From the Pastor - 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 24, 2025

In St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, it states “If they were all one part, where would the body be? But as it is there are many parts, yet one body (1 COR 12:18-20).


What does this teach us as Christian stewards? It shows us that we all have equal dignity and worth in God’s sight, and that if God sees us as equally precious, we should view each other in this same light. It teaches us to humbly recognize our own gifts as well as the giftedness of every member of our parish family. And, while God designed us to be ultimately dependent on Him, it seems He has also designed us to need each other!


This is part of the beauty and richness of a stewardship way of life. No one person can “do it all in life — whether in family life or parish life. But God does not ask us to do it all. He simply asks us to share the gifts and talents we do have in the season of life we find ourselves right now.


It might feel uncomfortable at first. But the good news is you don’t have to do it all. Do your part, let your brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ do theirs, and know that the Spirit of the Lord is upon us all as we live out this stewardship way of life.

© Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2024


Pastoral Pondering 
On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Bishop Martin visited the parish and celebrated the parish Mass at 11 a.m. In his homily he challenged everyone to live out their baptismal call and to realize that we are all called to respond to the Lord’s goodness to us. During the distribution of Holy Communion, the Bishop chose not to use the altar rails to distribute, and this was upsetting to a number of parishioners who have been used to our (almost decade-long) practice here; using the kneelers but allowing each person to choose how he or she receives in accordance with individual conscience. Hence, I wanted to address the concern, and, while not speaking for the Bishop in this regard, give some insight into his actions.


Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the universal norm for the reception of Communion was kneeling and on the tongue. Only a priest was allowed to distribute (normally there were no deacons). In 1967, by way of indult (a special permission) Pope Paul VI allowed experimentation with distributing Communion in the hand. This gradually became the norm, and, when the third edition of the Roman Missal was released, Episcopal Conferences were allowed to determine what the norm for Communion reception would be in their territories. In the United States the US Bishops determined that the norm would be to receive Communion standing and either in the hand or on the tongue, in English. However, altar rails were never prohibited. Altar rails are not forbidden in the Catholic Church. In fact, altar rails have a long tradition in the Church and are still used in many places. They serve as a physical boundary that symbolically separates the sanctuary, which is considered a sacred space, from the rest of the church. Historically, altar rails were also used as a place for the faithful to kneel and receive Holy Communion.


After the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the architectural design of churches became more flexible, and some churches chose to remove altar rails to promote a sense of openness and community. However, this change was not mandated by the Church, and the decision to have altar rails or not is often left to the discretion of individual parishes or diocesan guidelines.

Ultimately, whether a church has altar rails can be influenced by pastoral considerations, liturgical styles, and architectural intentions. The presence or absence of altar rails does not affect the validity of the Mass or the sacramental life of the Church but can reflect different emphases in liturgical spirituality and practice.


In terms of the reception of Communion, the communicant retains the right to choose how Communion is received. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal indicates that the faithful may receive either kneeling or standing. The US norm does not nullify this general norm, and, in fact, the Congregation (now Dicastery) for Divine Worship in the document Redemptionis Sacramentum (n. 91) noted that a communicant who kneels is to be respected.



