If you have a smartphone or tablet, I want to encourage you to use the My parish app. This will give you instant access to information about our parish, such as the weekly bulletin, parish events and times, plus information regarding service assignments such as altar servers, ushers, lectors, etc. There will be information about religious education, CCW, Knights of Columbus, the diocese, and others. It is also a great resource for your devotional life. There are links to Mass readings, prayers, spiritual readings, meditations, and Catholic news stories. You can study your faith with FORMED and Ascension. There are inspirational videos available and access to Catholic radio. There are aides for preparing for Confession and you can even set up a reminder for when you would like to go to Confession again. You can arrange for giving online. If you are traveling you can use this app to locate a Mass near to your location. I know many are uneasy about using technology. Yes, it can be overwhelming, especially at first. I got the following advice with my first IPAD, “Don’t over think it and if you cannot figure it out, just ask one of your grandkids.” (This is humbling, but it is also a great intergenerational exercise.) That’s what I did. I couldn’t get the first step going. I asked my granddaughter for help. She reached over and showed me with one touch. Boom, I was off and running! I now do virtually (no pun intended) all my priestly, Liturgy of the Hours on my IPHONE or IPAD. Books are downloaded to my IPAD. The convenience is wonderful. Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.

The Gospel this Sunday recalls the Wedding at Cana which Jesus and his disciples attended. This is very significant in that it is here that Jesus preforms his first miracle. It is also a very important symbol that highlights the importance of marriage and how it reflects the relationship between God and his people. The first book of the Scriptures, Genesis begins with the marriage of Adam and Eve and the last book, Revelations, ends with the “marriage supper of the Lamb”. The collective people of the faithful are the “bride”, and Jesus Christ is the “groom”. In every Mass the priest holds up the consecrated host for all to see and says, “Blessed are those called (you) to the (marriage) supper of the Lamb.” (from Rev. 19:6-9) The family is intended to provide the creative formation of faithful souls living in accord with God’s will and reflecting his truthful love and mercy. Every soul, regardless of their state of life, is to live in relationship to God with the faithfulness of a married spouse. Every man and woman, regardless of being married or unmarried, a parent or not a parent, is to reflect the parental love and mercy of God the Father. We are called to treat those we encounter, with the respect due a father or mother, the fidelity of a spouse and the caring mercy to a child. We continue to witness the decimation of marriage and family and we see the effects in our society. The result has been the darkening increase of untruthfulness, disrespect, and infidelity of all types. What can you do? Love those closest to you with God’s love and you will love those farthest from you also. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

Many of you probably heard that I was out with covid. It’s true and I thought I should address it here so that information is correct. Rumors have a way of getting very distorted. Last week I was routinely tested for covid at the VA. I had no symptoms. The next day I felt like I was coming down with a head cold, scratchy throat, stuffy nose. The VA called that evening to tell me I tested positive. From the symptoms it appears I had the Omicron virus, which is milder than the previous varieties. I developed head congestion, body aches, fatigue, and a minor fever. I coughed a little, but the virus never went to my chest. For the record, I had been vaccinated and received the booster some time ago. Did that make any difference. Perhaps, but there really isn’t anyway to know. There is a lot of misinformation out there. I recall hearing that if you got vaccinated you wouldn’t get the virus. Obviously not true and that seems to be publicly understood now. I would just say be wise. Double check your information sources. When someone says follow the science be sure you understand the difference between science and opinions. Simply saying something is science doesn’t make it science. Science is always supposed to be the quest of provable truth. Fear is not a helpful motivator, but neither is foolishness. Use common sense. Trust the Lord in all events. He will not fail you. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

