From the Pastor - Palm Sunday

April 8, 2022

Two very different responses to our Lord’s passion are highlighted during the Gospel reading from Luke today: the response of Simon of Cyrene and the response of Jesus’ acquaintances. Of Simon we are told, “They took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus.” Whether Simon entered willingly and compassionately into this service or whether he took up the Cross of Christ with a grudge, we don’t know. What we do know is this: Simon did his part faithfully. He stayed near to Christ, carrying the Cross until our Lord reached Golgotha, the site of His crucifixion. We also know that Simon’s family was among the first early Christians. Staying near to Christ, embracing the Cross (quite literally), transformed his life and the life of his family.

 

In contrast, near the end of this Gospel account, we are told of another reaction to Jesus’ passion and death, namely that “all His acquaintances stood at a distance.” They knew Jesus! They had heard him preaching and teaching, witnessed His signs and miracles, maybe even benefitted personally from them. Perhaps they did not participate in mocking Him or calling for His crucifixion. But they chose to stay a safe distance from Him when the going got tough. Unlike Simon, they refused to go too near to Christ.

 

Where will you place yourself this week? Keeping your distance from all the pain and suffering Christ endured? Or close by, staying near to Him as Simon did? It is when we go near to Christ that we can be transformed by Him. It is by embracing the crosses in our lives, stewarding them well rather than trying to run from them, that we become His true disciples. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2022.

 

Pastoral Pondering – As we begin Holy Week, it is an excellent time to look back over the Lenten season and evaluate how our Lenten journey panned out. For many of us, it is probably a mixed bag. As with New Year’s resolutions, we often make Lenten plans with great enthusiasm and realize rather quickly that the path might be more complicated than expected. If this is a reflection of your own Lenten journey, let not your hearts be troubled. Thankfully, God’s willingness to work in our lives is not dependent on our own capacity to carry out plans once made. While being able to “stick to the plan” does indeed aid an individual in growing in virtue, the lack of the ability neither denies us God’s love nor impede us from reaching out to Him.

 

Whatever the case may be, Holy Week provides a final opportunity to live Lent well. We are called to immerse ourselves in the saving actions of Jesus Christ and allow the grace flowing from the Cross to truly prepare our hearts for the Easter mysteries. I pray that you give yourself over to the liturgies of this week. Take some time to simply be with the Lord. Allow the Lord to tend the soil of your soul and prepare it to receive the New Life that the Father offers to us through His Son. All of the pertinent information regarding the liturgical schedule for Holy Week, may be found elsewhere in this bulletin.

 

Stained Glass Windows – We are most appreciative of all of those who have supported our efforts to adorn the church with stained glass, both the rosary windows and the most recent additions, the saint windows. At this point, all of the stained-glass windows have been spoken for, but there are still windows that do not have complete funding. Nonetheless, we are well on our way to bringing this project to completion.

 

The organ – When the electronic organ was purchased prior to the dedication of the church in 2009, there was hope that it would last for many years to come. However, what we have discovered is that this particular organ has a tendency to fail at various levels. Both Laura and Michael and now Jacob have tried to do “work arounds” to continue using it, but the stops and some of the other elements are falling apart more quickly, and those who service these instruments do not have a great deal of hope in terms of having the repairs actually last for any length of time.

 

With that in mind, I asked Jacob to produce some suggestions and possibilities. The organ, according to the liturgical documents of the Church, has a unique place in the life of Church worship. With the significant number of churches closing up north, we have found some possibilities that would provide us with a worthy instrument for St. Mark. Most of these instruments are not expensive due to the sellers desire to be rid of them. The principal cost rests with the rebuilding and installation along with any reconfigurations of space that might be required. While at present we do not have a complete plan at present, we know that this will be a project that will be required sooner than later. I’ve asked the Finance Department to set up an online selection for the organ project for those who might like to assist with this project. As soon as I have a more concrete plan, it will be shared with the parish.

 

Other items – Our parish celebrates twenty-five years this year just as the Diocese celebrates fifty. The Kerin center has served us well, but the building is showing her age. Thanks to the efforts of the Pastoral Council working in cooperation with Scott Bruno and other staff members, we will be making various improvements over the coming months. The chairs in the main center need to be replaced and the area cleaned and improved. Bathrooms need upfitting and facelifting, and there are always areas that could use a good coat of paint. Just be aware that some of these things will be progressing over the weeks and months ahead.

