This coming Monday, then, should be a solemn act of gratitude: a moment for each of us to resolve that no life surrendered in duty will be forgotten.

In the Ascension, the glory of the Resurrection is taken into heaven itself.

Today we pause to reflect on the gift of motherhood and give thanks for all the women who show us what true invincibility means: steadfast in the fight, unbroken in spirit, and relentless in devotion.

Love, in turn, is not an abstract responsibility but a concrete commission; we fulfill it most significantly by ministering to each other and the larger community.

Our Father/Daughter dance is more than just a charming tradition; it’s a formative encounter that reinforces the centrality of family and the beauty of rightly-ordered love.

Having gathered us to himself through the undimmable light of Christ, God is now sending us out to his beloved world powered by that same source.

Tomorrow, many of our 8th graders will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Often the least understood and most under-appreciated of the Sacraments,

[W]e need not long to be people in high places, for we belong to the person in the highest place of all, and he has loved us into life beyond death.

We were created by charity, for charity. When we separate ourselves from love - that is, when we distance ourselves from God - we cut ourselves off from the source of meaning, mercy, and joy.

It’s a great time to finally let go of doubt and fear, and to place our complete trust in God so that we, like our Blessed Mother, may say with full conviction and joy: “May it be done to me according to your word.”

The Church does not canonize people because they were flawless, but because they were undaunted.

OCIA can be likened to the friendly neighbor who - just a few steps ahead of you as you both hurry out of a thunderstorm and into the cheery church - holds the door open for you.

Joseph had the courage of a lion when safeguarding Mary and Jesus, yet lived with all the meekness of a lamb in his daily life.

Contrary to the common understanding of the word, a retreat is not an escape or a surrender. Rather, it’s a deliberate return to First Things.

That said, we as Christians understand that no person, party, or political (or entertainment) platform is supreme. Our deepest allegiance is to Jesus.

Sometimes the most courageous thing we can do is simply reach out.

It is a reminder that holiness is forged in the ordinary, and that redemption is always possible, even (especially?) in the most familiar places.

Thanks to a latticework of partnerships and the excellent efforts of countless laborers, the soil of OLMC and LGA is abundantly fertile: a place where roots grow deep and children’s lives start to blossom into the dreams God has for each and every one of them.

As we dedicate this coming Monday to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, we would do well to reflect upon his understanding of human relationship, and his realization of the triumphant power of love.

In FY2024-25, for example, our parish celebrated more than three dozen infant baptisms. That’s three dozen chances for our community: first to support parents as they baptize their children in the faith, but then to consider our role in the rest of their lives.