Pastor's Notes

Years ago, I had a tough conversation with someone about personal appearance at Mass. It seems that the Sunday prior, someone next to her in the pew called her out because of her choice of clothing. Validation was what she was seeking regarding the correction she obviously resented. However, a glance at her wardrobe choice at that moment left me with a clear understanding of the reason for the unpleasant interaction. Without getting into the specifics, let’s just say nothing was left to the imagination in her attire that day. Her choices left me hurting a bit for her, as they spoke loudly to me about the fact that she was convinced that she had little to share with others outside of her sexuality and her body. It was so untrue.

The modesty police, I am not. As a priest, the last thing I want to be doing is make judgments about what is appropriate to wear to Mass and what is not. Instinctively, it seems, when we consider the topic of modesty in the Church, people exclusively think about what women wear and not men. This is patently unfair and not at all true. Excessively tight, revealing outfits and clothing containing vulgar or suggestive language are seen with frequency on both men and women in our worship space.

Put simply, when we dress for Holy Mass this summer, we owe it to the person who sits to the right and left of us to not be a distraction by how we dress, particularly as the temperature climbs in the summer months. This year will be even more challenging for us as we may face air conditioning issues during the renovation. The good news is we will have something to offer up!

There is a sense today that how a person reacts to our clothing choices is their problem, not ours. But as Christians, what do we owe others? Is it fair to be a near occasion of sin by our fashion choices? When we worship the Lord together as a community, should we instead be authentic witnesses of respect and virtue?

The Catechism includes two profound paragraphs about modesty. Lacking specifics about short shorts or crop tops, it takes a step back to reflect on modesty and its purpose. It might be worth discussing these paragraphs as a family. I have discovered in marriage preparation that parents shy away from these types of discussions to the detriment of their children. Despite our freedom from puritan conventions, we simply do not want to or are afraid to talk about all things sexual.

“Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity." (2521)

"Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another be fulfilled. Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet.” (2522).

As a rule of thumb, tight and revealing clothes are not appropriate for Mass. It does not show charity for others. And it does not express the dignity that is to be shown to Jesus in his Eucharistic presence. God is calling us to something better!

-Fr. Richard

I have about 20 weddings between now and Thanksgiving! I am so excited for these mostly young people. It is an honor to get to know them as I meet with them in marriage preparation.

Marriage preparation is important. Statistics show that going through a process increases marital success, and I can see why. Marriage preparation includes meeting with a sponsor couple, doing an afternoon of reflection, and a compatibility test that brings all sorts of issues to the surface that can be stumbling blocks in marriage.

I will never forget my first marriage preparation couple. While reviewing the test, we came across a simple question, “I am open to children in my marriage.” He said yes. She said no. I remember that he looked at her and said, “Wait, I thought you just didn’t want children now.” My heart sank. A tough conversation followed about something that was decided but was not.

When the Catholic Church teaches that marriage between two baptized persons is a sacrament, we are saying that the couple’s relationship expresses in a unique way the unbreakable bond of love between Christ and his people. Like the other sacraments of the Church, marriage is a sign or symbol which reveals the Lord Jesus and through which his divine life and love are communicated.

You might remember from Catholic school or religious education that all seven sacraments were instituted by Christ and were entrusted to the Church to be celebrated in faith within and for the community of believers. The rituals and prayers by which a sacrament is celebrated serve to express visibly what God is doing invisibly.

In a sacramental marriage, God’s love is supposed to become present to the spouses in their total union and also flow through them to their family and community. That is hard work! By their permanent, faithful, and exclusive giving to each other, symbolized in sexual intercourse, the couple reveals something of God’s unconditional love for his people making what we call 'the marital act' sacred. It is not at all what we see in the porn culture around us!

The sacrament of Christian marriage involves a couple’s entire life as they journey together through the ups and downs of marriage and become more able to give to and receive from each other. Their life becomes sacramental to the extent that the couple cooperates with God’s action in their life and sees themselves as living “in Christ” and Christ living and acting in their relationship, attitudes, and actions.

