Pastor's Messages from February 2026

My dear friends, Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever! As I quietly mark 15 years of priesthood, I find myself filled not with pride, but with gratitude. Like Abram in Book of Genesis 12: 1–4, I, too, was invited to leave something familiar and step into the unknown. God said, “Go forth,” and Abram went. The priesthood begins the same way—not with certainty, but with trust. Fifteen years later, I know more deeply that this vocation is sustained not…

My beloved sisters and brothers, Jesus, have mercy on us! Just days ago on Ash Wednesday, we came forward quietly and received ashes. We heard the words, “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It was simple. It was humbling. It was honest. And now, on this First Sunday of Lent, the Church leads us back to the very beginning. In the Book of Genesis, we see a tender…

My brothers and sisters in Christ, Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ! Our readings this Sunday speak both tenderly and urgently to the human heart: “If you choose, you can keep the commandments” (Sirach 15:15). Before us are fire and water, life and death. In His great love, God has entrusted to us the dignity of freedom. We are not puppets of fate nor prisoners of circumstance. Each day—often in small, hidden ways—we stretch out our hands and choose. We…

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ! This week, as many of you know, our Diocese mourns the passing of one of our priests, Rev. Fr. James “Jim” Joseph Ratcliffe. I came to know Fr. Jim when I first arrived in the Diocese, when he was serving as the diocesan liturgist. He was deeply passionate about the liturgy and gave himself generously to the life of the Church. His death invites us to pause…