The first weekend praying with the new translation of the Roman Missal went well at Sacred Heart, it went as  smooth as possible. For the past seven weeks, Father Fred, Deacon Jim and I have done catechesis through our homilies.  Parishioners have been grateful for this opportunity to learn more about the Mass in general, not just about the changes found in the new translation. We also used bulletin inserts recommended by the US Conference of Bishops and offered Wednesday... Read more

Jesus could not have been any clearer when speaking to his disciples in today’s Gospel passage.  He tells them the same thing in four different ways: “Be watchful! Be alert! Watch, therefore! I say to all, Watch!” Sometimes we can get annoyed when people make a point over and over again and they cannot seem to move on to the next point.  Yet teachers tell me, one of the keys for students to learn new material, is to repeat the... Read more

The world known Crystal Cathedral in southern California has been the ministry headquarters for the Crystal Cathedral Ministries of Robert H. Schuller since 1981 when the cathedral was built.  Schuller became known through his weekly broadcast of The Hour of Power attracting a large and powerful following.  The cathedral was designed by Philip Johnson and was constructed with 10,000 panes of glass. Crystal Cathedral Ministries began having serious financial troubles last year which led to it declaring bankruptcy.  Just a... Read more

Yesterday afternoon I visited a man at a nursing home in Macon.  He is not a parishioner here, but he is a friend of mine.  Unable to speak due to the stroke he suffered a few months ago, I filled him in with what is going on with me, I prayed with him and anointed him.  I then sat for about fifteen minutes on the chair by his side as we watched TV. While sitting there I remembered when I... Read more

Saint Clement was one of the first bishops of Rome after Saints Peter, Linus and Cletus.  He served as bishop from AD 88 to 97 until his exile by Roman authorities to the Crimean Peninsula where he worked at a stone quarry until his death by being tossed into the Black Sea.  In the ninth century, Saint Cyril, who with his brother Saint Methodius converted the Slavs to Christianity, found the remains of Saint Clement and brought them to Rome.... Read more

Saint Cecilia is one of the early Roman martyrs whose memory has been venerated since early times in the Church.  Originally buried at the catacombs on the Appian Way in the 2nd century, a church built in the district of Trastevere in Rome on the property believed to have been owned by Cecilia’s family now houses her relics.  The relics were moved into the city in the 9th century after Cecilia’s body was found in the catacombs perfectly incorrupt.  Now,... Read more

  Officially the climax of the Mass is the Great Amen, the moment we respond by affirming ‘I believe’ to the whole Eucharistic Prayer.  We affirm that we believe that Jesus died for our salvation, that He rose from the dead giving us eternal life and that he is with us, present in the Eucharist. Today I will speak about what I have always unofficially considered the climax of Mass.  It’s the moment when the priest breaks the large host... Read more

This is the third installment of a series on immigrants in the Diocese of Savannah. by Dana Clark Felty Ed Sienkiewicz, Jr. can’t help but think about his own grandparents when talking about immigration. From his mother’s side, they came from Italy.  From his father’s side, they came from Poland.  Both immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century by following the appropriate – though time consuming – legal channels to citizenship. “I’ve always had a touch of... Read more

Earlier this week I turned on my car’s radio and tuned to one of my preset stations as I drove down Highway 96.  I couldn’t believe my ears, they were playing Christmas carols.  Suddenly I passed a house already completely decorated for Christmas.  What ever happened to putting up Christmas decorations Thanksgiving afternoon? Thinking about Christmas decorations reminded me of the Charlie Brown Christmas gingerbread village my hallway in seminary created for Christmas 2008.  I remembered taking pictures, but I couldn’t remember... Read more

Saint Albert, bishop and doctor of the Church, died in the German city of Cologne on the year 1280.  A faithful Dominican friar, he was one of the greatest minds of his times.  As a natural philosopher and theologian, he was not afraid to explore the relationship between science and religion.  He revolutionized contemporary theology with his knowledge of Aristotle and passed this on to his most famous pupil, Saint Thomas Aquinas. His tomb below is at the Dominican church in Cologne,... Read more