But couples aren’t on their own. Catholic teaching holds that sacraments bring grace to those who receive them with the proper disposition. Grace is a way of describing how God shares the divine life with us and gives us the help we need to live as followers of Christ. In marriage, the grace of this sacrament brings to the spouses the particular help they need to be faithful to each other and to be good parents. It also helps a couple to serve others beyond their immediate family and to show the community that a loving and lasting marriage is both desirable and possible!

If you are discerning sacramental marriage, let us help you. Call the office and speak to Marian Copley, and she will direct you to one of our priests or Deacon Paul. Also, if you were not sacramentally married (that is, you were married civilly), allow us to help you sacramentalize your bond of marriage. Certainly today, married couples need all the help they can get, most especially God’s grace!

-Fr. Richard

Creating a pastor’s column for Mother’s Day can be tricky. This is because as a pastor and priest, I rejoice with some moms, grieve with others, and ache for those who long to be mothers but for whatever reason are not. The last thing one wants to do is exclude anyone on this day.

I came across an article by a writer named Amy Young, a section of which I would like to share today with a few edits of my own. It is a litany about motherhood, if you will, and as I read it, I see so many faces of women in our pews leading me to pray for them as I read through each strophe. It would be a good exercise today to ponder this list yourselves and pray for people in your own life.

• To those who gave birth this year—we celebrate with you!
• To those who lost a child this year–we mourn with you.
• To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains–we appreciate you!
• To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, or failed adoptions—we share your frustration.
• To those who walk the hard path of infertility– we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.
• To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you!
• To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you!
• To those who have experienced disappointment, heartache, or distance from your children–we pray for you.
• To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you.
• To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your mother – we acknowledge your experience and pray for your healing.
• To those who lived through the testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst.
• To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be as yet.
• To those who placed children up for adoption — we commend you for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart.
• To those who suffered a wrong decision to terminate a pregnancy in an altered value system. We support you and remind you that you are not alone.
• And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you!

I love this litany. It seems to speak to just about everything I see at our parish. I wish all of you a happy Mother’s Day. Mothering is not for the faint of heart, and we have real warriors in our midst. I pray for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary today. May she walk with you as you live out your maternal calling however God wills it!

-Fr. Richard

One day when I was in kindergarten, my family went to a Catholic bookstore, and my mother bought a chalk statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that would find a home in the bedroom I shared with my two brothers. It was a risky purchase as we were known for endless energy and all sorts of roughhousing. But it stayed intact with only a few chips here and there. I wonder if my mom prayed to the Blessed Mary for the protection of her statue!

We also got prayer books, rosaries, and candles. It was strange to us because it was the only place where my mom didn’t count pennies. We could get whatever we wanted. I bought a huge rosary that day that glowed in the dark (which tells you where my mind was).

I would like to think that this began during the month of May, but that is lost to my poor memory. Nevertheless, in the days that followed, we set up a shrine, complete with candles, plastic 1970s flowers, and the statue. It was a big deal.

It was then that my mother introduced the family Rosary to us. She was a smart lady, setting up an endurance test for the boys. “We’ll see if you can kneel and pray through a whole Rosary. Probably not because you’re too little,” she said rather dismissively. Hence, the Rosary endurance challenge commenced.

Before bed, she lit the candles and we all knelt on the red rug in the middle of our room. It was the same rug that to a little boy that loved matchbox cars had a pattern that mimicked busy city streets and served as the first of many distractions against which I have battled over the years. Was our recitation of the Rosary a mountaintop prayer experience for a 5-year-old boy? Hardly. But to quote one of my favorite prayers, “I believe that my desire to please God certainly pleased him.”

Eventually, our family Rosary made its way off the red carpet and into the family suburban. My mother had it timed perfectly. When we crossed over State Road 38 on 150 West, we also crossed ourselves and started the Apostle’s Creed. We would conclude as we pulled up to the school. I’m certain that our Blessed Mother has played a role in the faith lives of me and my siblings, and we owe that to our mother.