A diocesan Bishop is certainly within his right to request that the United States norm be observed and certainly Bishop Martin has indicated by action that this is his desire. He is presently preparing new liturgical norms to provide guidance and exercise his role as the high priest of the Diocese. Once these are produced, I am sure that they will clarify and expound upon what is presented here. Hence, I would encourage you and even caution not to negatively judge the Bishop. He is acting in harmony with the law and only desires a liturgical unity among his flock. This too should be respected while never denying the legitimate rights of the faithful.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • September 26, 2025
We have all been given great power by God in the form of Time, Talents, and Treasure. Today’s readings remind us that this power is meant to be used for great good. And that failure to do so has eternal consequences. We see the urgency for us to put our powers to good use in today’s Gospel passage from Luke. Our Lord tells the rather chilling parable of the rich man who ignored poor Lazarus during their lifetimes. At the moment of the rich man’s death, he goes down to the netherworld, while Lazarus is taken to the eternal joy and comfort in the bosom of Abraham. The rich man keenly regrets his indifference towards the needs of Lazarus, but it is too late for regret. His choices have played out, and now the rich man will face the consequences of his failure to use the gifts God gave him. Pursuit of God’s kingdom and care for the poor are not trifling matters. Our Lord makes this clear to us over and over in the Scriptures and the constant teachings of our 2,000-year-old Church. We are free to ignore these teachings and live instead for ourselves. But there will be tragic results for us in the end. And, because we are made for eternity, living selfishly on this earth doesn’t really bring us true happiness anyway. So how can we use our great powers for great good? By embracing stewardship way of life. By putting God first in all areas of our lives — in the way we spend our time, the ways we share our talents, the ways we give of our financial resources. Stewardship living calls us out of our comfort zone and into commitment to the Lord and the things that matter to Him. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering Even though this year is not a presidential or mid-term election, local elections are quite important, and we often don’t take them as seriously as we should. This year we have two parishioners running for office, Dan Boone is running for town council, and Bill Fountain is running for school board. To some these positions may seem insignificant, but it is at the local level that we, as Catholics, can have the greatest impact. I thought it might be helpful then to give a reminder of the duties of Catholics in political life. The Church teaches that lay Catholics bear primary responsibility for temporal affairs, including politics, as an extension of baptismal vocation (CCC 1913). Key duties include:  Forming Conscience : Study Church teachings to discern moral priorities; avoid reducing faith to single issues but prioritize intrinsic evils like abortion. Active Involvemen t: Vote informatively, run for office, join parties or advocacy groups, and dialogue with officials to apply Gospel values. Pope Francis stated, "A good Catholic meddles in politics," offering the best of oneself to help leaders govern justly. Non-Partisan Advocacy : The Church engages issues (e.g., life, family, peace) but avoids partisanship to focus on principles. Parishes can host voter education but not endorse candidates. For Public Officials : Catholic politicians must align actions with Church moral teachings; supporting grave evils like abortion risks scandal and cooperation in evil. Separation of church and state protects, rather than hinders, faith-based action in public life. Challenges and Encouragement In polarized environments, Catholics may feel disenfranchised, but the Church calls for renewed engagement to transform society incrementally toward justice. Resources like the USCCB's Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (updated periodically) guide voters on applying Catholic Social Teaching. Ultimately, political action flows from love of neighbor, proving faith through works (James 2:14–17).

