Laudet Dominum

One thing I’m glad we do here every week at Mass is pray for vocations to the priesthood or religious life. We’ve been doing it for years, and I hope it continues for many years to come. It’s a laudable practice that can only bear good fruit over time, and may even encourage some in our parish to be the answers to those prayers. In fact, this Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Easter has been set aside as the World Day for Prayers for Vocations.

We have good reason to pray for more young men and women to hear the call to a religious vocation. The shortage of priests and religious in the United States has been a concern for many years, and is only getting worse. The average age of priests is only going up, and religious orders are dwindling. Our own diocese has always been mission territory, never producing enough vocations from within, but even the number of priests originally from our diocese continues to shrink. It’s not inconceivable that priests from outside the diocese will soon outnumber priests raised here, assuming that hasn’t already happened.

Some might wonder how to turn this situation around. How do we encourage young men and women to listen to Our Lord and hear how He is calling them to serve Him? The prayers we are doing is a good start, but it’s only the start. Looking at my own discernment of the vocation to the priesthood, one of the most powerful tools we have involves the simplest actions: ask and encourage them about considering religious vocations.

I can think of two important points in my religious vocation journey that involved someone approaching me about a vocation to the priesthood. First was during my junior year in high school. I was going through my confirmation preparation, and the catechist must have seen something. This led her to encourage me by telling me (she didn’t just ask, by the way!) 3 times that I would become a priest. My response was pretty much what you would expect from a typical teenager at the time, “No way, not interested,” but it did plant the seeds that later grew.

The second point was shortly after I completed my US Air Force enlistment. I was working a job that involved a commute to the other side of St. Louis, MO, and had joined a parish local to the small Illinois town I was living in. Those seeds of the confirmation catechist were starting to sprout, and I was starting to consider whether or not I was being called. Suddenly, I had a number of parishioners, some of whom I really didn’t know, ask me whether or not I’d considered becoming a priest. I even had two of them ask me within the course of a week!

Would I have considered a religious vocation if people around me didn’t encourage it? I don’t know, but probably not. What I do know is my story is not unique. I have spoken to a number of seminarians, priests and religious, and many of us have the same story. It was the interest and encouragement of parishioners and family that led us to begin the journey towards priesthood or religious life.

If we consider the need for religious vocations, have we done our part to encourage them locally? Praying for vocations is great, but have we encouraged children, grandchildren, young adults we see in the parish to consider religious life? Or do we talk about which college they’re going to and what careers they’re considering? I would venture that very few of us have ever asked a young adult in our parishes to think and pray about a religious vocation, and yet that is the best thing we can do for them. You might be surprised what seeds you can plant in their lives!

This might seem like it’s been the strangest and most subdued Easter season we’ve ever experienced. Lent seemed to continue throughout Holy Week, the Easter Octave, and into the Easter season. 

Many of us went through quite the rollercoaster of emotions over the past month and a half. First was confusion when things were changing seemingly overnight, which led to concern as the virus was spreading rapidly throughout the country and state. As time went on, frustration and even anger may have set in as we saw no end in sight to shutdowns of businesses, disruptions of routines, and even suspension of public ministry of the Church.

Now, we can start to see the end of the tunnel. We finally have permission to gather again as the Body of Christ in the worship of Our Lord in His Holy Mass. No longer are the Sacraments something restricted, but are available to receive! The public life of the Church, dormant for too long, is awakening once again! This is a time of joy, almost as if we’re celebrating Easter a couple weeks late.

As we go forward, we obviously will remember this long Lent. We’ll remember all those emotions we faced. We’ll remember attending Mass virtually through the Internet, whether during the live stream or the later recording. We’ll remember the phrase “social distancing” for a very long time to come.

Once thing I hope this will remind us is the importance of the Sacraments. There’s an old saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” The Sacraments are the greatest gifts that have been given to us by God, and they have been absent from many of our lives throughout this past month. Now that we can once again receive these beautiful blessings from God, perhaps we won’t take them for granted, as we humans do with so many things.

I also hope this will be an opportunity for us to invite family and friends who have fallen away from the practice of the faith to return. We assume that the Church will always be here, so there’s no urgency to return. However, this long Lent showed that even the presence of the Church in our communities is something to be taken for granted. Perhaps this will be a good time to encourage those we love to come back, and a good time for us as a community to welcome them back with great joy.