The month of May is referred to as the month of Mary, in honor of our Blessed Mother. Catholics all over the world offer fervent prayers or veneration to the Mother of God. In an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI, we are told that during this month, “the benefits of God’s mercy come down to us from Mary’s throne in greater abundance.” So this is a special month that will aid us in overcoming obstacles and receiving strength amid our current trials.

It is good to remind ourselves that the Rosary is a Scripturally based prayer. It begins with the Apostles' Creed, which summarizes the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. The Our Father, which introduces each mystery, is from the Gospels. The first part of the Hail Mary is the angel's words announcing Christ's birth and Elizabeth's greeting to Mary. The Mysteries of the Rosary focus us on the events of Christ's life. There are four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and––added by Saint John Paul II in 2002––the Luminous. These mysteries mostly recount the scriptural story of Jesus Christ.

If you have never prayed the Rosary, thanks to the internet there are dozens of “how-to” videos that can guide you! If you have questions, ask one of our priests or sisters. We all pray the Rosary daily! Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, pray for us!

-Fr. Richard

…have mercy on us and on the whole world

This weekend on the second Sunday of Easter, we join in prayer for the celebration of Divine Mercy. This relatively new feast follows the revelation of Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska primarily in the 1930s. I invite you to our yearly holy hour starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the Church. Please note the time change as this holy hour which previously was at 3 p.m. It must end promptly at 3 p.m. for the beginning of the Spanish Mass. 

One of the most beautiful parts of the revelation to St. Faustina is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy which was set beautifully to music by our own parish musician Kayser Swidan. If you have never prayed the Chaplet, a rosary is used and the primary prayer is, “For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

What a profound statement of hope in our modern-day. Pope John Paul II believed that mercy was synonymous with love. He once wrote that “There is nothing more man needs than Divine Mercy - that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights to the holiness of God.”

But with all of our sophistication in the modern world, we still have not found peace. War wages in Ukraine and many fear that it could spread to other parts of Europe. The dreaded phrases "World War III" and "nuclear war" are used regularly to describe the potential evil in the modern-day.

Could it be that this threat of war is because we have not fully embraced the merits and mercy of our Lord’s passion and death? This is why we must evangelize to the lost in our world today. The message of God’s mercy has been articulated skillfully in the context of the war in Ukraine by the citizens of Poland. It is not ironic or surprising to me that many have been spared of the bloodshed that has occurred in Ukraine by the spiritual descendants of the Pole St. Faustina herself. 

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy was promoted across the Church coinciding largely with St. Faustina’s canonization in the year 2000. Through no credit of my own, I learned to pray the Chaplet back in the 1970s thanks to my great Aunt Lena, my grandmother’s sister. It appealed to me as a child as the prayers were simple and repetitive. 

St. Faustina was given the prayers that make up the Divine Mercy Chaplet just six months after Adolf Hitler violated the Versailles Treaty by announcing the rearmament of Germany. Four years later, Hitler invaded Poland, triggering a Second World War. These prayers demonstrate that God never abandoned us and most assuredly desires peace and goodwill between nations and people that are built on justice. God remains close to us and deeply desires to convert and save us. 

The Divine Mercy Chaplet, along with countless other devotions such as the Most Holy Rosary, provide us with beautiful supplements to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the most powerful prayer the Church can offer.

So come pray for us and for peace.

- Fr. Richard

I feel exceedingly blessed to pray with so many of you this weekend as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! To those who may join us only occasionally on big feasts, and to those who are with us who are searching for a religious/spiritual connection, we offer a warm welcome to you also. We hope our celebration of the Lord’s resurrection will touch your heart with God’s incredible love for you. For He is risen. He is risen indeed!

I often share this Easter greeting, and I know that many of you do as well, in multiple languages I might add! This Easter greeting reminds me of a story of a courageous Christian man in the former Soviet Union. One of the most powerful men in the world in the 1930s was a man named Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin, a Russian Communist. I read an article about him a few weeks ago that comes to mind today.