From the Pastor - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • September 19, 2025
After today’s readings, we can’t say we have not been warned about the dangers of mixed-up priorities. God’s Word is so very clear today on the necessity of putting Him first in all areas of our lives. We see this in the First Reading from Amos. The Lord has harsh words for those who would take advantage of the poor and whose priorities are not aligned with God’s In the Second Reading from St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul gives us the antidote to the self-centeredness condemned in our First Reading. The antidote is to imitate Christ, “who gave Himself as a ransom for all.” Rather than thinking of Himself and how to “get ahead,” Christ gave Himself away — completely — for our sake. That is how we are to live. In our Gospel passage from Luke, the Lord shows us how to bridge the gap between worldly thinking and priorities and eternal thinking and priorities. Jesus tells the parable of the corrupt but clever steward who is about to be fired when the master discovers the steward has been squandering his property. Realizing his imminent unemployed status, the clever steward reaches out to the various debtors of his master to wheel and deal with them, making friends who would look out for him when he became jobless. What if we put that kind of effort into our own tasks as good stewards of all God’s gifts to us? Into our ministries, into the ways we could make more time for prayer as individuals, as couples, as families, and as a parish? What if we got as creative as the “bad steward” in the use of our finances so that we could give more generously to the poor and the advancement of God’s kingdom on the earth? That’s our lesson and our challenge. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025. Pastoral Pondering I am writing this in the aftermath of the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah. It was a sad day for the country, and we should certainly pray for Charlie’s family, especially his wife, Erika, and their two children. Certainly, the assassination itself was horrifying, but what the act represented was perhaps worse, the attempt to destroy respectful debate in a constitutional republic that values freedom of speech and the free exchange of ideas. I watched many of Charlie Kirk’s campus visits, and I always found him to be challenging but respectful. He intentionally wanted to listen to and dialogue with those who disagreed with him. Sadly, an assassin’s bullet silenced his efforts. From a Catholic viewpoint, debate and dialogue are not merely intellectual exercises but essential expressions of Christian charity, truth-seeking, and evangelization. The Church teaches that engaging others in conversation—especially on matters of faith, morality, or social issues—must always be rooted in love, humility, and respect for the dignity of the human person, as every individual is made in God's image (Genesis 1:27). This approach transforms potential conflict into an opportunity for mutual growth, reconciliation, and the proclamation of the Gospel. As Pope Francis emphasizes in Laudato Si', the Church encourages "honest debate" among experts while "respecting divergent views," recognizing that genuine solutions emerge from dialogue, not domination. The Church identified key reasons for this emphasis drawn from Scripture, Church teaching and tradition. 1. Rooted in Christ’s Command to Love and Speak Truth in Charity Catholic teaching holds that respectful debate reflects Jesus' model of engaging opponents with compassion, even amid disagreement. In the Gospels, Christ debates Pharisees and Sadducees not to "win" arguments but to reveal truth mercifully (e.g., Matthew 22:15-46). St. Paul echoes this in Ephesians 4:15: "Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." Harsh or condescending rhetoric, by contrast, risks sinning against charity, which the Catechism describes as the "bond of perfection" (CCC 1827). This is why Catholic apologists like those at Catholic Answers stress cultivating a "calm and friendly manner" in debates, warning against becoming "debate junkies" who prioritize controversy over spiritual health. A morbid craving for disputes, Paul warns, breeds "envy, dissension, slander" (1 Timothy 6:4-5). Respectful engagement, therefore, safeguards the debater's soul while inviting others to Christ. 2. Promotes Unity and Ecumenism in a Divided World The Church views dialogue as a path to unity, fulfilling Christ's prayer "that they may all be one" (John 17:21). In an era of polarization—whether over politics, immigration, or theology—respectful debate counters division by fostering understanding. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' president, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, recently urged promoting "the importance of dialogue [and] respect for the other" amid U.S. political tensions, linking it to the defense of human dignity from conception to natural death. Similarly, Pope John Paul II's message for the 2001 World Day of Peace calls for "dialogue between cultures" that overcomes "ethnocentric selfishness" through mutual respect, building a "civilization of love." Ecumenically, this means avoiding misrepresentations, such as falsely accusing Catholics of "worshiping" Mary or saints—instead of veneration—or dismissing Tradition outright. The Catechism (CCC 821) encourages such respectful exchanges to bridge divides, as seen in interfaith colloquia hosted by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, where Pope Francis stresses seeing the "other" not as a threat but as a "gift" for growth. 3. Essential for Evangelization and Proclaiming the Gospel Debate, when respectful, is a form of dialogue and proclamation, as outlined in the 1991 Vatican document of the same name. It allows Catholics to share the faith persuasively without coercion, respecting freedom of conscience. The Church has a long history of public disputations, from medieval scholastic debates to modern apologetics, but always under safeguards: priests may not initiate challenges, and discussions require episcopal approval to ensure reverence for sacred mysteries (Catholic Encyclopedia on Religious Discussions). In practice, this means prioritizing witness over victory. As one Catholic writer notes, debates with atheists often fail because "faith... is the belief in a thing for which there is no evidence," so the best "win" is living virtuously as a testimony to Christ. Recent examples include calls for Christians to lead "respectful debate" on issues like immigration, modeling Gospel civility in public discourse. 4. Guards Against Sin and Builds a Culture of Life Unrespectful debate erodes human dignity, a core Catholic principle. It can devolve into personal attacks, violating the Fifth Commandment's call to honor others (CCC 2262-2268). Pope Francis warns in addresses on interreligious dialogue that polarized discussions risk becoming "polemical and inconclusive" without trust and shared vision. Instead, respectful exchange upholds the "sanctity of human life," opposing atrocities and promoting harmony across religions, ethnicities, and cultures. In apologetics, this translates to avoiding condescension or assuming bad faith, as both Catholics and Protestants seek to follow Christ. Debates on topics like sin, evolution, or authority should seek common ground—e.g., natural moral law binding all—while humbly acknowledging limits.  In summary, respectful debate is vital in Catholic thought because it mirrors Christ's merciful truth-telling, advances unity, and evangelizes without compromising dignity. As Vatican teachings repeatedly affirm, it requires "respect for differences" and a commitment to our shared "common home." In a noisy world, Catholics are called to be voices of dialogue, proving the Gospel's power through love, not force. For deeper reading, explore Laudato Si' or the Catechism's sections on charity and dialogue.