From the Pastor - Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

August 4, 2023

The Book of Daniel, from which our First Reading is drawn, was written some two centuries before the birth of Christ. This is only significant in that many of the prophets (Daniel is considered one of the major prophets) lived as many as six centuries before Christ. However, regardless the timeline, we need to be moved by and appreciative of the prophecies we find in the Old Testament. In the passage in today’s reading it states, “The one like a Son of Man received dominion, glory, and kingship.”


Today, of course, is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and this reading very much parallels what is portrayed in the Transfiguration. The interesting point within this reading from Daniel, however, is that it refers to the “Son of Man,” which is the term Jesus Himself used most often to describe Himself.


We have referenced this fact previously. In fact, the term “Son of Man” occurs 85 times in the Gospels, and in 83 of them it is Jesus who uses the term. (It appears 32 times in Matthew; 15 times in Mark; 26 times in Luke; and 12 times in John, and it is in John where it is used twice by someone other than Jesus.)


The important point for us is that Jesus calling Himself the Son of Man explains that He was born of a woman, and He shares in our earthly conditions and sufferings. That fact should make us want to embrace Him as our Savior, our Friend, and our Shepherd even more. 

© Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2023


Pastoral Pondering 

As I sit here writing this, I am sitting in my room in Fatima, Portugal. This morning we visited the Shrine of the Holy Miracle of Santarem, a Eucharistic Miracle that took place in the 13th century. The gist of the story of the miracle involved a woman of the town who had to deal with a very difficult husband. She was so desperate that she approached a witch who promised help if the woman would bring her a Consecrated Host. The woman did so, removing the Host from her mouth after receiving and hiding it within a knot in her veil. After leaving the church, the woman realized that blood was dripping from the veil, so she ran home and hid the host in a box at the foot of her bed where she kept clean linen. During the night, she and her husband were awakened by a supernatural light. When they awoke, they saw the host suspended above the cupboard and angels in adoration. They immediately ran to get the parish priest, who came and brought the Holy Host to the parish church where it remains to this day. These and other Miracles are offered by the Lord to elicit faith and call us to greater holiness and devotion. Blessed Carlo Acutis catalogued many of these miracles and spent a great deal of time in his short life to encourage devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament. We will be discussing some of these next Saturday following the 5:00 p.m. Mass at our Fireside Chat.


Help for the Holy Land Pilgrimage - Prior to COVID, I felt a call to take seminarians to the Holy Land. My first trip took place when I was a seminarian, and the experience changed my life and my priesthood. Christopher Cross, who has led many groups on pilgrimage thought it was a great idea, and I was able to secure a $50,000 donation to fund the effort. Alas, COVID hit, and those plans had to be postponed. We have made it to the other side of COVID, and we are planning for the pilgrimage after Christmas this year. However, because of the present economic reality, the cost of travel has increased dramatically. The cost for each participant is $4,000. We are hoping to take at least 30 seminarians. If things work out, I would also like to establish a fund so that we can repeat the trip every few years.



I know many of our parishioners have had the opportunity to go on a Holy Land Pilgrimage with Chris. As I said, my visits to the land where Jesus walked, have had a lasting impact on me and my ministry. I want that for our young men who are preparing for priesthood. I know it will enrich their lives, strengthen their vocational call, and help them be more effective priests of Jesus Christ. If you would like to assist, donations can be made via the parish website. Any donation should be noted for Holy Land trip.

Finally, I do hope you had the opportunity to find some rest and recreation over the summer. With school about to begin and normal programing ramping back up, life will get very busy again. Enjoy what’s left of the summer break and be assured of my prayers.



