Pilgrim Priest

Easter, 2nd Sunday (Divine Mercy) This weekend the Diocese of Green Bay made public the new priest assignments. Today I read a letter from the Diocese informing the people of our parishes that our current assistant, Fr. Kamal Gopu, will be leaving us on May 4th. Our new assistant, Fr. Michael Thiel, will be starting on July 1, 2026.

The Diocese does not usually tell the story behind the decisions, which can cause confusion, doubt, ...

Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord • If Easter Sunday were just a one-day celebration, our current wintry weather would really dampen the celebration. But we began preparing for this celebration 40 days ago with the start of Lent. And Easter Sunday itself is the final day of a three-day journey, beginning with Holy Thursday and continuing on Good Friday.

The Shroud of Turin testifies to the brutality of the crucifixion, al...

Good Friday • We experience many different forms of suffering: illness, tragedy, the death of loved ones. But the worst kind of suffering is to have no sense of our purpose. Each one of us is a gift, hand-made by God and given to the world. But the world often does not receive us as a gift. On Good Friday, Jesus is completely and totally rejected. Even though the world rejects him, he knows that his gift is safe in the Father's han...

Holy Thursday • The Paschal Lamb was a sacrifice and a sacred meal. It's blood saved the Israelites from the Angel of Death. It died for them, so that they could live. Then the people then consumed the sacrifice with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. We give people we love mementos of our love. Jesus reminds us of his love by giving us his very self.

Before you consume this meal, ask yourself: "Am I willing to give in the same mea...

Palm Sunday (A) Today, Jesus looks like a king. He fulfills the prophecy of Zachariah 9:9. Following Jesus, and accepting his kingdom, gives us freedom from all the kingdoms of this world. Even donkeys are marked with a cross! It's easy to follow Jesus when everyone is cheering for him. But will you keep following Jesus when things get hard? If we follow Jesus and accept his kingship, then our lives will also be marked with the cro...

Lent, 5th Sunday (A) It is never too early to plan your funeral! At least write a few things down: what church, what cemetery, what funeral home, what do you want to wear at your funeral?

Jesus totally disappoints his friends. They tell him that their brother, his friend, is sick. He totally ghosts them. Jesus doesn't show up until after the funeral is over. When he finally turns up, his friends say what we've all thought a time or...

Lent, 3rd Sunday (A) Our annual parish Lenten retreat talked about discipleship, stewardship, and evangelization. Let's watch Jesus as he shows us how to evangelize. 

Jews and Samaritans don't get along, so Jesus starts with something they have in common. Jesus knows that she is thirsty. All this time as she has been searching and thirsting, Jesus has been the one she has been looking for. 

The Samaritan woman has been blocking the...

Lent, 2nd Sunday (A) Lent does not exist for itself. It exists to prepare us for Easter and new life in Christ. On the way into the desert, the nation of Israel stops for a mountain-top experience. The Israelites have been brought out of Egypt but they still have Egypt in their hearts. Are we the sort of people that have to wander in the desert because we don't trust God, or are we the new generation that trusts in God?

Jesus gives...

Lent, 1st Sunday (A) Adam is given the job to "keep" the garden (the Hebrew word is shamar). Adam fails to guard both the garden and his wife.

Jesus feels abandoned by God. He falls back on the lessons God taught the Israelites in their 40 years in the desert. Jesus is guarding and protecting his true identity, and God's true identity as his loving Father.

We do not conquer sin and death by figuring out the techniques that Jesus us...

Ash Wednesday • Would you want a boyfriend or girlfriend who loved you half-heartedly? How many of you would want to play on a team with half-hearted teammates? Do you want to live in a family who loves each other half-heartedly?

Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta were half-hearted Catholics. Then an angel appeared to them to prepare them for Mary's visit. That following spring, on May 13, 1917, Mary appeared to them. She told them they...

Ordinary Time, 3rd Sunday (A) Jesus is the light. By the light of his love, we can see our own lives more clearly. We know that we were made by love and for love. Love moves us into communion and community. From the very beginning of creation, Adam and Eve were able to receive one another as a gift. But after sin happens, they fall into the trap of using and being used. This leads to rivalries, jealousies, and divisions.

How can we...

Ordinary Time, 2nd Sunday (A) Last Sunday we celebrated the feast of our Lord's Baptism. This week, the readings speak to us of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is the sacrament most closely connected to the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was Baptized by John in the River Jordan, me came out of the water and the Holy Spirit landed on him like a dove. The Holy Spirit remained with him. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "His whole lif...

Baptism of the Lord (A) We naturally love that which is good. Therefore, you should love yourself. Rightly-ordered self-love is the fruit of seeing your own goodness and loving that which is good. You should desire your own continued existence and your own flourishing. You are not the source of your own goodness. We love our Creator as the source of our goodness. And when we look around at others, we see that they are also good lik...

The Epiphany of the Lord • Marco Polo claims to have seen the incorrupt bodies of the three magi. God is directing a great drama and each of us has a special role. Everyone else is fighting to be the star of the show. But we recognize that the true star is Jesus, with Mary as Best Supporting Actress.

Herod needs to be the star, and he will eliminate any competition. The Wise Men show us who is the true Star. They also teach us that...

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God (The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord) • God is three Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is one person with two natures - human and divine. So can we call Mary the Mother of God? Yes, because she is the mother of a person, not a nature.

God sets a father in honor over his children;
    a mother's authority he confirms over her sons. - Sirach 3:2

A mother has authority...

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (A) We are each special, hand-made, and unique. When God creates children, he wants them to be welcomed into the world by a family. 

Right from the beginning, the family is under attack. Adam doesn't protect the garden. He and Eve disobey God. They begin living lives of isolation, self-protection, and self-reliance.

How does Joseph manage to best Herod? Joseph is a good father to G...

Christmas Eve • I decorated my tree on Christmas Eve. It was a journey through my life history. As we listen to the genealogy of Jesus, we get a brief summary of the history of the entire Bible. Only one name is repeated. Each person is a unique link on the chain that leads to Jesus. You are precious and unique. God delights in you and rejoices in you.

Not all of us are faithful. In fact, most of us are not faithful some of the tim...