I have just finished reading a good book that I would like to recommend to you.  It is “The Gift of Rest” written by Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.  Senator Lieberman is a practicing Jew, and the book concerns the Sabbath observance.  The book is not written just for Jews; there is much to be gleaned by everyone.  He talks about the importance of a day of rest, a day of family gathering, a day of prayer, and the benefits of such.  Check it out, and let me know what you think.

President Obama’s revised HHS mandate does not satisfy the concerns of the Catholic Church and many others in our nation.  The proposed revision of the Department of Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate left intact the restrictive definition of a religious entity and would shift the costs of contraceptives from the policyholders to the insurers, thus failing to ensure that Catholic individuals and institutions would not have to pay for services that they consider immoral.  We should not have the government deciding what is a ministry or not.  We need the administration to revise it, we need the Congress to repeal it or we need the courts to stop it.   Our two U.S. Senators, Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, as well as our Representative, Brett Guthrie, have all signed as co-sponsors of The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act.  Please contact them to voice your opinion and to thank them for their support of this bill.

Since we have moved out of the Church we have had only one death in our parish family.  People occasionally ask what we will do about funerals.  I have mentioned this before but it bears repeating.  When we are asked to celebrate a funeral for a parishioner, our default position is to have the liturgy at Blessed Sacrament.  We are familiar with the church there, we have control of the schedule there and therefore it would be more convenient to have the Mass there. Blessed Sacrament also has a hall where we could have a funeral meal.  If, however, the Church is too small, or if a family prefers another specific Church, we can inquire if their schedule would allow for us to have a Mass and if so, we will have the funeral there.

Many thanks to all those who participated in the Arise orientation meetings last week.  This has the potential to help all of us grow in our faith. I look forward to our parish planning meeting on Monday evening, February 27.

Love, Fr. John

We are having First Reconciliation with sixteen of our young parishioners and their families on Sunday afternoon. We congratulate them and continue to pray for them as they prepare for their First Communion in the Spring.  I am grateful to Fr. Suresh and to Fr. Mark Buckner who will assist Fr. Brandon and me with confessions this afternoon.

The staff and some members of the Parish Pastoral Council will participate in a preparation meeting for ARISE a program of spiritual renewal centered on Jesus Christ.  The diocese is offering this program in conjunction with the celebration of our 75^th anniversary as a diocese.  I hope you have read articles about ARISE in the Western Kentucky Catholic.  It is structured on the RENEW format with which many of you are familiar.  You will be hearing much more about this in the near future.

I am writing this before the Men’s Conference takes place on Saturday, February 11, but I am confident that the day will be a true blessing to those men who participate.  We have prayed for you and we thank you for your witness.  I know that your own faith-life, your families and our parish will be blessed because of the day.   I wish that I could have gone, but I stayed home so Fr. Brandon could participate since he has been involved in the preparation for the Conference.

It is good to have our staff member, Joe Beard, back to work.  Joe has had some health issues and has been off work since the first of the year.  He is only working half-time at the moment, but we are grateful for his improved health and happy to have him back with us; he is also glad to be back on the job.

Don’t forget to check out the Restoration Gallery on our website to follow the progress of the work being done on Church.  The pictures are posted in sequence and the date of each one is printed on the picture.  We will add more photos as progress is made.

Love, Fr. John

We had a great dessert social last Friday evening as we presented our Memorials phase of our campaign.  I want to say a special word of thanks to Mike Sullivan and Janice Scherm who explained the details to those who gathered.   Also, a word of gratitude to Garry Pierce our Pastoral Council Chair, and to those who provided and served the delicious cakes, pies, etc.  If you were unable to come, but would like to participate in the Memorials effort, you may contact Mike Sullivan or Chris Warren.

Last Monday evening, I attended my last OCS Council meeting as the Priest-Pastor.  The Council honored me with a contribution to our Restoration and Renewal Campaign in my name.  I am very grateful for this thoughtful gesture and can think of nothing that would have pleased me more at this time.  It has been a privilege for me to work closely with the Council and with all those who are so committed to making our Catholic schools as excellent as they can be.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, I will be joining many others in Frankfort from throughout Kentucky to observe what is called “Catholics at the Capitol.”  It is an opportunity for us to meet with our state legislators and to share our views on legislation that they are currently considering.  The Church as a right to participate in the public square and to share our perspective on policies and laws.  The bottom line of our concern is always the dignity of the human person.

Please note the insert in the bulletin containing the letter from Bishop Medley regarding the recent decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which, if enacted, will force all employers, including Catholic institutions, to provide health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and contraception.  Such a law is a clear violation of our First Amendment rights of religious liberty.  I urge you, please take time to www.usccb.org/conscience to learn more about this important assault and how to contact our legislators to voice our concerns .  For now, the administration has delayed this legislation for a year.  In other words, they are giving us a year to decide how we can violate our conscience on this moral issue.

We are continuing our search for a Business Manager for the parish.  If you know anyone who is qualified for this position, please invite them to apply.  Thanks.