The long Lent is ending. Just as Jesus rose from the dead on that first Easter Sunday, we’re rising from the dormancy of the last month and a half. Let us joyfully celebrate!

A blessed feast of Divine Mercy to all of you! This feast has quickly become one of my favorites. First, because it ends the 8-day octave of Easter, completing our joyful celebration of Our Lord’s resurrection. Second, because it celebrates the Divine Mercy of Our Lord which led him to His Cross and Resurrection, and which He desires to share with us constantly.

This feast is new, at least in the history of the Church. In the year 2000, Pope St. John Paul II dedicated the Second Sunday of Easter each year to Divine Mercy. Now, we mark the Divine Mercy of Jesus on the Sunday following Easter, and have done so for the last 20 years.

While Our Lord’s mercy is not new, the visions that led to the creation of this feast are relatively recent. Throughout the early 1930’s, a young Polish religious sister, Sr. Faustina Kowalska, received a series of visions of Our Lord calling her to promote the message of His Divine Mercy. These visions were to culminate in a painting being produced of Jesus with red and white rays of light shining from His Sacred Heart. On the bottom of the painting were the words “Jezu, ufam Tobie,” which translates to “Jesus, I trust in You”.

This text on the painting, Jesus, I trust in You, is really the ultimate message of Divine Mercy. It’s a message of trust in the mercy and love of Jesus. It’s not a coincidence that today’s Gospel is that of Our Lord appearing to the apostles, with St. Thomas doubting until he saw Jesus in person. It’s too easy for us to be like Thomas, sharing his doubt that Jesus is present with us today. To fight this temptation towards doubt, the words of Divine Mercy are a prayer that should be constantly on our lips: “Jesus, I trust in You.”

With this trust in Jesus, we are called to live in Our Lord’s Divine Mercy. So, how do we do that? There’s actually a simple mnemonic device that we can use: A-B-C. Ask for mercy, Be merciful, Completely trust in Jesus.

First, we Ask for mercy. We received Our Lord’s Divine Mercy through the pouring of water at our baptisms, which is symbolized by the white ray on the painting. We also receive His Divine Mercy through the Sacrament of Confession, which is symbolized by the red ray. Confession is so deeply tied to Our Lord’s Divine Mercy that it really is the Sacrament of Divine Mercy, so we need to receive Confession frequently – at least once a month.

Second, we Be merciful. Divine Mercy is not just for ourselves, but it is to be shared. Just as Our Lord is merciful to us, we are to be merciful to others. It’s part of our sinful human nature that we don’t always show mercy to others as we should. If we are to live Divine Mercy, we must resist that temptation, and show the love and mercy that Our Lord shows to us.

Third, we Completely trust in Jesus. This takes us back to the painting of Divine Mercy, with those words, “Jesus, I trust in You.” Our lives must be lived in that radical trust in Our Lord, especially at times when we don’t know where He is leading us. We must be willing to profess as St. Thomas did, “My Lord and my God!”

The path of Divine Mercy is not easy, but He will give us the graces to live in that mercy and love. Jesus, I trust in You!

Jesus is risen! He is risen, indeed!

A very blessed Easter to all of you! We have entered into this joyous season where the savior of the world, who came to give his life so that we might enter into eternal life, has risen from the dead. New life now awaits us who follow Him!

I began with a traditional greeting, often referred to as the Paschal greeting. Although we don’t hear this greeting as much in the Roman Catholic, church, Eastern Catholics and Orthodox regularly encounter it within their liturgies. It’s done much like the exclamations “The Lord be with you. And with your Spirit.” which we’re familiar from our Mass.

This ancient greeting is given as an exclamation of joy. Joy that salvation is open to us. Joy that our sins no longer keep us from receiving eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Joy that the penitential season of Lent is over, and we have entered into a season of celebration. Joy that Jesus has risen from the dead.

