Saints

Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 06/24/2018

Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist Vigil                                                                            Day Jeremiah 1:4-10                                                          Isaiah 49:1-6 Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17 (6b)                             Psalm 139:1-3, 13-14, 14-15 (14a) 1 Peter 1:8-12                                                              Acts 13:22-26 Luke 1:5-17                                                                 Luke 1:57-66, 80 June 24,…

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St. John Fisher, Patron of Our Diocese

By Fr. Jeff | 06/20/2018

Homily for June 2018 Holy Hour Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15 1 Peter 4:12-19 Matthew 10:34-39 On the general saints’ calendar, June 22nd, which is this Friday, is an optional memorial of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More…

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St. Isidore, the Patron Saint of Farmers, and Holiness

By Fr. Jeff | 05/15/2018

Today is the Memorial of St. Isidore.  Actually, it’s an optional memorial but I chose to use the opening prayer and antiphon for St. Isidore at Mass this morning for three reasons. First, because he is the patron saint of…

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From Too Many Priests to Too Few Priests

By Fr. Jeff | 01/05/2018

Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. John Neumann, the first American to be canonized.  He was born in 1811 in Bohemia in Europe.  He was studying to become a priest there when the bishop there announced there would be no…

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The Feast of Saints Simon and Jude

By Fr. Jeff | 10/28/2017

Today (October 28th) we celebrate the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude.  In the gospel reading for this morning’s Mass, we hear both Saint Simon and Saint Jude named among the twelve that Jesus had chosen to be Apostles. Simon…

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Homily for the Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael at St. Michael’s

By Fr. Jeff | 09/29/2017

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels Revelation 12:7-12a Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5 John 1:47-51 September 29, 2016 Today is officially called the Feast of Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels.  They are the three angels found by name in…

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A Saint for the Eucharist

By Fr. Jeff | 08/02/2017

This week our calendar of saints has included saints who were founders of religious orders.  On Monday, July 31st, we celebrated the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola who founded the Jesuit order (S.J., who run McQuaid high school in…

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St. John Fisher and the Fortnight For Freedom

By Fr. Jeff | 06/22/2017

Today, June 22nd, is the Optional Memorial of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More.  In the Diocese of Rochester (United States), St. John Fisher is the patron saint of our diocese.  That means for our diocese today is a…

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St. Francis of Assisi

By Fr. Jeff | 10/04/2016

Today, October 4th, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi.  He is among the more popular saints.  I myself have read biographies about him and have a picture of him sitting on a table in my sitting room.…

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Feast of St. Michael – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 09/29/2016

This evening we celebrated a special Mass followed by a dish to pass supper to celebrate our parish feast day.  We were blessed to have about 100 people join us. Thank you to all who helped, especially the Altar &…

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All Saints Day 2015 – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 11/01/2015

All Saints Day, Year B Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 1 John 3:1-3 Matthew 5:1-12a November 1, 2015 While we might not know a lot about the saints, they are familiar to us.  Often our churches are named…

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The Solemnity of All Saints

By Fr. Jeff | 11/01/2013

Today (November 1st) we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints.  There are many saints known by name.  When I asked our parish school children to name some saints, half of their hands went up immediately.  Saints are important to us. …

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Saints & Purgatory

By Fr. Jeff | 11/06/2012

While we can always be mindful of those who have gone before us, November is considered a special time to pray for the dead.  We begin the month on November 1st first with the celebration of All Saints’ Day.  Anytime…

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The Solemnity of All Saints

By Fr. Jeff | 11/01/2011

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints.  It is a holy day of obligation, meaning that we should all gather at Church for Mass today.  It is a solemnity and a holy day of obligation because of the important…

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The Saints Are Examples To Us

By Fr. Jeff | 03/19/2011

When we think of saints, the first thing that comes to mind is often ‘people that are in heaven.’  The second thing that might come to mind is that we pray for their intercession.  I emphasize ‘for their intercession’ because…

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Lord, This is the People That Longs to See Your Face

By Fr. Jeff | 11/01/2010

“Lord, this is the people that longs to see our face.” This is the responsorial verse for today’s readings.   Today we celebrate the feast of All Saints.  Throughout the year, there are countless saints who are honored with a feast…

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Remembering the North American Martyrs

By Fr. Jeff | 10/19/2010

Today (October 19th) we celebrate the memorial of St. Isaac Jogues, St. John De Brebeuf, and their companions.  They are the first North American Martyrs to be officially recognized by the Church.  They are part of our heritage as American…

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