In today’s gospel we hear Jesus proclaim what he has come to do – “to bring glad tidings to the poor….to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” This is OUR mission as well! And how we do that mission can have a great impact. In the one and a half years that Fr. Mark and I have been here, we have done a lot of observing and a lot of listening. We have spent many hours in discussion with staff, parishioners, and parish leaders. In our short time here, we have received much affirmation for some of the “changes” that have been initiated. We are told of a new energy and revitalized spirit. A universal concern has been a significant decline in Mass attendance. Over a period of 13 years OLM saw a decline of 20%. In the time Fr. Mark and I have been here, attendance has increased 13%. Last fiscal year OLM had the highest percentage increase in the Sunday collection among the 124 parishes in the Diocese. Fr. Mark and I do not and cannot take any credit for this……it is God working through the Holy Spirit touching people’s hearts and lives through HOW ministry is being approached at Our Lady of Mercy.

On January 8th I made a presentation to the leaders of all the ministries and organizations of OLM explaining the shift in the “how” I want us to undertake. It is modeled on the words of Pope Francis: “I dream of a missionary option capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.” We are undertaking a shift from a “maintenance mode” (we’ve always done it this way) to a focus on mission – to giving people the opportunity to meet Jesus, not just an institution. The institution (Church) is important….she holds up the highest standards of truth and morality. But many people give up trying to reach and live those standards because when they reach out to the church they are judged and condemned, told they have to change first, have no personal relationship with Jesus, and no communal support to even try to live as Jesus calls us to live. The old “pray, pay, obey” doesn’t work anymore. Obedience motivated from a converted heart that has met Jesus is true obedience. Obedience motivated by rules and fear misses the point. Jesus mingled and ate with sinners. He didn’t tell them to change first before he would meet with them. And I believe His accepting people where they were in their life, gave them the power to make needed changes.

So, I’ve asked all staff and ministry leaders to adopt a spirit of radical welcome here at OLM recognizing that every person has a unique journey and story that needs to be heard and respected. When someone calls or comes to our offices to request a baptism, wedding, funeral or registration in RE, I don’t want the first thing they hear is: “are you a registered parishioner?” I want our staff and all of us to approach every person who comes to us as sent by God for a reason. The attitude of welcome and invitation must permeate all we do at OLM. I want to give people a reason to come back, not leave. I want people invited to experience ALPHA and discover a totally new relationship with Jesus and His church. Each organization and ministry needs to ask the question… how does what we are doing, including how we celebrate Mass at OLM, bring others closer to Jesus? I’ve asked the staff, our parish leaders, and now I ask YOU to join the mission of radical welcome and invitation to ALPHA – as a permanent shift in our thinking at OLM!

Have a blessed week!

This past Wednesday night, six busses filled with teens from throughout the Diocese along with adult chaperones and chaplains (Fr. Mark is chaplain for one of the busses) left for Washington, D.C. to participate in the 46th annual Right For Life March upon the Capitol, Supreme Court, and National Mall. They will return this Sunday evening. On Tuesday, January 22nd, the actual anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, our 8:00AM Mass will be offered for the legal protection of unborn children. For the Church, there is no distinction between defending human life and promoting the dignity of the human person. Pope Benedict XVI writes in Caritas in Veritate (http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate.html) that “The Church forcefully maintains this link between life ethics and social ethics, fully aware that ‘a society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized.'” (no. 15). As a gift from God, every human life is sacred from conception to natural death. The life and dignity of every person must be respected and protected at every stage and in every condition. The right to life is the first and most fundamental principle of human rights that leads Catholics to actively work for a world of greater respect for human life and greater commitment to justice and peace.

Locally, on another “front” of promoting the protection of the life of the unborn, most of you are aware of Waterleaf on New York Street in Aurora (and within our parish boundaries). Since 2009, Waterleaf has served more than 3,000 patients from 182 cities in 10 states. Their proximity to the third largest abortion provider in the country has enabled them to reach the most abortion-determined and abortion-vulnerable men and women with lifeaffirming messages and services. Hundreds of baby’s lives have been saved through their services. And there is more good news! Through the generosity of a property owner, benefactors and many donors, Waterleaf has begun construction on a new larger facility – RIGHT NEXT DOOR to that third largest abortion provider – Planned Parenthood. Our Lady of Mercy supports Waterleaf with donations and our prayers. I am pleased to announce that Our Lady of Mercy parish will make a $20,000 donation to the construction of the new Waterleaf facility. This donation, approved by our Finance Council, comes from our budget surplus of last fiscal year. The new facility will even have a 350 square foot chapel for the celebration of Mass, Eucharistic Adoration as well as non-denominational prayer services.