Here we are going into 2022. We are all hoping that 22 will be better than 20 and 21. Covid is still with us and might be with us for a long time, hanging around like the common cold. There has been ample confusion about most everything. But one thing remains firm, our faith. Covid and all related to it has brought about some measure of rededication to the Christian Faith of many who had ever so slowly drifted away. The jarring craziness going on in our culture and the related controversies has driven folks back to the unchangeable. This is where traditional practices of our Catholic faith take on a securing quality. They are ancient, predictable, constant, and stable. You have probably noticed that we have ramped up the use of the Latin language in Mass. This too can be confusing at first but after a while we begin to understand what we are saying. Unlike the language we use daily, Church Latin does not change in meaning. The words mean the same thing they did 1600 years ago when St. Augustine wrote down his theology. Church Latin is being used by people of many, many different languages, but the Latin is always the same in meaning. We are joined with them in speaking the same words as they do, and the same Latin words used by our Catholic ancestors. It is a reflection of our Savior Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever! Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

Question. What is the miracle of Christmas? It is Emmanuel, God with us. But what does that mean, God with us? Let’s try a non-theological approach. Have you ever eaten a food at a restaurant that was to die for, a place you like to go regularly just to get a special sandwich or dessert? Many times, it’s some small storefront out of the way place that never advertises because they don’t need to. Word of mouth gets them all the business they can handle. Some time ago I did a funeral for a WW2 veteran who died at age 97. For 49 years, he and his wife ran a tavern in a small rural community until their retirement. The members of the community still remembered them with great fondness. It seems they served hotdogs. But it wasn’t just any hotdog. They seemed to have a special recipe to take a regular hotdog and turn it into mouthwatering delicacy. How did they do that? First let me tell you a little more about their tavern. It seems that their business was at the center of community life in this small town. Folks came for meals, old men played cards, folks visited and yes, gossiped. It was the hang out for the kids after school and hometown ball games. They even allowed the kids to have charge accounts for their snacks and the kids always paid on time. But here is the unusual part if you are familiar with taverns. No swearing was allowed. It was a place for families. No one was allowed to speak disrespectfully to others. And the couple who ran the tavern were known for the equally fair treatment of all their customers. They also had a soft spot for anyone who needed help. It has been lamented in the community that their hotdog recipe has been lost to oblivion. I assert to you that it most certainly has not been lost. You see the secret ingredient was hidden in plain view. The secret ingredient is love. Many years ago, I listened to a presentation by the U.S. teacher of the year. His message was very profound and powerful. It was, “Love your students!” Centuries ago, St. Augustine said, “You were created by Love to love!” That is the miracle of Christmas. Love is the giving of self. God gives God’s very self to us as one of us. You see, to be like God is not to display power, authority, or glistening appearance. Rather it is the quiet, generous flow of merciful affection upon another, even and especially someone who does not deserve it. Christmas was the beginning of a story to show us exactly what that looks like in human terms. Emanuel, God with us. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr Sid.

In our continued Advent journey, I want to conclude with the reminder that Mass offers you something you cannot get at home or anywhere other than at a Catholic Church, Jesus in Holy Communion. It cannot be underestimated the incredible amount of grace one receives by worthily participating in the reception of our Lord’s Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity offered to us from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Yes, it is a sacrifice. Sacrifice is mentioned frequently in the prayers of the Mass but unfortunately it has had little explanation from the pulpit or religious education in recent decades. The religious practice and concept of sacrifice is what ties the Old Testament and New Testament together. Throughout the Old Testament, God’s people participated in sacrifice, from the time of Adam and Eve up to the temple sacrifices of the time of Jesus. After the coming of Jesus, we still participate in a sacrifice, the perfect sacrifice of God’s only Begotten Son, revisited and renewed in every valid Catholic Mass. We get to be present and participate, showered with unseen grace and blessing. But we must be present, and we cannot get this anywhere else! It is sacrifice that defines, reveals, and expresses to us the full vision and definition of God’s love, a love we receive and are called to share with the world. Yours in Christ. Fr. Sid.