Love, Fr. John

This last week of January is traditionally “Catholic Schools Week.”  This year’s theme is: Catholic Schools: Faith, Academics, Service.  I think our local Catholic schools do a good job of educating children in all three of these areas.  The Catholic Church can rightfully be proud of our long tradition of offering a faith-based education to all students who come through our doors.  A Catholic school education has been, and continues to be, a significant part of our parish ministry here at the Cathedral. This year, we have 122 parishioners in OCS, and we are supporting the education of these students and others by a more than $300,000 annual subsidy.  I thank all of you, as well as all those closely involved in the OCS, for your commitment to Catholic education.

As you know, for the past ten years I have served as the “priest-pastor” of the OCS.  In effect, that means that I have been the canonical superior of the school system.  With my election as Vice-President of the Canon Law Society, I have asked Bishop Medley to relieve me from this responsibility to the school system.  He has graciously accepted my request and appointed Fr. Brad Whistle, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, to this office.  I will continue to do what I can to be of service to OCS.

Last week, Chris Warren informed us that he will be leaving our staff at the end of February.  It was a difficult decision for Chris and one that he made after much prayer and discussion.  I want to thank him for his work with us during this past year, and we wish him well as he undertakes his new responsibilities with OMU.  Please join me in prayer as we search for someone to serve as our Parish Business Manager.

I was saddened last week by the death of my former boss and good friend, Sr. Elaine Byrne, O.S.U., the aunt of our parishioner, Charlie Payne.  Sr. Elaine and I worked together at St. Romuald High School in the early 80’s, where she was principal and I was the religion department.  I was privileged to be at the death-bed of her mother many years ago and subsequently to preach the homily at her funeral.  Unfortunately, I was unable to participate in Sr. Elaine’s funeral last Tuesday, but I did spend an hour of prayer at her deathbed with her family shortly before she died on the 20^th.

Love, Fr. John

Today, January 22, marks the sad anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, the decision that struck down state laws which limited or prohibited the killing of the most innocent human beings.  Legalized abortion is so incongruous for a nation that claims “In God We Trust,” and that pretends to be a model of democracy and a beacon of peace in the world.  Who are we to lecture other nations about their failures in regard to human rights?  There is no more fundamental human right than the right to life!  We must continue to pray for an end to abortion (especially legalized abortion) and for a greater reverence for all life.  This weekend, let us pray for all those American citizens who gather in Washington for the annual March for Life, and let us ask God to give us the wisdom and courage to do whatever we can to speak out and to promote the dignity of human life.  The annual diocesan pro-life Mass is Sunday evening at Sts. Joseph and Paul at 6:00pm.

You recently received a letter from Bishop Medley, Mike Sullivan and me inviting you to a Memorials Reception on Friday evening, January 27, at the Catholic Pastoral Center.  I certainly understand that not everyone can attend, but I do hope that many of you will.  We want to thank you for your support of our Restoration and Renewal Campaign, to bring you up to date on the work being done in the Church, and to offer you the opportunity for support some aspect of the project in memory of or in honor of a loved one.

I will be away most of this week, attending a board of governors’ meeting of the Canon Law Society of America.  There will be about ten of us from across the country gathered in Baltimore.  I will be home in time for the reception on Friday evening.

Love, Fr. John

Bishop Medley and the priests of the diocese will be on our annual convocation this week.  This is always a good week – the only occasion during the year that most of the priests are together for an extended time.  During the convocation, we have some serious presentations and workshops, some time to deal with diocesan business, many occasions for prayer, as well as social time, and the opportunity to honor priests celebrating significant anniversaries this year.  Please keep us in prayer.  Fr. Brandon and I will return to the Cathedral on Thursday afternoon.  There will be a Communion Service at 12:05 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at Blessed Sacrament.

I want to thank those parishioners who have completed their terms on the Parish Pastoral Council.  Rita Ward, Joyce Gruenewald, Mary Jo Yates have served the parish well, and we are all grateful to them for their stewardship.  Peggy Howard was the chair of the Council when she died last year.  Her term would have ended this year also.  At this time, I welcome the new members selected last Sunday.  They are:  Julie Crowe, Mary Helen Nash, John Calhoun, John Kurtz.  I thank them and the eleven other parishioners who accepted the nomination to the Council.

I hope you saw the notice in last week’s bulletin regarding the pictures of our Restoration and Renewal on the parish web page.  We are attempting to maintain a current album so you can follow the work that is being done in the building.  Work is progressing, but there is still much to be done.

Love, Fr. John

Happy New Year!  Even though much of the world now considers Christmas a thing of the past, we are just getting it off to a good start.  Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Motherhood of Mary.   “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.”  We praise God for this wondrous plan for our salvation and we honor Mary for her willing acceptance of her role.  New Year’s Day is also a special day of prayer for World Peace.  How our world longs for that precious gift!  Let us ask Mary, the Queen of Peace to intercede on behalf of all her daughters and sons.

We are doing a rather good job of maintaining a spirit of prayerful silence in the basement before Mass but I might offer a gentle reminder in this regard.  Our liturgical ministers and choir are in a position to set a good example of prayerful preparation for the Sacred Mysteries we are about to celebrate.