Bukharin once addressed an assembly of workers in Kyiv on the subject of atheism. He aimed his most powerful criticisms against Christianity, hurling insults and propaganda against it. His speech lasted an hour, and he verbally crucified the Christian faith and Jesus’ disciples that were in the room. When he finished, Bukharin looked out smugly to see the reaction of the proletariat. He was certain that they would be with him, and he expected thunderous applause. But the reaction was silence. He encouraged questions and comments, but the crowd was hushed.

Suddenly, a worker stood up and approached the platform. When he arrived in front of the microphone, he paused and surveyed the crowd, probably weighing the costs of what he was about to say. Finally, he shouted the ancient Easter greeting: “CHRIST IS RISEN!” And en masse, the crowd rose to its feet and responded, “He is risen indeed!”

Of course, we have no idea what the consequence was for this brave soul and those who responded in faith. Perhaps when the worker approached the platform, he remembered the many times that Jesus commanded us to not be afraid! Clearly, he trusted in Divine Providence. In the oppression of the Soviet Union, he had the courage of the martyrs like the early Christians who bravely professed faith in the Risen Lord to their deaths. Their bravery inspires me still today.

Pope John Paul II once said, “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” This might seem Pollyanna until we ponder the trauma that the Holy Father endured for his faith under the Nazi and communist oppression.

I am thankful for our constitutionally guaranteed religious liberty that allows us to give witness to Jesus Christ! But as we know, this right is not one that we should take for granted. Nor should we shy away from bravery professing our faith and inviting others to do the same.

During the Easter Season, we will hear the exciting stories of the Risen Lord that paved the way for such extraordinary faith. Another example is the witness of St. Faustina, the first saint of the new millennium in 2000. Among other things, she received the Divine Mercy Chaplet from Jesus Himself. Just a reminder: Next Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, we will gather to pray a holy hour asking for Divine Mercy in our own day. BUT different from previous years, we will gather at 2 p.m. instead of 3 p.m. due to the time change in the Spanish Mass. I hope to see you there!

-Fr. Richard

“Each of us has been loved by Jesus 'to the end,' that is, to the complete gift of himself on the Cross, when he cried: 'It is finished!' (Jn 19:30). Let us allow ourselves to be touched by this love, let us allow ourselves to be transformed, so that the resurrection may truly take place in us.” - Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus

In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a young donkey on what we know as Palm Sunday, to the cheers and praise of onlookers who threw clothes and palms branches in front of him. It was a sign of homage, a customary practice for people of great respect. Palm branches are a widely recognized symbol of peace and victory, hence their use on Palm Sunday.

The use of a donkey instead of a horse is highly symbolic. It represents the humble arrival of someone in peace, as opposed to arriving on a horse in war. Most of those who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem were pilgrims themselves, out of towners who were enamored by the itinerant preacher from Nazareth who took to task those in powerful high places and championed the poor. He also made claims that rocked the establishment to its core, including being equal to the Father and the predictions of his death and Resurrection. "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."

Of course, the horror of Good Friday was preceded by Holy Thursday, where Jesus instituted the Most Holy Eucharist and the priesthood of Jesus – men who have been called to serve at the altar in persona Christi for two millennia. I would love our church to be full Thursday night for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7 p.m.

Holy Thursday is a day to pray for priests. I always make it a point to pray for the priest who baptized me, heard my confessions, gave me my first Holy Communion, and offered Mass for me and my family. I also pray on Holy Thursday for our seminarians and an increase in worthy priestly vocations to serve the people of God.

How quickly the crowd turns on Jesus on Good Friday! Of course, Good Friday is an oxymoron. From a human perspective, nothing seems very “good” about it. But Christ’s traumatic and violent sacrifice on Calvary affords us hope, redemption, salvation, and the hope of eternity with God.

It is our duty as disciples to walk with the Lord on Good Friday, as our liturgies re-present the great mysteries of our faith. Our priests and liturgical ministers commit to two three-hour periods of prayer from noon - 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. called the Tre Ore, or Three Hours, recalling Jesus’ agony on the Cross. Some parents shy away from such a commitment, citing the short attention spans of the children, but let me assure you: with proper parental catechesis, you might be surprised! I was awed by Holy Week from an early age.