I want to continue with our Advent journey to come closer to the Lord by the graces of the Mass. The first week I talked about preparation. This week I want to talk about expectation. Question, what are your expectations from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? Preparation and expectation kind of go hand in hand. We prepare for what we expect. The graces of the Mass are abundant. Are we expecting this abundance? Our expectations are informed by our hope and faith. Although the grace is present and given to us, our realization and utilization of the grace is dependent upon our faith. Do I believe what the Lord as said and revealed by the apostles through the Church? (This includes the Bible. Scripture comes to us from the Church. It came from the Catholic Church and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.) Grace is put forth when we use the Holy Water in recalling our baptism, grace is received when we gather with others in Christ, when we praise Him with song, when we receive absolution at the beginning of Mass, when we pray together, hear God’s Word, profess our faith with the creed, revere the Lord as He becomes present in the Eucharist. Abundant grace is put forth in the reception of Holy Communion and a special grace in imparted by the final blessing at the conclusion of Mass. Do you see how many opportunities there are to access God’s grace? It only takes our faith and sincere participation. And here’s a side note: grace is also shed upon your family, work, school, community, state, nation, and the whole world. Think about this. Remember last summer when most all the Masses in the nation were put on hold? What happened in our nation? All hell broke loose, and I mean the devils hell. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass matters and your participation matters! Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

Last Sunday was the First Sunday of the new Church year, Advent. As I have mentioned in the preceding weeks we are going to “journey” together, drawing closer to our Lord through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I want to recap some things I said in last Sunday’s homily about preparation. Advent season is a season of preparation, preparing for the coming of the Lord as remembered at Christmas and our personal preparation for when He comes again, either due to our personal death or His second coming at the end of the age. So here is a question concerning Mass. Are you preparing to meet the Lord in the Mass? How would I do that you might ask. What are you thinking about when you come to Mass? Are you arriving early enough to get “recollected”? Focused? Do you have a proper intention for your presence at Mass? Do you need to go to Confession? Have you come to say thank you, to praise and worship God? These small observances can make a huge difference in your spiritual life. They prepare us to listen more closely to the audible words we read and hear and also to the quiet, gentle nudges of the Holy Spirit. If you are not preparing, I challenge you to commit to it before your next Mass. It will make a difference! Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

I want to talk about our Advent penance service that will take place Wed., Dec. 1st. We did not have any penance services last year due to Covid. Opportunities were offered by extended availability in the confessional. Very few parishioners utilized it. However, non-parishioners did. I realize that folks sometimes prefer to go to a priest who is not their pastor and that’s okay. Perhaps many of you did that last year. But I also suspect that being the creatures of habit that we are, most would prefer the penance service. So, I want you to be encouraged to attend. We will conduct it in the manner we did in the past. Once you have gone to confession you may leave. Children and youth who attend with their parent(s) or grandparent(s) may also leave with them. Otherwise, they need to remain until 7:30 PM, the normal dismissal time of CCD. There will be multiple priest available to hear confessions. I want to also remind you that besides attending to the good of your own soul you are also being a fine witness for our youth. Seeing you going to Confession helps them to realize that this is a practice that needs to continue throughout their life. So please mark this date on your calendar. It will begin at 6:45 P.M. If you are late to arrive, no worries. Confessions will be heard as long as anyone is present desiring the Sacrament. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

This Sunday marks the end of our Church year. The new one begins next Sunday with the beginning of Advent. With this beginning we will be starting the new year with an attempt to engage the Mass at a greater depth. What do I mean? We have a very enculturated misconception of the Mass. We fail to appreciate the many unique ways the Lord reaches out to us through the Mass. I know through conversations that many feel they are not getting much out of Mass. I suspect this is because we have embraced a very narrow view picked up from non-Catholic Christians. They put a huge importance on good preaching and music. Now don’t get me wrong, those items are very important and can powerfully hold our attention in an ideal world they would both be good. But in reality, they are not always so. But here is what must be understood for us as Catholics, preaching and music are not the focus of the Mass. Jesus is, His eternal sacrifice made present for us in every valid Mass. The attention is and should always be Him! Whose attention? Ours! Each one of us! Good preaching and music make it easier, but they are not essential for us to be personally present to the Lord, to worship Him with loving affection. So, during the season of Advent, a season of spiritual journeying, we will utilize the new missalettes and strive to personally engage our Lord’s presence in the Mass by participating and listening through the readings, prayers, and yes, the preaching and hymns. Through the Mass the Lord wants to minister to your body, soul, mind, heart, and the whole of your life. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

