Dear Parishioners,

The first week of September is here, and with Labor Day weekend upon us, I find myself asking, "Where did the summer go?" Parish life begins to pick up again, and I am grateful for the many opportunities we have to embrace the richness of our Catholic faith.

Dear Parishioners,

"Get behind me, Satan." Those are among the strongest words Jesus ever speaks to Peter. Just moments earlier, Peter had confessed Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God," and Jesus had called him Petros, the Rock upon which he would build his Church. Yet now that same Rock is stumbling. What happened?

Dear Parishioners,

The heat of summer continues, but signs of fall are already appearing. As parish activities begin to increase, so do the opportunities to grow in faith. Our Catholic faith invites us to engage both head and heart. Faith and reason belong together because God is the author of both. We grow as disciples when we seek to know the faith more deeply and allow that knowledge to shape how we live.

Dear Parishioners,

Most of our grade school children have returned to school, and our college students are heading off to new adventures. There is something refreshing about this time of the year. New teachers, new classrooms, new books, and new opportunities to recognize the importance of learning and growing.

Dear Parishioners,

Today's readings invite us to place our trust in God, who remains present even in the storms of life. Anxiety, fear and doubt are experiences we all know. At one time or another, each of us has faced moments when the waves seemed too high, the wind too strong and the future uncertain. Yet it is often in those very moments that the Lord comes closest to us.

Dear Parishioners,

As we begin the month of August, many of us find ourselves in the final weeks of summer. Some families are returning from vacations filled with laughter and lasting memories. Others are preparing children and grandchildren for a new school year. Teachers are organizing classrooms, college students are packing their bags, and many of us are wondering where the summer has gone.