There are several ways to be involved in our Pro-Life Ministries. The 1st Friday of every month there are “prayer warriors” at the Planned Parenthood facilities. Middle school students are welcome to join our Gen Z for Life group. Detailed information about our Pro-Life ministries can be found on the parish website.

Have a Blessed Week and Choose Life!

Today ends the Christmas season in the Church calendar. We’ve moved from the babe in the manger to the man at the river. Upon Jesus’ baptism we are told in Luke’s account that “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” From that point, Jesus began his public ministry. His baptism was a commissioning – and so was ours! Most of us were baptized as an infant and many of us today still don’t realize that we, in our baptism, were commissioned to bring the good news of the Gospel to others. We are, by our baptism, supposed to be missionary disciples! But many of the baptized haven’t experienced a personal relationship with Jesus to be able to truly evangelize others. If you are one of those many, I invite you to ALPHA. Please visit the parish website to learn more and register. Re-awake the spirit you received in baptism!! ALPHA begins on January 22nd and 24th.

As we end the Christmas season, there are some people that truly need to be recognized and appreciated. I hope you enjoyed the display of our nativity scene in the narthex this year. The platform was built by Jim Fisher. The Art & Environment Committee spend months prior to Christmas in creative thinking and planning, then procuring needed materials and executing their ideas. Then many hours are spent coordinating and decorating the church and grounds. So a profound thanks to Marty Kadziela, Linda Eickhoff, and Karen Schwartz for their beautiful work, creative ideas and dedication! All the floral arrangements you see in church were created by Marty, not pre-made by a florist. Thanks as well to the many volunteers who helped set-up the decorations throughout the week prior to Christmas and on December 23rd after 5:30pm Mass. Thanks to Jolene LeRoy for her idea to add the “memory trees”.

Another special thank you goes to Phyllis Anderson our sacristan and all around behind the scenes person who makes everything go smoothly. Much of what Phyllis does is detailed oriented and goes unnoticed by most, but Fr. Mark and I notice, and we are profoundly grateful for all she does! I lovingly refer to her as “mother church”!

Thanks to Frank Sauter our director of Liturgy & Music for all the work in his first year to carry on the tradition of an all parishioner orchestra for our Midnight Mass. The music was truly inspirational! So a special THANK YOU! – to all our parishioners who played instruments in the orchestra, and to parishioner Emily Brink for cantoring. Emily is currently doing Masters studies in vocal performance. Thanks to our choir, musicians, cantors and all liturgical ministers who served at Christmas Masses.

Thank you to all our PADS and Hesed House volunteers who spent part of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day preparing, cooking, and serving food and spending time with the homeless at Hesed House.

Finally, Fr. Mark and I again thank everyone who sent us cards or gave us personal Christmas gifts. We truly appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity!

Have a Blessed Week!

Fr Don

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord – the revelation that Jesus is a light to all nations. The magi are the first of many gentiles who will follow in their footsteps, including you and me. From the start of his life on earth, Jesus has come for all people but his kingdom will not be one that Herod – or anyone who covets power – will seek. The latter will only pretend to see the light, and their sight will be shadowed with fear. We have all experienced Epiphany….times when our night sky has been brightly lit, when our minds have been illumined, and when our hearts have been enlightened. When we live in the light, we are able to see that our lives, our families, our communities, no matter how humble, are glorious blessings. We respond to the light as the magi did – with gratitude, with honor, with gift. Unlike Herod who had worldly power, we are not weak with fear that we will lose our power. Because of his fear, he could only pretend to see the light that the magi were willing to share with him. We have seen the light!! Perhaps it was the day you bathed your first grandchild or the day you said “I love you” and knew that it was about more than romance and physical attraction. Perhaps it was the time you sat vigil with a dying loved one and knew that you were on holy ground. Perhaps a magnificent sunrise or sunset was an epiphany. Epiphany is also called “little Christmas” in many cultures. So we are called to pay forward this gift of light in our day-to-day experiences. Are we conscious of our responsibility to share the light? One way to share the light is to invite someone who may be experiencing darkness in their life to come to Alpha. Alpha starts January 22 & 24. Info and registration is at www.olmercy.com/ alpha.