Indulgences (From the National Catholic Register). Did you know that you can get a plenary indulgence any day this November? It’s true. The Vatican has decided to grant Catholics who visit a cemetery to pray for the dead on any day in the month of November a plenary indulgence. Usually, the Catholic Church only grants this plenary indulgence for the souls in Purgatory to those who pray in a cemetery on Nov. 1-8, which is the week of the Solemnity of All Souls’ Day. Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Apostolic Penitentiary issued a decree that extended the availability of some plenary indulgences because of concerns about avoiding large gatherings of people in churches or cemeteries. The Vatican has issued the same decree this year during the month of November. The specific Nov. 2 plenary indulgence one can receive for their own soul by visiting a church or an oratory and reciting an Our Father and the Creed, can now also be done on any day in November. What is a plenary indulgence? A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ, Mary, and all the saints to remove the temporal punishment due to sin. The indulgence cleanses a person of all temporal punishment due to sin. However, it must always be accompanied by a full detachment from sin. Conditions to receive a plenary indulgence in all cases: Detachment from all sin, even venial, (If there is no detachment from all sin the indulgence becomes partial but still highly beneficial for the departed soul.) Sacramental confession, Holy Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the pope. Sacramental confession and receiving the Eucharist can happen up to about 20 days before or after the act performed to receive a plenary indulgence. (However), It is appropriate that Communion and the prayer take place on the same day that the work is completed. (If possible) One sacramental confession is sufficient for several plenary indulgences. However, for each plenary indulgence one wishes to receive, a separate reception of the Eucharist and a separate prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father are required. The Vatican decree issued due to the pandemic allows Catholics who are unable to leave their home, such as the sick or elderly, to still obtain a plenary indulgence by reciting prayers for the dead before an image of Jesus or the Blessed Mother. Examples of prayers homebound Catholics can pray include the rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, lauds, or vespers of the Office for the Dead, or by performing a work of mercy by offering their pain to God. (Since St Libory’s has its cemetery next to the church it is very easy to make a visit when attending Mass. The soul you assign the indulgence to does not need to be buried in the cemetery you visit.) Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

I want to give you all a heads up about a change in the missalette that will happen the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 28. It’s not a big change but it is a little different because it comes from a different publisher. So, what is different? The pages are white and easier to read. The hymn selection is a little more traditional. And it was more economical to purchase. We will try it this year and see how we like it. We can always go back to the old publisher, or we could consider investing is hard bound missalettes that would last considerably longer. Right now, the paperback missalettes are only good for one year. The drawback to the hardbound copies is that they contain three years of readings, so they are larger, no dates because you continue to use them year after year. Therefore, folks would find them more difficult to follow. We would also need to add pew racks to hold them when not in use to prevent damage while lying in the pew. With this change in missalettes, I would like to do something special this Advent. First, we will bless the new missalettes. I haven’t done this in the past and we should start doing it. Next, I want to use the Sundays of Advent to encourage more usage. You see the Holy Spirit inhabits every single part of the Mass. Unfortunately, if we are not intentional about His presence, we miss much of what He has for us. So, this Advent we will “journey” together, adjusting our intentions and reception of the many gifts of the Holy Spirit present and available to each of us through the Holy Mass. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