This greeting is also an exclamation of hope. It’s a reminder of the hope that we have for our resurrection into the New Creation promised by Our Lord. Just as Jesus rose from the dead after being in the tomb, we too one day have hope of rising from the dead at the end of time. Our Lord promised us that he would return to judge the living and dead, and that the souls of those who have died will be reunited to their resurrected bodies. It is our hope that we will be found faithful to Him, and so be judged worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.

May we enter into this Easter season filled with the joy and hope of Our Lord’s resurrection. Jesus is risen! He is risen, indeed!

The last few weeks can best be described as bizarre. There has been much uncertainty surrounding the response to this grave illness by our government officials, community leaders and business owners, and the leadership in the Church. For a while, things changed almost literally minute-by-minute. We went from “social distancing” and hygiene reminders to shelter-in-place and cancellation of public events in a matter of days.

Now that we’ve seemed to get to a new status quo, where we’re basically told to stay home unless there is an essential reason to go out, hopefully we’re getting more comfortable. For some of us, being locked in our houses might lead to a sense of cabin fever. We definitely need to pray for each other during this time, especially those directly affected by this virus.

One concern I think many of us have is how our local area will weather this situation. Businesses are shut down, or limited in their hours or services. People are being furloughed temporarily, leading to a loss of income. No one is sure how long this shelter-in-place order will remain, so we’re not sure how much financial damage this will do to us and our neighbors.

For me as a pastor, my primary concern is the spiritual well-being of all parishioners, but I am also ultimately responsible for the care of the parish’s temporal goods, such as buildings, finances, and more. This shut down obviously has me concerned, but it seems I’m not the only one. Over the past week, we’ve received notes here at the parish asking about or commenting on the financial situation of the parish.

I had planned about this time, the month of April, to publish a report on the financial situation of the parishes. This is something I’ve meant to do for some time, and have been very lax in doing so. Unfortunately the uncertainty of the past few weeks has pushed back that report indefinitely, but in the meantime, I’d like to address some of the parishioners’ concerns by looking at certain items in the parish budget. We’ll use the last 9 months, as it will cover ¾ of the diocesan and parish fiscal year.

Income – The most important income to any parish is the weekly offering during Mass. That is arguably the most direct way that parishes receive income from the parishioners. For many parishes, St. Mary’s and missions included, it is the largest line-item in the parish budget for income.

During an average week’s collection, St. Mary’s received $1,555, Sacred Heart received $284, and St. Francis received $192. Of course, these numbers include special and larger-than-average collections like Christmas. Monthly online giving remained fairly steady, currently sitting at $280 (up from $225 in February!)  for St. Francis and $445 for St. Mary’s.

In the three weeks since the last public Masses on March 15th, collections mailed in or dropped off at the church totaled $1,223 for St. Mary’s and $215 for Sacred Heart. I am very grateful for those parishioners who have continued to generously support the parish through this time of worry and concern!

The parishes have other forms of income, such as Mass stipends and annual returns off our endowments at the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana. Those will be discussed more fully in the later report.

Expense – Even though the parishes are no longer hosting public events, such as public Mass, the bills still have to be paid. Utility bills and more continue to come in despite the shelter-in-place orders.

In an average month, St. Mary’s incurs $416 in electricity, $460 in natural gas, and another $460 in city utilities, as well as $300 in phone and internet services. Sacred Heart averaged $65 in electricity, $147 in propane, and $55 in city utilities. St. Francis’ monthly average for electricity was $30, and $171 In natural gas and city utilities.

There are a number of other expenses that will be in the larger report, but one major expense that St. Mary’s incurs that neither St. Francis nor Sacred Heart have is salary and benefits for employees. Just the basic living and salary expenses for a priest, not counting those covered above in utilities, averages out to about $3500 per month. This is pretty much set by the diocese. In addition, we have two lay staff members who receive a fair salary, but little other benefits from the parish.

Conclusion – All these numbers give a general idea where the money comes from that runs the parishes, as well as where that money goes. More detail will come in the larger report later, but you can probably do the math and see that very little, if any, is left over each month from the collection income. We’re able to keep the parishes running, but have little room for surprises, like suspending public Masses for a month or more.

