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While the exact beginnings of the season of Advent remain uncertain, it is clear that there were monastic roots. By the late fifth century, monks were fasting for the forty days before Christmas. In time, the spirituality of Advent spread to the larger church. Christians were instructed to pray, fast, and give alms in preparation for the coming of Jesus at the end of the world and in preparation of the Feast of Christmas.

Our parish had a somewhat unique agreement with the Archdiocese regarding our commitment to the building of the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine (via the One Church Many Disciples campaign). We agreed to donate a set amount of $1,100,000 from the $9,000,000 we intended to raise for our facility expansion. everything pledged and donated above the $1.1 million would return to the parish.

If you pay attention to the readings in November, you’ll note that we’re shifting our attention from the demands of discipleship to a reflection on the end of all things. Jesus spoke many times about the end of the world, and how suddenly the end will come.

1. TEN BUCK SUNDAY will occur every month on the Fourth Sunday. We ask everyone 18 and over to donate ten dollars. The money will be used to furnish the Early Childhood Development Center. You will be amazed at the amount of money we can raise through these small gifts.

On November 1, the Church celebrates the Feast of All Saints. We are a church confident that countless souls have persevered in grace, triumphed over sin and death, and now rejoice in the house of the Father, which we call heaven. The saints in heaven know of us and pray for us. However, they are not anxious, because they know of God’s ultimate victory over evil.

This year, I have been reading classic American Western, novels including Lonesome Dove, True Grit, and Shane. The Ox Bow Incident, the last of these on my reading list, deals with the problem of justice on the frontier. In the wake of cattle rustling and a killing, a local community strays into revenge and mob justice.

This last Monday and Tuesday all the priests of the Archdiocese gathered at the Catholic Pastoral Center off NW Expressway for Continuing Education on the topic of Vocations Promotion. We had a refresher on the importance of and ‘best practices’ for helping a young man consider the possibility that God might be calling him to be a priest.

I believe that I have already spoken about how important pilgrimage is to my personal spirituality. I want to write briefly about another theological concept that has shaped me as a believer. I believe that we have two basic choices in life: the choice to live for self alone or the choice to live for God and others. I don’t think we can make the right choice unless we foster an attitude of gratefulness.

The chairs in Ross Hall are in very bad shape. We’ve had them for years, used them for years, and, frankly, they look horrible. Some of them look so bad, no one in their right mind will sit on them. So, we have options: cleaning; recovering; buying new chairs. Cleaning is the least expensive option but it’s too late for many of the chairs;

Often, the story of Lazarus and the rich man becomes an opportunity for preachers to make people feel guilty for having money or possessions. The contrast between Lazarus’ poverty and the rich man’s wealth and comfort is a tempting feature of the story upon which to concentrate. Yet, Lazarus ends up in paradise with Abraham. Abraham is one of the richest men in the Bible, a billionaire by the standards of the day.

This weekend, we hear a rather difficult parable: the corrupt steward who, nonetheless, is praised for his craftiness. One theory concerning the parable is that the steward takes money off the bill of his master’s clients, because his master had overcharged them. There wasn’t much the master could do but acknowledge that the steward was terribly clever.

If you are like me, sometimes confession can be a frustrating experience. I forget what I want to say or I feel that I over explain myself. Below are seven suggestions to make confession a more spiritually fruitful event.

Jesus was very clear in his public teaching regarding the cost of following him. The Christian life is more than attending (most) Sunday Masses and Holy Days. If we live our Christian faith as Christ would have it, we will come into direct conflict with the prevailing values of this world.

I want to do an ad campaign for our parish and I am looking for members of the parish who would agree to be photographed. Because we are a diverse parish, I hope to get a good cross section of the community involved. Basically, we want to show this part of the metro that we have people of every stripe imaginable practicing the Catholic faith here at St. Eugene. Contact the parish office if you would be agreeable to the project and a brief photo shoot. 

Catholic schools are often the heart of ministry in parishes. The need to prepare the next generation for leadership, discipleship can be a difficult but urgent task. Here at St. Eugene, our school serves to hand on our Catholic faith and values, but also to create a community.

On Monday, August 1, I will leave with a group of forty pilgrims for a trip to Ire- land. This pilgrimage was wrecked by Covid twice, but the third time proved fruitful.

I firmly believe that, when we pray, we should tell the Lord what it is that we desire out of life. Yes, of course, God knows us better than we know ourselves, but the more we pray for our heart’s desires, the more we are able to clarify what is truly important to us. Each day, go to God and offer him your needs, your dreams. 

This year, the Archdiocese faced a very uncomfortable shortage of priests to staff our various parishes. For example, Ponca City had long had two priests in service there, but now only one. The entire panhandle of Oklahoma is currently being served by just two priests. Here, at St. Eugene, we had three priests, but now we have two. And, we share our Associate, Fr. Krug, with Mt. St. Mary High School. 

In Roman society, patronage was a central idea holding society together. The wealthier classes had an obligation to accept the less well off as their clients. These clients could look to their patrons to help them if they needed to find a job, or secure a re- spected tutor for their children, or to help them out of legal trouble. The patronage system kept Roman society intact for centuries.

St. Eugene has a long history of very good pastors. I am honored to follow in their footsteps. As I begin this assignment, I ask for your prayers for me and for Father Krug. I have been seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to do my duty here faithfully and joyfully.