St. Libory Catholic Church

I want to start this off by saying “Thank you” to everyone who contributed to the Diocesan Appeal. We surpassed our financial goal by a +30% and we also exceeded out participant goal. The dollars raised stay within our diocese and support its efforts. These efforts make the parish shine brightly among the diocesan parishes. However, I must keep before you how perilous our future may be. Parishes will continue to close or be consolidated as the shortage of priests continues. (We are blessed with 8 seminarians, the most in over 30 years with more coming next year. But it will be 10 years before this increase will help the situation.) St. Libory’s is experiencing growth. We frequently register new families and have many baptisms. But we are still the smallest parish within a 20 minute or less drive to 5 other parishes. If you have 6 people running from a hungry bear, all that 5 need to do is run faster than the sixth. We are the sixth. And in terms of numbers, we are way behind the other five. Before closing a parish, the Bishop will confer with the area pastors. This is cold realism, but they will primarily see closing us as a benefit to them by receiving us into their numbers. This is a frequent topic of my prayer and meditation before the Lord as pastor. I love this parish. It’s loving, faithful and fruitful. I really do not want it to close. But my prayer always takes me back to, Lord what do you want? I do believe His will is for us to thrive in the same sense that it is His will that His faithful thrive in His grace. But I also know His permissive will allows for the other, as when the people of Israel failed to enter the promise land even though it was His perfect will that they should. I have ideas, but I am only willing to pursue God’s will. Perhaps we could make our interior too beautiful to close. Perhaps we could offer our parish to provide the traditional Latin Mass, which has a growing popularity, especially with younger generations. Perhaps we could enthusiastically promote Catholic education of our children by throwing our support behind G.I. Central Catholic which is rapidly reclaiming its Catholic identity. (This would make us an asset to the Grand Island parishes as we would be helping with their burden of school support and therefore less inclined to desire our closure.) Perhaps we could become a center for adult Catholic learning. We have a hall that would certainly lend itself well to the need. (The pandemic has helped to produce an abundance of programs available via the internet.) Perhaps we could organize to be a vibrant outreach to the surrounding community with the redeeming message of our Lord. Perhaps we could do all of these and more. I realize that I’m dreaming here, but that’s where it starts. What’s your prayer for our parish? What’s your dream? Are we willing to say like Blessed Mary, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” Jesus said, “With God, all things are possible!” Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the holy season of Lent. Here is a rundown on how it will go down. Ashes will be distributed in the traditional manner of the smudge on the forehead. Rome has also authorized another form of distribution that avoids any physical contact, the sprinkling of a pinch of ash on top of the head. So, there will be myself and another distributing by smudge and a third available for those who prefer the sprinkle of ashes. As for Confessions, there will not be a Penance Service. I will however offer extended time in the confessional. Starting the first Saturday of Lent I will be in the confessional beginning at 3 PM till 4:15 PM. I will also be available on Wednesdays after the evening Mass till 7:30 PM or as long as needed. Lent is a particularly good time to do meaningful examination of conscience. It is not for the purpose of making us feel guilty. The purpose is healing. Sin always injures us in some manner. Confessing our sins to the Lord and seeking forgiveness is the application of healing Grace to our wounds. This in turn moves us toward being the person we were created to be, made in the image of God. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

In a little more than two weeks the Holy season of Lent will begin. Ash Wednesday will be different this year. Rome has given permission to apply the ashes by sprinkling them on your head so as to avoid direct contact from person to person. I’m not sure the ladies are going to appreciate that. What I am anticipating doing is offering both, the traditional ashes on the forehead and the sprinkled ashes. Please be aware that it is not required to receive ashes. This is not a sacrament. There would be nothing wrong with coming to Ash Wednesday Mass and abstaining from the reception of ashes. This is a really good opportunity to reflect upon why we receive ashes. It is an act of penance. The Gospel message is introduced with the imperative declaration, “Repent!” It means to turn, to turn from our sins and toward God. That is what Lent is all about, doing an examination of conscience and going to confession, all in preparation for our holiest of days, Easter. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

There are a lot of depressing things in our life brought about by the virus. I thought I would use this space today to point out some positives that have come about. -We are spending more time with those closest to us. -We have come to appreciate the relationships in our life because we miss them. -Due to the anxiety of these times, folks are spending more time in prayer. -We are doing more creative thinking which has been brought about by restrictions to our normal habits of communication and work. -Since we cannot express our affections by our presence, we are expressing it by saying it, like “I love you.” -Due to social distancing, the front pews of the church are getting usage. Humor aside, folks have had to break away from a routine of sitting in a particular place. This gives us a different experience of Mass and an opportunity to be closer to different people in the parish. -In spite of the downside of smartphones, many seniors are discovering the marvel of being able to communicate with their children and grandchildren quickly and easily by such applications as Facetime or Snapchat. There are a lot of things for which to be thankful. In the midst of this medical crisis, we are going through, try to imagine how many lives have been saved by health care providers and their access to the most recent discoveries of medicine. For example, think of the ventilator, it is a fairly recent development. By this one machine, thousands and thousands of lives have been saved. So, when you say your prayer, remember to be thankful. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.