Tomorrow we celebrate All Saints day and the next day is All Souls day. Most Catholics understand the importance of All Saints day but many have a distorted view of All Souls, even conflating the two together as one. So, let’s draw the distinction. All Saints day is for the commemoration of Souls who are in heaven in the very presence of Almighty God in all His glory. All soul’s day is a day to remember those who are deceased but on their way toward heaven but have not completed the passage. They are in the state or process of Purgatory. This is the final cleansing or “purging” of any remnants of sin. It is frequently described as a fire, a suffering. But it is different then the suffering of hell. Souls in hell have no hope or love or refreshment. The souls in Purgatory suffer but with hope and love present. They are aided, comforted, and refreshed by the prayer of the Saints, the Church on earth in every Mass and by your personal prayer on their behalf. It is said in Church teaching that the souls in Purgatory cannot pray for their self. I do not know the answer why, but I suspect it is because they are being perfected of all selfishness. Their experience of receiving comfort by the prayer of others engenders in them the desire and strength to pray for others. So, pray for departed souls. It is an ancient practice of Catholics to say a brief prayer after meals for the poor souls in Purgatory. “May the souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God rest in peace.” We need to revive the pious practice. Pray for all the faithful departed.

“I want to see!” says the blind man in this Sunday’s Gospel. Jesus will tell him that his faith has saved him. He is healed of his blindness. The blindness in this event has a twofold implication. The first is the obvious physical impairment. The second relates to the problematic spiritual blindness that afflicts all of us. It is cause by the presence of sin, sin in the world, sin in our lives, present and past. It is a darkness that pervades our minds and souls, disabling us from seeing truth. With truth gone we begin to accept substitutes which we select by wishful thinking and sensual desires. The Holy Spirit and spiritual insights cannot be perceived. What are we to do about this? The Saints have written volumes on the subject but today I pose a simple answer. “I want to see!” Do you want Truth. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth. Before Pilot he said, “I came to bear witness to the Truth.” He said, “I am the way the TRUTH and the life.” We all need to get pass the notion that we are the personal discerner of what is true. I have to ask myself, “Do I really trust Jesus? Do I trust what he has said?” This is the light in our spiritual darkness. It come as a result of our faith in Him! “Go your way. Your faith has saved you!” Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

I think many Christians get very discouraged when they don’t seem to make much self-improvement in their personal virtue and general spirit life. It’s normal but doesn’t necessarily need to be that way. There are many possible causes. This is why time spent in prayer, meditation upon scripture and devotionals along with self-examination are very important. The answers are not obvious to us and that is the source of our frustrations. For example, it could be caused by our self-pride. In which case applying remedies to other issues will not help. But other than miss identifying causes another major problem is trying to overcome a difficult problem in a day. The author C.S. Lewis once recommended, “Don’t worry about winning the war. Concentrate of winning the small skirmishes and in the end, you will have won the war.” In other words, fight the small battles you know you can win. For example, you know you frequently use the Lord’s Name in vain. You want to stop but it just seems to always blurt out in spite of your very best intentions. Instead to trying to stop entirely, shoot for doing it less by simply keeping count each day. This technique can be applied to many other vices. When a small victory has been achieved, speak a brief thanksgiving to the Lord and reward yourself in a small way. And be patient with yourself. The important thing it to stay close to the Lord by your regular prayer and attendance at Mass. Your willingness to be in His will is all He needs to eventually get you there. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

This Monday will be Columbus Day, a federal holiday. Columbus has come under withering criticism in recent decades, mostly because of the mistreatment of Native Americans that resulted from Europeans immigrating to the Americas. I fail to see how that was his personal fault. The coming to the Americas was inevitable. With the development of better sailing vessels it was only a matter of time, if not Columbus it would have been someone else. Attached to the mistreatment of Natives was the slave trade. These were indeed evil practices and the Church led the way it bringing about their end. I bring this topic up because slavery is still among us and even increasing with very little notice or effort to stop it. One of the distressing attachments to the ongoing influx of people from south of our boarder is young girls and boys who are being brought to our nation to be sold for sexual entertainment. They have no identity, no proof that they even exist, so they are disposable. They disappear in death without notice, without record, without justice. This terrible evil is happening right now in our nation. So, I ask you to be alert. If you come across a young person, (child, teenager, or young adult), accompanied by an older adult and something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. Make mental notes, if you can snap an unnoticed picture with your phone do it, then call 911. You might be thinking, but what if it’s perfectly innocent? It might well be. But what if it’s not and you did nothing? So, watch and pray and by all means, act! Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