As I mentioned, Epiphany in some cultures is known as “little Christmas” and gifts are exchanged. Fr. Mark and I would like thank everyone who celebrated Christmas Mass with us at OLM. You are gift to us! We also thank those who gifted us with so many goodies and personal gifts. We truly appreciate your kindness! We also want to thank our Art & Environment Committee and the many volunteers who worked hours to decorate our church and parish grounds. I hope you enjoyed the new location of our nativity scene this year. We thank all our musicians who make our Christmas season so joyful in song. Thanks to those who served in liturgical ministries at our Christmas season Masses. We are also grateful to our maintenance staff for their efforts to keep everything clean, in order and working properly. Thanks to our Hispanic community for the beautiful celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Posadas, and to our Filipino community for the wonderful celebration of Simbang Gabi. And our children in the Religious Education program did a delightful re-enactment of the Christmas story. Thanks to all our staff for their work to make our Christmas celebrations welcoming. Our outdoor nativity has a new figure this year – the “Drummer Boy”. This is a gift by Debbie Schremp to her mother Geraldine Schremp in memory of David Schremp who died in January 2018. David is the son of Geraldine and brother of Debbie. David played the drums. Thank you to the Schremp’s for this donation.

Blessed Christmas Season!

Fr Don

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The word “family” may be a hot button word for many of us, especially following on the heels of Christmas when family experiences can be wonderful or barely tolerable. We may have different feelings about our own families and families in general. And for many, the Holy Family may be a romanticized or seem totally unrelated to real world families. But today’s readings have insights, no matter what our own experiences of family may be. In all the readings today, families are shaped by their faith, culture and traditions. In our Old Testament reading, Hannah, at the Temple, dedicated and gave over her only son, who would have a crucial role, unknown to her, in Israel’s early history. In the Gospel, Mary and Joseph followed the Jewish tradition of the Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem when they lost Jesus. And the advice given to community members and their families regarding how to live together, as found in Paul’s writing to the Colossians, is shaped by the faith and experience of the earliest Christians. The cultures, traditions and social norms in these readings are different from ours, but there are similarities here that we can relate to and learn from.

It is no surprise that parents ultimately must let go of their children. The story of Hannah’s offering is framed by religious practices of the period and was required by tradition. Samuel would become both prophet and king related to the lineage of King David. The significance of Hannah’s action for Israel’s future was understood by later generations. One gesture in one small family had a lasting impact only time would reveal. As parents are well aware, the outcomes of their sacrifices are usually known only in hindsight. Risks are taken on faith. Sometimes they exceed a family’s wildest hopes and dreams! Jesus’ spreading His wings probably came sooner than expected and brought with it both confusion and consternation. Mary and Joseph were not any better prepared than most parents are for the challenges of parenting. Jesus’ interests in the Temple surprised and puzzled them and may even have been contrary to their own. In some ways, they did not understand their child any better than most parents. Paul’s words to the Colossians are addressed to people who have already learned norms for family and community life from their Greek culture. His advice is animated by the Gospel. Demonstrating how to live together and teaching our children how to interact with others is what families do. But practicing kindness, humility, patience and forgiveness can seem idealistic in the daily stress of family life and the challenges of what is acceptable in our world. If the early Christians needed to be reminded about it, so do we!! It’s how our families become holy!!

As you know, our parish family has been enriched by the assignment of two seminarians. Senovio Sarabia has been with us since fall of 2017. He will be studying in the Holy Land this spring semester and will be ordained a transition deacon on March 30, 2019. Our other seminarian, Luis Miguel Garcia has been with us since this fall. He has discerned that he needs to take time off from seminary studies. He is returning home to Mexico to further reflect on what God wants him to do with his life. Please keep both Senovio and Luis in your prayers.

Blessed Christmas Season!

Fr Don