Of course, I encourage you to pray for the elect, previously called catechumens and candidates, who have longed for the Easter sacraments for many months. This year we welcome 51 new Catholics at the Easter Vigil! I am elated, thrilled, and honored to receive these wonderful people into Christ’s Church! The Easter Vigil begins at 9 p.m. on Holy Saturday, followed by a slew of Easter Sunday Masses in two locations to serve you!

It will be a long journey to the empty tomb this week. Let us journey together toward Easter joy!

- Fr. Richard

On occasion, I talk to a young man who plays a college sport. It’s been a dreadful year for him. From time to time he gives me updates about his team’s progress. Clearly, I have discovered that college sports are not for sissies. It is hard work!

At the beginning of the season, this young athlete reported that he and his teammates were in tremendous shape. He was sure it would lead them to a successful season after a lot of hard work. I was excited for him. But then came multiple reports of losses, one after another. I was confused by the sour results. In time, I discovered that there was a crisis of leadership on the team, most especially the coach who is famous for tongue-lashing rebukes after each game. There seems to be little time or effort spent to encourage any achievement, and the team has sunken into near despair. No wonder they are losing.

This young man’s experience made me think of how important encouragement is.

First and foremost, it’s a scriptural mandate. St. Paul exhorts us in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to encourage one another and build one another up in the Lord. And in Hebrews 3:13 we read, “Encourage each other daily while it is still today.”

Several years ago, I decided to take these scriptural passages seriously. I encounter people in our culture today who are so beaten down and in dire need of encouragement and for someone to simply believe in them. And as we know, there is always something positive to say to someone, no matter the circumstance.

Our culture thrives on negativity and tearing people down, so much so that some are suspicious of encouragement. For example, when someone returns to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I probably go overboard, but I can’t help it! They come to the confessional rather sheepishly, expecting to be beaten down for their delinquency, and are shocked that I use it as a moment to encourage. I tell them what an honor it is to pray with and absolve them after so many years and how God is so pleased about their return! And then, when I tell them to schedule two more confessions by the end of the year, they are truly excited.

Over the course of my ministry, a handwritten note has been a game-changer for someone in need. Likewise, a quick text to tell someone that you noticed a virtuous act can leave a person feeling blessed and hopeful. A pat on the back for a job well done can be a game-changer. And in the end, when we have to fraternally correct someone, it certainly is easier for them to receive constructive criticism when it is preceded by encouragement.

It might be a great Lenten task to commit to encouragement, one person at a time. Sometimes that encouragement is a matter of life or death when a person is falling into despair. One never knows when.

By the time you read this, the citizens of our city will be beginning their mass exodus heading south for spring break. Although I am not going anywhere, it is certainly nice to take a break before the final push toward Holy Week and Easter. Whether you are staying or going, have a blessed week!

-Fr. Richard

Ministry to the Sick and the Homebound

We are a Eucharistic people. Jesus’ Eucharistic presence is, as the Second Vatican Council Church stated, the source and summit of our lives. It is the tie that binds us as members of the Body of Christ.

I witnessed this belief over and over during the pandemic quarantine when so many were visibly suffering without reception of Holy Communion. The tears that I witnessed when our parishioners were finally able to receive again reaffirmed all stalwart belief in Jesus’ Eucharistic presence as your source and summit.

When someone is ill, it is our desire to bring Christ’s Eucharistic presence to those who are suffering. This is nothing new. Dating back to St. Justin Martyr’s account of the worship of early Christians in 155 A.D., he chronicled that deacons brought Communion to those who were absent. Imagine being part of a ministry that began 1,800 years ago!

We are blessed to have an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (EMHC) team that has answered the call to bring Communion to the sick. Headed by Ray and Gachia Hoefer, we met recently and thought it would be good to raise awareness about this ministry.