After a month of practice, we have devised efficient procedures for setting up the basement for Mass, as well as dismantling it following the eleven o’clock Mass on Sunday.  If you are able to give us a hand on Saturday afternoons or following the last Mass on Sundays, it would be greatly appreciated.

Check out the photos of the renovation work in the church on our web page.  Click “Restoration Gallery” at the top of the page.

I enjoyed a few days with my family last week, as did Fr. Brandon.  I hope all of you did as well.  It was great to see many of our collegians home for Christmas, as well as other folks who have moved away but were back in town for Christmas.

Once again, I wish to thank you for your kind greetings, the various gifts and all the “health food” you have shared with me and Fr. Brandon and our staff.  You are too kind!!!

Love, Fr. John

Merry Christmas to each one of you!  Fr. Brandon and I, along with all the parish staff, wish you and your family God’s choicest blessings at this time.   We have held you in our hearts and in our Masses and prayers during this sacred season.  We also want to thank you for the various goodies you brought by the office and the rectory, for your many cards and kind words.

I am happy that so many of you were able to join us in the rectory last Saturday night.  As always, it was a great evening and it was so good to see those who were there.  I am always sorry that I don’t have time to really converse with anyone, but it was nice to greet you and to wish you a merry Christmas.

Tomorrow (Monday) is the feast of St. Stephen.  The day after Christmas is not a good day to attempt any sort of parish celebration.  That is why we always try to celebrate in September on the anniversary of the dedication of the Church.   If Santa would bring me that which is on the top of my list, we will be back in our church by the time of that celebration the first week of September.  If that is to happen, he and all his elves will have to go to work with the Granda folks in Spain and with our subcontractors here in Owensboro over the course of the next eight months.

Enjoy this special time with your family.  I plan to spend a couple days in Paducah.  Fr. Brandon will be around but he too will have some extra time to spend with his parents and relatives.

Love, Fr. John

Approximately fifty people have been nominated to serve on the Parish Council.  I have written a letter to each of them asking if they are willing to serve.  On January 1^st, we will draw four names as new members of the Council.  Please pray, asking the Holy Spirit to direct this process.

As you well know, next Sunday is Christmas.  I suspect it will be crowded at most Masses in the CPC basement. The 4:00pm Mass on Christmas Eve is traditionally our largest crowd.  I am asking that if you could possibly attend another Mass this year, please do so.  In addition to the four other Masses that we will celebrate here for Christmas, there is also a 4:30pm Mass scheduled at Blessed Sacrament.

Restoration and Renewal update.  The workers continue to work on the floor.  The mosaic is gone, revealing the beautiful stained-glass window of the Holy Spirit which many of you have never seen.  The wall is opened in the tabernacle niche in preparation for the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, which will be located in that space.  I know that many are curious and would love to see the interior of the Church now.  I must ask you to stay out.  It is an active construction site, and the presence of onlookers could be dangerous as well as an interruption to the workers on site.  I hope that we will soon have pictures of the work on our parish website.

This will be a busy week for most of us.  In the midst of the hustle and bustle, I hope that each of us can find a little quiet time to spend in prayer and reflection, so that we will be better prepared to celebrate the great feast of the Incarnation.

Love, Fr. John

I think we are off to a good start with our use of the New Roman Missal. I want to say a special word of thanks to our Altar Society who provided the various missals for us.   We had to purchase several, and they are not cheap. Hopefully, they will serve us for many years.

Things went rather well for us last week-end as we made our move to the Catholic Pastoral Center.  We got the basement set up in about an hour on Saturday afternoon, and it took us about half that time to put everything away after the eleven o’clock Mass.  We are going to have to do that every week-end, and we are always happy for extra hands. We had a few glitches in our procedures during Mass, but I am confident that we will get all that worked out after a few weeks.  I would like to reiterate what I said a few weeks ago regarding the importance of our ushers/greeters. Your role is always important, but even more essential now.  We need you there well before Mass begins, and I ask you to make an extra effort to welcome people, answer questions, show them the way to the basement, etc. As I have said before, by your warm hospitality you set the tone for the entire liturgical experience. Thank you so much for your renewed efforts.

As we get into the winter months, there are increased demands upon our St. Vincent de Paul Society and other such agencies.  Unfortunately, at the same time a number of our usual volunteers will be out of town for several months.  At this time, it looks like we will be able to staff our parish office only four days a week.  I really would like to continue having personnel in that office five mornings a week.  Therefore, I am asking if there are some of you who could volunteer one morning (three hours) once a month or so.  Please give prayerful consideration to my request and help us serve the needs of the poor in our midst.

I know you are curious to know what is going on in the church.  We have moved the altar, baptismal font and pulpit to Blessed Sacrament, and by the time you read this we should have the tabernacle there as well.  The community at Blessed Sacrament is very pleased to have these items. All the furniture has been removed from the building, and the workers are now taking up the carpet and working to strengthen the floor so it will support the added weight of the marble that will be placed in the aisles.

Don’t forget about our Open House in the rectory next Saturday evening.

Love, Fr. John