This is Pro-Life Sunday, a Sunday set apart to recognize the sanctity of all human life. The primary focus for the last 50 years has been abortion on demand. The Catholic Faith has always taught that willful abortion is morally wrong and considered “grave matter”, meaning it is a very serious sin. Even, Pope Francis who strongly leans toward progressive thought and politics has recently stated in his typical blunt vocalizations that, “abortion is murder.” That said, it must also be recognized that most women who submit to abortion have been pressured to go against their most maternal instincts. Although media will put before you women “celebrating” their abortions, honest mental health providers have observed that abortion always leaves a scar upon the heart and soul of both women and men, haunted by dreams and imaginations of what “might” have been, or more properly, “who” might have been. Parents of aborted children carry deep wounds. It is this whole contorted mess of human death and tortured souls that the Church stands against, and she offers forgiveness and healing. And she does all in her power to bring an end to the barbarity and insensitive disregard for the precious, unrepeatable gift of human life. Stand with the Church, pray for an end of abortion. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

I have some news to announce to the parish. Our parish has been continuously growing and its needs have increased accordingly. I have found it increasingly difficult to meet those needs. As a result, many areas are left unattended. After conferring with the parish council and with their approval we are hiring some assistance. I am pleased to inform you that as of October 1st, Kathy Wieck will be employed 20 hours a week as Administrative Assistant. For the past year Kathy has been working on a volunteer basis with organizing our music. As an employee she will continue this duty. She will also be taking on the duties of Director of Religious Education or D.R.E. This position has been filled for more than 10 years by Donna Placke. Donna has done an excellent job by bringing organization and arranging a curriculum so that our youth are exposed to all aspects of our Faith. Donna will continue as a catechist but feels it is time to pass the baton to another. She has served very well, and we are grateful and happy that she will still be around as a valuable resource. In addition to the duties mentioned above Kathy will also be working up a parish data base to provide for better communication within the parish. This will provide list of various groups within the parish, men, women, youth, families with school age children, new members, singles, married couples, etc., etc. and the best means by which to communicate with them. Thank you Kathy, for coming on board. We are very pleased to have you. May the Lord bless all you put your hand to. Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.

FROM THE PASTORS DESK Next weekend is the annual Junk Jaunt, and our High School youth are participating as a fund raiser. It will be held in the parish hall. Food will be served, and they are solicitating the donation of items to sell as well as food. (Please check sign-up sheet for requested food items.) After Sunday all unsold items will be appropriately disposed. If you wish to reclaim any unsold item, you will need to make arrangements to pick it up by Sunday 1 pm. This is the first time the parish has participated in many years. It was successful then with the exception of the removal of unsold item. Hence, this is why there is requirement of picking up unsold items you wish to keep. You may bring item beginning Wed. Sept. 22 after 7:30 pm (conclusion of religious ed.) through Thur. Sept. 23. For more information or questions please contact Ken Kozisek (308-379-7170) or Beth Kozisek (308-379-1949). Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

This Wednesday we will begin our new youth religious education school year. As I write this we are still in need of catechist for the kindergarten and 5th grade. Why do I say “catechist” instead of teacher? Because a catechist is more than a teacher. They do teach but more than teach, they hand on the Faith, the Faith of the Church, and the faith they personally possess. St. John-Paul said that what the Church needs is not teachers but “credible witnesses” and if a teacher is to be effective, they must be a credible witness. The difference is a teacher might only pass on information. A witness gives testimony, just like a witness does in court. Every one of us bears witness in our world to something by our words or silence, our action or inaction. The “catechist” bears witness to their faith in Christ Jesus as taught by the precepts of our Catholic Faith. By our Baptism and Confirmation every one of us has been gifted to be a witness via the uniqueness of our individual personage, created by God. There is no exemption from this call. Every Christian is to be a witness for the Lord. So, have you prayed about this need we have for catechist. Not everyone is called to this just as not everyone is called to be a priest or religious. But some are. Is it you? Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.