From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Fourth Sunday of Easter

By John Putnam • April 24, 2026
Today’s readings on this fourth Sunday of Easter offer us a glimpse into the heart of our loving Savior. He is the Good Shepherd and we can confidently place our trust in Him as we live the stewardship way of life. This endearing image of Jesus as our shepherd, and His personal love for each one of us, is described in our Gospel passage from John, through the words of Jesus Himself. Here we read Jesus’ description of Himself as the “Good Shepherd.” He says of Himself, “The sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.” This aspect of our Lord’s tender and personal love for each one of us is a compelling reason to embrace the stewardship way of life — in the offering of our time, talent, and treasure to Him, we can express our gratitude to Him for the incomprehensible love He has for us. Embracing this way of life certainly requires trust on our part. But Christ has proven Himself worthy of our trust. He “bore our sins in His body.” He calls Himself our shepherd and He offers Himself as the guardian of our souls. He has withheld nothing of Himself and His goodness from us. He would never ask anything of us that would bring us harm. He tells us “I came so that [you] might have life and have it more abundantly.” This Easter season, let us resolve to entrust ourselves and our lives gratefully to Him. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026 Pastoral Pondering As we continue our treatment of the basics of the faith and following up on last week’s discussion of cohabitation, this week I wanted to focus on Natural Family Planning which some people misconstrue as Catholic contraception. Natural Family Planning: The Catholic Way to Responsible Parenthood Natural Family Planning (NFP) consists of moral, scientific methods that help married couples achieve or postpone pregnancy by observing a woman’s natural signs of fertility—such as cervical mucus and basal body temperature—without drugs, devices, or surgery. The Catholic Church fully supports NFP because it respects God’s design for marital love, which is both **unitive** (bonding) and **procreative** (open to life). Unlike artificial contraception, which deliberately blocks fertility, NFP works with the body’s natural cycles through periodic abstinence when needed. Church Teaching In Humanae Vitae (1968), Pope St. Paul VI taught that couples may use the infertile periods for serious reasons, while always remaining open to the gift of children. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (2370) affirms that methods based on self-observation and infertile periods are morally acceptable because they respect the dignity of the spouses and promote authentic freedom. NFP is not “Catholic contraception.” The difference is in the heart: contraception rejects fertility in the act itself; NFP involves responsible discernment and periodic continence when there are just reasons (health, financial, emotional, or other proportionate circumstances). Couples should prayerfully discern together, ideally with a priest or spiritual director, avoiding a selfish “contraceptive mentality.” NFP can also help couples conceive by identifying the fertile window. Benefits for Catholic Couples - Strengthens marriage through better communication, mutual respect, and shared sacrifice. - Respects the woman’s body and natural rhythms. - Highly effective when properly learned and used. - Supports monitoring of reproductive health. Popular Church-approved methods include the Sympto-Thermal Method , Creighton Model , and Marquette Method . Instruction from a certified teacher is strongly recommended. A Parish Invitation As the domestic Church, families thrive when they live God’s plan for love and life. If you are preparing for marriage, newlywed, or seeking to grow in this area, contact your diocesan Family Life Office or visit the USCCB Natural Family Planning page for resources and local classes.  May the Lord bless all married couples as they cooperate with God in the beautiful vocation of responsible parenthood!

From the Pastor - Third Sunday of Easter

By John Putnam • April 17, 2026
Today’s readings focus on a theme of “sojourning.” As Christian stewards, we know our lives are a sojourn toward the ultimate destination of heaven. Our Gospel passage today describes the sojourn of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The two are dejected and despondent after Jesus’ death. They knew Jesus personally. They had heard the Gospel message directly from His lips. They heard the testimony of the women who discovered our Lord’s empty tomb and saw a vision of angels announcing He was alive. They had been informed by other disciples who went to the tomb that all was exactly as the women reported. How much more obvious could the Good News be? And yet, at times, the reaction of the two disciples describes our own stewardship journey, doesn’t it? We have the fullness of the Catholic faith, the power of the sacraments, and the support of our parish family. Yet, we often lose our way. We fail to see all the gifts we have been given. We lack trust in the perfect goodness and almighty power of God. But notice what happens to the two men when their eyes are opened once again, and they recognize Jesus in the Eucharist — the “breaking of the bread.” They are transformed! Their hearts are set on fire with love for the Lord and for their faith. They recall that their hearts began “burning within” as the Lord was explaining the Scriptures to them. When we find we have lost our way, we can go to the same sources as the two disciples on the road to Emmaus — the Scriptures and the Eucharist. In this Easter season, resolve to feast deeply on these two sources of grace. They are the fuel that will propel us on our journey toward heaven. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026 Pastoral Pondering Returning to a review of Catholic teaching basics, as we move into Spring, we often see an increase in the number of weddings requested. Sadly, it is not uncommon these days to find couples choosing to live together prior to their marriage. Hence, I thought it would be a good idea to lay out the Church’s teaching on this matter in a concise way. Living Together Before Marriage: A Catholic Perspective From the Catholic Church’s teaching, living together (cohabitation) before marriage is morally wrong, primarily because it typically involves fornication —sexual relations outside of marriage—which is gravely sinful (CCC 2353). Human sexuality is a sacred gift ordered by God to the unitive and procreative purposes of marriage alone. Sexual intimacy outside marriage cannot express the total, faithful, and permanent self-giving that spouses vow in the sacrament. Instead, it says with the body what is not yet true in commitment: “I give myself to you completely and forever.” This makes the act a contradiction, contrary to the dignity of persons and God’s plan for love (see CCC 2391; USCCB resources on marriage preparation). Cohabitation also: Creates a near occasion of sin , placing the couple in a situation that strongly tempts them toward grave immorality. Gives scandal , leading others—especially the young—to doubt or dismiss the Church’s teaching on chastity and the sacredness of marriage. Treats marriage as a “trial” rather than the definitive covenant it is meant to be. True love “demands a total and definitive gift of persons to one another” and cannot be an arrangement “until further notice.” Additionally, studies cited by Catholic sources show that couples who cohabit before marriage face higher risks of divorce, instability, and weaker commitment compared to those who do not. The Church calls engaged couples to practice chastity in continence during preparation for marriage—an “apprenticeship in fidelity” that builds mutual respect and prepares them to receive the grace of the sacrament (CCC 2350). Priests, deacons and pastoral ministers accompany cohabiting couples with mercy and truth, encouraging them to live separately or chastely while preparing for a valid sacramental marriage. In a culture that often views cohabitation as practical or normal, the Church invites couples to witness the beauty of God’s design: chastity before marriage, followed by a joyful, lifelong union blessed by the sacrament. For more, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church (esp. 2331–2400).