Who can benefit from this ministry? Anyone who cannot come to Mass because of sickness should alert our Parish Office so that we can arrange for Communion to be brought. This includes those who are homebound, recovering after surgery, battling a chronic illness or disease, and those who are in hospice care. If I am describing your current condition or someone in your family or a friend, I encourage you to take the initiative.

For a large parish, we seem to get few requests for Communion visits for the sick and homebound. Please do not consider it an inconvenience to request an EMHC to bring Communion to your home. They consider it an honor to serve you. And God’s grace pours out on both the person receiving and the EMHC! If you are in need call Gachia Hoefer at 317.966.7367 or the Parish Office at 317.846.3475. The EMHC assigned to you will contact you and set up a time that is convenient for you.

Our EMHCs also visit skilled nursing/long-term care facilities in Carmel at least once a week. It is a gift to pray with the residents. Our team of EMHCs reports that it is hard to describe the joy on the residents’ faces when they receive the Eucharist. If you are unsure that your loved one is receiving Communion at a facility, call Gachia to confirm.

In addition, we have EMHCs who take Communion to IU North Hospital daily. If you or someone you know is in the hospital, please call the welcome desk or tell a staff member that you are Catholic and would like to receive the Eucharist. IU North prepares a daily list of Catholic patients. Ascension/St. Vincent is planning to resume the distribution of Holy Communion post-COVID-19 after May 1. If you are hospitalized then, just contact the pastoral care office and they have volunteers who will also bring you Communion.

Finally, if you would like to serve as an EMHC at Mass or for the sick, training for EMHCs is currently taking place. The final training session is on March 29 at 7 p.m. If that date does not work, call the Parish Office. I urge you to prayerfully consider if God is calling you to this ministry!

-Fr. Richard

It has been a challenging week at Our Lady of Mount Carmel with news of Fr. De Oreo’s suspension. It has pained me greatly. I have tried to be silent and pray this week, mostly for my beloved parish family.

One of the most powerful spiritual experiences of my adult life happened during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. At night, we went to the Garden of the Gethsemene to pray a Eucharistic Holy Hour at the church there. Built in 1924 on the traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane, the Basilica of the Agony enshrines a section of bedrock identified as the place where Jesus prayed alone in the garden on the night of his arrest.

The night was cool and the wind whipped up sand in our faces as we made our way through a grove of olive trees in the garden just as Jesus did. The trees are hundreds of years old, and a tangled mess of branches that somehow produces fruit. I remember pondering that those trees were a great image for the Church: ancient and messy but also beautifully productive.

I was overcome with emotion as I prayed that night. How often did Jesus experience betrayal, disappointment, frustration, anger, and sadness in his lifetime? How many times did the human family fail him? Yet, he remains faithful to us after the many years of human failure.

Scripture tells us that when Jesus agonized in the garden, an angel came from heaven to strengthen him. During his agony as he prayed, "His sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down upon the ground." At the conclusion of the narrative, Jesus accepted that the hour had come for him to be betrayed—in that very spot where we prayed! Sometimes we need an angel from heaven to come and strengthen us, too, because the road of life can be difficult. I asked for an angel this week as God has asked us to carry the cross, a sure sign of Christian faith.

During Lent, we fast in order to empty ourselves so that Jesus can fill us with grace at Easter. But sometimes fasting isn’t necessary to empty us because life has a way of doing it for us. But I still believe that as long as we remain faithful, God promises to fill us up again. We must have faith and perseverance. As St. Peter pondered in John 6, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Because of my affection for the people of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, I want to insulate you from as much hardship and pain as I can. I want our parish to be a perfect respite. But the reality is that would not be a true community. Every earthly community faces hardship, difficulty as a means to growth and often redemption.

Jesus can heal us. There is a spiritual song that comes to mind that is often sung during Holy Week that describes the tenderness of Jesus. It goes, “There is a balm in Gilead, to make the wounded whole. There is a balm in Gilead, to heal the sin-sick soul. Sometimes I feel discouraged and deep I feel the pain. In prayers the Holy Spirit revives my soul again!”

