/09/17
Holy Mother Church is going through a very interesting time within the core leadership. Pope Francis has been calling for the church's pastors to be more connected to the people of the Church and less intent on the letter of the law. When you start connecting with people you ... Read More »
Thank You and God's blessings for your New Year!
Posted by Anne Serwe on 12/30/16
My goodness! You have been so kind and generous to me over this holiday season, as I keep telling my brother priests that I am still on my honeymoon with you. Every season keeps getting better and richer as I continue to grow into the family of Saint Joe's ... Read More »
Merry Christmas!
Posted by Anne Serwe on 12/27/16
From Fr. Mike and all of the staff here at St. Joseph of the Lakes we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
We Welcome our Brothers & Sisters
Posted by Anne Serwe on 12/20/16
Next week we will gather with many of our beloved brothers and sisters whom we haven't seen for a while. This is a day to rejoice in, not to complain about. It means certain inconveniences such as losing your butt worn pew space and perhaps even having to sit ... Read More »
In the past -Tribes - Now individuals
Posted by Anne Serwe on 12/14/16
We come from a very tribal background. The tribes arise from significant individuals who establish a bloodline and customs in which eventually a culture arises that is unique to itself. Scripturally we see this in the rise of Abraham, a man who was old and childless who trusted in ... Read More »