I want to use this space to address a statement by Pope Francis made in a recently released documentary. It seems that he voiced support for civil unions for same sex couples. Initially there were commentators who said he was misquoted but later clarifications seem to indicate that yes, he did say this. If you follow Catholic news you know that Pope Francis is accustomed to making inflammatory statements and sometimes, they are contradicting. I have tried to understand him, but I confess my confusion. I would simply remind Catholics that not even the pope can “change” the deposit of faith. They can clarify and/or elaborate but they cannot change it and to do this requires a very specific process with guidelines. When Pope Francis is giving an interview or responding to reporter questions he is not speaking from the authority of his office. These are his personal opinions. They are not binding upon the faithful. Granted, it is distressing when they go counter to the Faith and Tradition. All Catholics are mandated by our faith to pray for the Pope. It would seem that it is more important right now than ever. Please, please pray for him. Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.

This next weekend we will observe All Saints Day at part of our regular Sunday Mass and All Souls day on Monday evening. I want to use this space to encourage you to remember the faithful departed in your prayers and particularly on All Souls day. It has become a popular misconception of our Catholic Faith to assume that all the faithful souls go straight to heaven when they die. Not true. In fact, probably most of us will need the preparation of Purgatory. Purgatory should not be conceived as punishment but rather a final cleansing. When we do a good examination of conscience, we realize we still have some “issues” with sin, a weakness that hampers our holiness. (Holiness is simply doing God’s will.) This will not magically go away when we die. Our perfection and purification requires the consent of our will. The Lord will not force it upon us. We must cooperate. The souls in Purgatory are being purified. Part of this is their prayers. But they cannot pray for their self. That is where you and I come in. The Church prays for them, (Every Mass.) the saints pray for them, and we pray for them. The souls in Purgatory desire this. It is for them like a drink of cool water on a hot day. Exorcist confirm that what many people experience as a paranormal or “ghost” experiences is but a sad soul longing for prayer. You could think of this as paying it ahead. The souls we pray for now will be praying for us now and after our death. Someday they will thank you and you will thank them! Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

This Sunday afternoon a new group of our youth will be Confirmed by Bishop Hanefeldt. It is unfortunate that Confirmation has come to be seen as a type of graduation at the end of an educational experience, leading those who are Confirmed to think, “I’m good, I’m done, I’m out of here!” It is very prevalent and very unfortunate. Confirmation is a sacrament like Holy Orders. It is not a “graduation” but an empowerment by the Holy Spirit to serve the Lord with supernatural grace. If that sounds overstated, it absolutely is not. We should rightly expect the supernatural experience of the Holy Spirit to be active in our lives via the sacraments. But our wrong thinking and bad attitudes get in the way. St. Paul said, “Knowledge puffs up”, makes us prideful. If you don’t believe that hang out with a group of college professors, even seminary professors. It’s the natural and unholy progression and possession of knowledge that causes us to we have arrived at some place of sufficiency and superiority. When Confirmation is seen as a “graduation”, that’s what happens. The attitude of self-pride totally blocks the working of the Holy Spirit. Many Catholics today lament their lack of knowledge and understanding of the faith. They believe that someone failed to teach them, or they fail to expose their mind to the truth. That’s not the problem. The problem is always a lack of proper humility. Jesus made it very clear that a child can understand his truth. So, let us take this occasion to humble ourselves before the Lord and pray for our youth who are to be Confirmed and let us each ask the Lord for a renewal of our own Confirmation. It is only through the lens of our personal weakness that we will see the ever present and supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. We need His help more than ever right now and our youth desperately need it. So, please pray! Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

I want to use this space to address my “brush” with the virus. I have tested negative of the virus and cleared to resume public activity. I am very aware that this worldwide event has been steeped in controversy and misinformation. This has been magnified by its use as a political football to advance agendas on both sides of the political spectrum. I want to make a very simple appeal. THINK OF OTHERS. The virus is real and people I know have died from it. There are others who have been deathly ill from it. And, there are those who have had very minor symptoms, hardly a bad cold, even people with other serious health issues. What is clear is there is a lot about this virus that is still unknown. We do not yet know why some individuals are more vulnerable than others but it does seem evident that closeness and the length of time to exposure increase the probability of contracting the virus and how bad it will get. The dose of exposure seems to be having a direct correlation to seriousness of the symptoms. So be careful! Number one, pay attention to your hands. The mask is the most visible protection. But the most important invisible protection is clean hands and not touching your face. As Christians our faith required duty is to put others first before our own needs and desires. Unless we are being asked to sin, we are all obligated to help and protect others, particularly the weakest. The weakest in this case is the unknown person out there who neither they nor us know to be vulnerable to the virus in a deadly way. Think of them and act accordingly. Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.

Dear parishioners. I have been notified that I have potentially been exposed to the Covid virus. Although my exposure was very brief the Health Department recommends that I self-quarantine till next weekend. As of this writing, I have no symptoms. Daily Masses and Thursday evening is canceled. I will continue to offer Masses privately for the intentions of the parish. Please check the parish website or Facebook page for any updates. Please keep us in your prayers. Fr. Sid We pray the St. Michael prayer at every Mass. You might find this meditation helpful. Fr. Sid. Defending Us in Battle Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. We must not imagine this war as having been one of bodily arms or material weapons, nor of bloodshed, as it is among us: it was a conflict of thoughts and affections. The angel of pride, who is called the dragon, raised his army of angels and said to them: “We are happy in ourselves, and like God, we shall do our own will.” And Michael contradicted him, saying: “Who is like God? Who can make himself equal to him?” From this comes the name Michael, which means “Who is like God?” Can there be any doubt that the name of God will triumph in this war? What can the weak spirits—weak because they are proud—what can they accomplish against the humble army that the Lord has rallied behind him? They fall from the heavens and their place, once so great, is empty. What ravages have been done by their desertion! But these vast spaces will not remain vacant, for God will create man to fill up the places left empty by their treason. Flee, wretched army. Who is like God? Flee before Michael and the holy angels…. O Saint Michael, powerful protector of the holy people, whose prayers you offer to God like incense, let me endlessly join you in saying, Who is like God? O Saint Gabriel, you who were called the strength of God, who brought to Mary tidings of the coming of Christ, whose future arrival you had foretold to Daniel, inspire us with holy thoughts so that we may profit from your predictions. O Saint Raphael, whose name means “the physician of God,” heal my soul of a more dangerous blindness than that which afflicted the holy man Tobit; bind the demon of impurity that attacks the sons of Adam even within the holiness of marriage; bind him, for you are more powerful than he, and God himself is your strength. Holy Angels, all of you ministering servants who see the face of God (Heb 1:14) and whom he has commanded to guard us in all our ways (Ps 91:11), use the aids God has given you for the salvation of his elect, and raise up our weakness