Category: From the Pastor’s Desk (Page 19 of 76)

Dear Parishioners and Visitors,

While thanking our favorite two skiers who work all summer long to beautify the triangular gardens on the periphery of the church parking lot, I add a special word of thanks to Pam Holmlund for her recent contribution of reconfiguring the design of the gardens in front of the church. Pam has reclaimed all the nutrient-depleted garden soil, moved into prominence the waterfall feature, and enhanced the design of the St. Francis prayer garden (donated in fond memory of Sandy Crisp). In addition to the Astilbe, the “Hope Springs Eternal” hostas, small butterfly bushes, sedum, coneflowers and phlox, Pam has added plantings with Biblical themes:

Hyssop – a plant that symbolizes cleansing, healing, and forgiveness, used to offer wine to Jesus on the cross on Good Friday.

Carnations – associated with a mother’s love, from an early Christian legend that these flowers grew from the Blessed Mother’s tears shed while watching Jesus carry his cross.

Columbine – the tri-partite leaves are symbols of the Blessed Trinity with seven-fold flowers that symbolize the seven gifts  of the Holy Spirit.

Cedar – considered in the Book of Kings as the first of trees      (I Kings 4:33) and known to be strong and durable (Isaiah 9:10), graceful and beautiful (Ps. 80:10), high and tall (Amos 2:9), fragrant (Song of Songs 4:11), and spreading wide (Ps. 80:10).

Please say hello and thank you to our volunteer gardeners when you see them weeding, watering, and fertilizing with loving care the beauty of God’s creation in the parish gardens here in the magnificent White Mountains!

With prayerful best wishes,

Fr. John Mahoney

The Lord God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air.

Following the 10:00 A.M. Mass on Sunday, October 6, we will gather in the church parking lot for the annual blessing of pets to commemorate the Feast of St. Francis    of Assisi, which is October 4.

Psalm 147:9 tells us that God is concerned for all His creation, including the animals He created.  We can take from Scripture that if   God takes care of animals, then so should we. Many parents introduce a pet into their home to teach their children responsibility and other positive qualities, such as unconditional love, forgiveness, and steady companionship. That’s why pets are taken to hospitals and nursing homes to interact with people in need. They help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.  We can learn an incredible deal from animals.

Good St. Francis, patron of animals, you loved all of God’s creatures. To you they were your brothers and sisters. Help us to follow your example of treating every living thing with kindness. Watch over our pets. Keep them – and their human companions – safe, healthy, and always in God’s loving care.

With prayerful best wishes,
Fr. John Mahoney

Dear Parishioners and Visitors:

Christ’s Kingdom is spiritual, not political. But this doesn’t mean that Christ’s followers have nothing to say about politics. This is a common misunderstanding in today’s society. We hear a lot of talk about the separation between Church and state. But that phrase can be taken in two different ways.

In the first place, it can mean that the government of a country doesn’t try to run the Church, and that, in turn, the Church doesn’t try to run the government. That’s the right way to understand separation of Church and state. But there is also a wrong way to understand it. The wrong viewpoint says that religion is just a social organization, and so, the Church has nothing to contribute to the public life of a community or a country.

But in fact, there is one area of life where faith and politics do overlap – on issues of moral principles. Governments, to do their job well and make just laws, must respect the natural moral law – the Ten Commandments is a good example   of this. Natural moral law is built into human nature. It exists prior to politics and provides healthy parameters for political activity, just like the laws of physics existed prior to the invention of satellites and provided the parameters for space travel. Governments need clear knowledge of the natural moral law to do their job as much as engineers need clear knowledge of natural physical laws to do theirs.

God has made the Church a sure teacher and guide on questions of natural moral law. As Catholics, then, we have a lot to contribute to the discussion of public affairs. It is up to us to be the conscience of our nation. As followers of Christ, we should ask God to grant us the grace of not only allowing His spiritual Kingdom to spread into our hearts, but also to give us the wisdom and courage to be His messengers to the world around us, which is in significant need of moral guidance these days.

 With prayerful best wishes,

 Fr. John Mahoney

Dear Parishioners and Visitors:

He was in Scotland afore ye!  For nearly 1,000 years Saint Andrew, the “first called” of the apostles, has been Scotland’s patron saint, and the Saltire or “Saint Andrew’s Cross,” an X-shaped cross on which Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred, is represented on the nation’s flag.

A hearty welcome to St. Joseph’s Church to all who are visiting Lincoln for the  annual gathering of the clans. 

Go mbeannai Dia Duit!

 With prayerful best wishes,

 Fr. John Mahoney

Dear Parishioners and Visitors:

To be a catechist is to be of service to the Lord and to one another through the ministry of handing on the faith through witness, word, and example.  In many ways, it is a humbling ministry, for none of us is perfect nor knows all there is to know about our faith.  Yet in our imperfection, God calls us to “make disciples of all nations … teaching them to observe all I have commanded you.” Mt. 28:19-20  

      As a parish community, we should be   eternally grateful to our Faith Formation teachers as they exercise their ministry here in St. Joseph’s faith community.  Paula King and Kathleen McDermott not only lead our catechetical program, but they do so effectively because they live their faith every day, bearing witness to the Gospel message in word and action.  As such – and in conjunction with their weekly classroom instruction – their students learn Christian values and spirituality and incorporate them into their daily lives.

      As we observe Catechetical Sunday this weekend, please join me in thanking our Faith Formation teachers for their faith-filled dedication to pass on the message of the Gospel and the teachings of the Catholic Church to our fine young students who achieve so much under their tutelage and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

With prayerful best wishes,

Fr. John Mahoney