I do want to close by asking all of you to remember the parish as you consider your financial situation during this time. I know some of you may find yourselves currently in a difficult situation financially, and can’t contribute as you have in the past. For those who can continue to give generosity, please consider giving a larger donation to help cover any shortfalls in addition to your regular weekly or monthly contributions. Although we’re not passing the basket at Mass, you can drop off your donations in the baskets at each door of St. Mary’s Church, mail it to us at Box 70, Malta, MT 59538. Also, don’t forget about Online Giving, where you can set up a regular monthly donation and never worry about forgetting an envelope or writing a check! Go to the website at SaintMarysMalta.org and click the green Online Giving button on the top right.

Finally, I want to use this opportunity to thank those who have been so generous to the parishes over the past 9 months and years before that. These parishes continue to exist due to your generosity! May they have many years serving our communities, and may we all look forward to the first public Mass after the restrictions are lifted. God bless you all!

A couple of our Religious Education students had some questions for me. This week’s are from Karsten Davis.
Question: What do you take away for Lent?

In the past, I’ve done many things over the years. I’ve given up food, like candy or chips. I’ve stopped watching TV or playing video games. I’ve tried to spend more time in prayer. I’ve tried to do more reading. This year, I decided to spend less time in front of a computer or phone. I’ve also decided to get back to some exercise by jogging a couple times a week.

Lent can be hard. Between not eating meat on Friday, giving something up, trying to be more prayerful, and more, Lent can be a challenge to live. Sometimes we’ll fail due to forgetfulness. Sometimes we’re just weak and fall back into old routines and habits we’re trying to change. If that happens, we just need to get back at it!

Question: Do you say a whole Rosary a day?

That’s one thing I’m not very good at. I do pray the Rosary, just not every day. We all have prayer habits, and that’s not one I’ve been really good at picking up. I still need to work at it! Sometimes it can be boring, though. It takes a little while and we repeat prayers over and over.

Even though I don’t pray the Rosary as I should, I know it’s important. It’s a very powerful prayer, as we are thinking about Jesus and His life, while also asking His Mother, Mary, to pray for us. There are also lots of promises given to us by Mary for every time we pray the Rosary.

Question: When were you born? Did you used to be in a sport?

I was born on June 27, 1976. That means I’m going to be 44 years old at the end of June. We lived in a very small town (smaller than Malta!) in north eastern North Dakota called Lankin. My dad was a farmer at the time, though we moved off the farm when I was very young.

While I like watching sports, I’ve never been very good at playing them. I did play baseball for a while, and basketball for a few years. I also did track in high school, but I wasn’t one who did well in sports. I prefer to watch sports, especially baseball and football.

A couple of our Religious Education students had some questions for me. This week’s are from Karsten Davis.

Question: Where’s your favorite place to pray?

I’m fortunate enough to have a small prayer room, called a chapel, in my house. I can go down there at any time and pray before Jesus without being interrupted or disturbing others.

A lot of people can’t take a whole room and turn it into a prayer place, but we all need a quiet place to pray. Whether it’s our bedroom, a small corner of a guest room or living room, having a place set aside for prayer helps us focus on Jesus a little each day.

Question: Where is the farthest place you have gone on Easter? Where is the farthest church you have ever gone?

The farthest place I’ve ever gone on Easter was during my time in the US Air Force. I spent one winter deployed to an Air Force Base right outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This meant I spent both Christmas and Easter there. This is about 7000 miles from here!

The farthest church, however, isn’t quite as far. Before I was ordained as a priest, I studied in a seminary, which is school for men considering the priesthood. My seminary sent me and my classmates to the Holy Land, where Jesus lived. We visited a large number of churches during our time there. That was “only” 6600 miles away.

Question: Do you have a tradition on Easter?

A lot of families have interesting traditions on Easter, don’t they? Whether a big meal, or Easter egg hunt, or dying eggs, or making Easter baskets, there are a lot of things people like to do each Easter.

As a kid, my family would do a lot of those kind of things. My parents would make Easter baskets full of candy, and we’d color the Easter eggs, and have a big meal. Now, as an adult and priest, I don’t do a lot of those things. Easter is a very busy time for me, and is very tiring, so I don’t do a lot.

The week after Easter, though, I like to go home and visit my parents. They live a little over 700 miles away, so it’s a long drive! I’m always glad to see them when I get there, though.