Over the years, I have discovered that suffering serves to renew my fidelity to Jesus and the Church that he left us. For my part, I reassert my promise to be like Simon of Cyrene in this parish community. Simon, of course, helped Jesus carry his cross. I have been praying for our beloved parish as we suffer and long for resurrection. In the meantime, my door is open to anyone who is suffering. As there is only one of me and 16,000 of you, I ask for your patience.

-Fr. Richard

I am an admitted news junkie. It all started in 7th grade when my teacher mesmerized me, particularly when speaking about the Soviet Union. In the middle of the Cold War, it was the first time I heard the ominous phrase “The Iron Curtain.”

When I was in college, I had the opportunity to visit the Soviet Union as a Purdue student. A beautiful, albeit run-down, Leningrad was one stop of many in a three-week trip. I remember that my patriotic American parents were none too pleased.

The trip did help me understand that the Soviet Union was a third-world country with a first-world military in the 1980s with what seemed a huge inferiority complex based on fear of the outside world. While in the Scandinavian countries, we saw the most modern farming equipment that was replaced by hoes and shovels handled by elderly Russians once we crossed the border.

The suppression of religious freedom was palpable throughout Leningrad. I remember a member of our group bantering angrily with our communist tour guide as to the whereabouts of 500 nuns who vanished from their monastery, presumably coming to the side of the revolution. “They were martyred, weren’t they?” he insisted. We visited their monastery chapel that was stripped of anything religious and made into a “tribute to workers.” Disgusted, our visit was short. I also remember our tour guide debating the greater merit of Soviet communism as she begged for simple items like chewing gum and toiletries.

It is hard to ease the grip of decades-old persecution and corruption in a country that is as complicated as Russia. It did not surprise many when, on February 24, the world watched in horror as Russia launched airstrikes and began shelling Ukraine. The death toll is in the thousands and mounting. Meanwhile, millions of Ukrainians are trying to get out of harm’s way, fleeing into neighboring European countries, and millions more will most assuredly become refugees.

This is hardly the news we wanted post-COVID-19. We have simply switched from one international crisis to another, 24-hour news cycles at a time. I worry about our people who are fatigued by it all and can’t get away from the constant barrage of dire reporting. After all, the hope of faith, seldom if ever, factors into the reporting. My advice? An hour a day and no more! Then pray!

Pope Francis’s response to the war in Ukraine was strong and swift. At a Wednesday audience, he condemned those who wage war as they “rely on the diabolical and perverse logic of weapons, which is the furthest thing from God’s will, and distances himself from the ordinary people who want peace.” In every conflict, “the ordinary people are the real victims” and they “pay for the folly of war with their own skin."

One of the most frustrating things about an international conflict is that we often want to personally get in the middle of such a crisis and make some difference. But most often, there isn’t a path for it. It can be emotionally and psychologically draining. What can we do?

We can certainly pray. We talked about some formal prayer opportunities, but really, our adoration chapel is open 24 hours a day, and our 6:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. Masses can be attended, as well. What could be better? Our youth group also sponsors a holy hour every Saturday night at 8 p.m. in the church where you can pray for Ukraine.

We received information from the diocese about how to support the Ukrainian people financially if you feel called to do so. Of course, as it does every year, our Ash Wednesday collection is tithed to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, a portion of which will be shared with the Church in Ukraine. You may also make a donation through Catholic Relief Services Ukraine (CRS) at https://support.crs.org/donate/donate-ukraine.

From a pastoral perspective, I have been referring to the Principle of Subsidiarity to those who are stressed and worried about the unfolding events in Ukraine. The principle states that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest, or least centralized competent authority. To me anyway, following this principle, it seems that “All politics are local.” I have always believed that after prayer and financial support, when evil is perpetrated across the globe that we can do nothing about, most of our responses should be local, making a difference in our own communities where we can actually affect change. Then we pray fervently for a ripple effect throughout the world. Wringing our hands will not change a thing.

-Fr. Richard