Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessings You bestow on children, their families, and their teachers as they begin a new school year.

Amidst Decline Elsewhere, Some Catholic Parishes Thriving

"Being in the middle of the Bible belt means Christian churches of all denominations can be found on every corner of the city or on the outskirts of the rural county.

"However, only two Catholic churches operate in Hall County: St. Michael Catholic Church in Gainesville and Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Flowery Branch. And both churches appear to be bucking a national trend.

"In 2007, 23.9 percent of Americans identified as Catholic, according to a nationwide survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. By 2014, that share had fallen to 20.8 percent.

"Those figures do not ring true for the two Catholic churches. According to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, the number of Catholics in the Gainesville area is estimated at 29,000. And it is increasing, said Jenny Miles, who works in planning and research at the Archdiocese of Atlanta."

A recent article in The Times of Gainesville, GA, reported on the community outreach of parishes in Georgia and Connecticut and the fruit of this outreach.

To access the complete report, please visit:

The Times: Catholic churches battle drop in attendance but Gainesville churches increase numbers (27 AUG 16)

Background information:

Archdiocese of Atlanta (GA)

Diocese of Bridgeport (CT)

Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Flowery Branch, GA

Saint Michael Catholic Church, Gainesville, GA

Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist, Stamford, CT

Thank you, Deacon Greg Kandra, for the tip!

Reflection Starter from St. Augustine

"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." - Saint Augustine of Hippo, whose memory the Church celebrates on 28 August

"There's a Wideness in God's Mercy"

As our Sunday celebration continues, I offer this version of "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy":

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. The assigned readings are Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24; and Luke 14:1, 7-14. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 68 (Psalm 68:4-7, 10-11). 

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 68 "Hope and Assurance from a Faithful God"

The Gospel reading is as follows:

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, 'Give your place to this man,' and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Then he said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Reflections on these readings:

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Sundays Salesian: Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (August 28, 2016)

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Salesian Sunday Reflection: Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (August 28, 2016)

Community in Mission: You Have to Serve Before You Sit - A Homily for the 22nd Sunday of the Year (27 AUG 16)

Aleteia: Deacon Greg Kandra: 'Come, be my light': Homily for 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 AUG 16) 

The Sacred Page: Guess Who's Coming for Dinner? 22nd Sunday in OT (24 AUG 16)

The Sacred Page: The Wedding Banquet & the Resurrection of the Righteous: Mass Readings Explained (The 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time) (24 AUG 16)

Word on Fire: Humility, Queen of the Virtues (Cycle C * Ordinary Time * Week 22)

Catholic World Report: The Dispatch: Feasting with Humility (27 AUG 16)

Spirituality of the Readings: Let Love Live (22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

Let the Scriptures Speak: Who Is Your Patron? (22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

The Word Engaged: Reversals of Fortune (22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

Historical Cultural Context: Table Manners (22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

Thoughts from the Early Church: Commentary by Bruno of Segni (22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

Word to Life Radio Broadcast: Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 AUG 16)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for Your Mercy.

Msgr. Pope on Catholic Teachings on the End Times

". . . The Catholic approach to the end times is different from that in certain (but not all) Protestant circles, especially the Evangelicals, who have a strong and often vivid preoccupation with signs of the Second Coming of Christ. Many of the notions that are expressed there are either erroneous or extreme. Some of these notions are rooted in a misunderstanding of the various genres of Scripture; others are caused by reading certain Scriptures in isolation from the wider context of the whole of Scripture; and some are rooted in reading one text while disregarding others that balance it.

"The Catholic approach to eschatology is perhaps less thrilling and provocative. It does not generate movie series like 'Left Behind' or cause people to sell their houses and gather on hillsides waiting for the announced end. It is more methodical and seeks to balance a lot of notions that often hold certain truths in tension with one another. . . .

"While we cannot know the exact time of His coming, there are things that both remind us of and signal His approach - if we have eyes to see them. These signs give indications only. The presence of such texts cannot be seen to overrule that He will come 'on a sudden' and that many will be caught unawares."

In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on the Catholic view of the end times and on the need for, on our part, "humility, prayerful vigilance, readiness through obedience and the gift of holiness, along with an eager, longing heart for the Kingdom in all its glory."

To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:

Community in Mission: Essential Catholic Teachings on the End Times (22 AUG 16)

Reflection Starter from Pope Francis

"An easy prayer to say every day: 'Lord, I am a sinner: come with your mercy'." - Pope Francis

U.S. Marine Band: "The Typewriter"

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of the United States Marine Band (with typewriter soloist Kenny Wolin) presenting Leroy Anderson's "The Typewriter" (also known as "The Typewriter Song"):

Thank you, Lord

Thank you, Lord, that, as sung in Psalm 33, Your eyes are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for Your kindness.

Joseph Pronechen on a Pilgrimage Site in a Pennsylvania Ghost Town

"Imagine a once-thriving town with seven churches, businesses, schools, and working families - now with less than 10 residents. Imagine all but a handful of those homes and building once alive but now mostly razed. Imagine only one beautiful structure left. The only one that remains fully alive and thriving in the ghost town.

"Imagine no more because the municipality is Centralia, Penn., and the only one, thriving edifice is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church. So flourishing, in fact, that it has been designated a holy pilgrimage site and was chosen to have a Holy Door of Mercy in the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia for the Jubilee Year of Mercy."

In a recent commentary, National Catholic Register staff writer Joseph Pronechen recently reflected Centralia's transition from a thriving town to a ghost town and on why the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church is thriving.

To access Mr. Pronechen's complete post, please visit:

National Catholic Register: Blogs: Joseph Pronechen: The Strange Case of the Pilgrimage Site in a Pennsylvania Ghost Town (28 AUG 16)

Reflection Starter from St. Monica

"Nothing is far from God." - Saint Monica (whose memory the Church celebrates today, 27 August)