News - November 2023 RSS Feed

We are living in a missionary time. We are a missionary diocese. We are missionary parishes and schools. We are missionary priests and deacons. We are called to be missionary disciples. 

Hark! The herald angels sing: Glory to our newborn King! At the center of the living word of God given to us in the Advent and Christmas gospels is the kerygmatic proclamation that Jesus, the Son of God, lovingly is sent into this world by God the Father, that we might believe in Him and through Him have everlasting life … and the healing, hope, and joy that we can only find in Jesus. 

I’ve been praying, but it seems like it doesn’t do anything. I’m tired of asking God for help when it doesn’t ever feel like I’m getting what I have been asking for. 

At Holy Spirit parish in Virginia and its surrounding mission field, a small new women’s missionary and discernment house has opened, with the young women there choosing to live in community as missionaries of healing, hope, and joy in their communities. 

I recently watched a documentary film called “The Fall of Minneapolis,” which is about the death of George Floyd in 2020 in Minneapolis and its aftermath. It moved me in a way I did not expect and in ways that seemed worth further reflection. 

It is December so we all know what that means! Christmas. But Christmas is only the last week of the month; most of December, of course, is Advent. Liturgically speaking, Advent gives us some of the most beautiful music and imagery. My all-time favorite liturgical hymn is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” which I could sing every day this season. 

If you wanted the Son of God to be born into the world, you’d probably imagine that it would be the perfect set up and conditions for his arrival. But that wasn’t the case with Jesus. 

“God is Love” (1 John 4). On Dec. 25, we celebrate the moment when Love was born. On this day, we do not recognize that God loves, although he does; we acknowledge that the person of Christ is love. Therefore, Love arrived at a particular time in history. 

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary has introduced its inaugural music series. Embracing the rich heritage of cathedrals as cultural hubs, the series aims to provide a platform for exceptional musical experiences, bringing together diverse audiences to celebrate the power of music and community.

Eleanor Enslin, a student athlete at Stella Maris Academy, competed in the Minnesota High School League state swimming championships, following in the footsteps of her mother, Brenda Enslin, who is also her coach.