 

Finally, please know how appreciative I am of the many ways that our parishioners manifest the hands and feet of Christ here in our parish and in the greater community. I pray that God will bless those who have been so generous and supportive. And as we approach the celebration of the Easter mysteries, may God bless and keep you all.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • November 13, 2026
Today's readings remind us that one day each of us will give an account for the gifts God has entrusted to us, including the gift of time itself. In today's Gospel, Jesus tells the familiar parable of the talents. Before leaving on a journey, a wealthy man entrusts portions of his wealth to three servants according to their abilities. Two of the servants immediately put those gifts to work and are rewarded for their faithfulness. The third, acting out of fear, buries what was entrusted to him and returns only what he had received. The tragedy is not that the servant lacked ability. It is that he failed to recognize the privilege he had been given. His master invited him to share in his work, but fear kept him from responding. God extends that same invitation to us. He entrusts each of us with unique gifts and invites us to use them for His glory and for the good of others. May we live each day so that, when our work is finished, we too may hear those joyful words: "Well done, my good and faithful servant... Come, share your master's joy." © Catholic Stewardship Conference, 2026 Pastoral Pondering As we approach the end of the liturgical year and prepare for the beginning of Advent, we are provided with a good opportunity to look back over our year of faith and ask ourselves, "How am I doing?" For most of us, we can find a landscape of positives and negatives, and that is OK. You might say that there is no surprise there because that is simply part of life. Our task, of course, is to always look for ways to grow in holiness and grow our relationship with the Lord. This point is always brought home to me when I attend a funeral, especially the funeral of a priest, which I did earlier today. The priest in question, Father Edward Sheridan, was my pastor at St. Aloysius in Hickory when I was in high school. He was also one of the priests who helped build up the newly formed Diocese of Charlotte in the 1970s. Fr. Ed loved people and always tried to be a source of encouragement to me and others. As I reminisced at this morning's funeral, the thought came that death is the great equalizer. Regardless of who we are, what we have, or where we have come from, we are all going to die. This life is transitory, so we need to be ready. Certainly, the Scriptures that we will hear over the coming weeks will try to impress that reality upon us. As we encounter God's Word and that particular message, let each of us ask for the wisdom to see what we need to see to make next year more fruitful and Spirit-filled, as well as asking the Lord to give us the courage to strive to do even better in the coming year.

From the Pastor - 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • November 6, 2026
Wisdom is at the heart of today's readings. It is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and an essential gift for living the stewardship way of life. As Christian stewards, we should continually ask the Holy Spirit to deepen this gift within us. In today's Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the 10 virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Five are wise, and five are foolish. The wise virgins prepare ahead of time, bringing enough oil to keep their lamps burning. The foolish ones fail to prepare and are caught off guard when the bridegroom arrives. Jesus concludes with this reminder: "Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour." Stewardship helps us live with that same spirit of readiness. When we seek the Lord each day through prayer, the sacraments, and the faithful use of the gifts He has entrusted to us, we keep our hearts prepared to meet Him whenever He calls. That is the wisdom Christ desires for each of us. © Catholic Stewardship Conference, 2026 Pastoral Pondering - Rooting Out Anger Few things disturb the peace of a home, a parish, or a soul as quickly as anger. A sharp word at the dinner table, a resentful silence after Mass, a flash of irritation in traffic-each seems small in the moment, yet the Fathers of the Church warn us that anger is a deadly poison. St. John Cassian, the great monastic teacher whose writings shaped Western spirituality, dedicated an entire book of his Institutes to this vice. His counsel is bracing and practical for us today. Cassian insists that anger must be "utterly rooted out from the inmost corners of our soul." As long as it remains, it blinds the eye of the heart. We lose right judgment, the capacity for true counsel, and even the ability to pray. "The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God" (James 1:20). Whether the provocation seems just or unjust makes little difference: anger covers the eyes of the soul like a plate of gold or lead- the value of the metal does not restore sight. He rejects the common excuse that we may be angry with those who do wrong, or that Scripture's language of God's "anger" justifies our own passion. God is free from all disturbance; the biblical language of divine anger is metaphorical, pointing to His just judgment, not to a human emotion we may imitate. To use it as permission for our own resentment is, Cassian says, to draw from the Scriptures an occasion of sin rather than a remedy of holiness. There is, however, one legitimate use of the energy of anger: we may and should be indignant against the evil thoughts and disordered desires that rise within our own hearts. When we are ashamed of what we would never say or do before others, yet find it stirring inside, we are to rage against that disorder, trembling before the all-seeing eye of God. In this sense the psalmist's "Be angry and sin not" (Psalm 4:4) and St. Paul's citation of it (Ephesians 4:26) are understood: be angry with your own faults, lest the Sun of Righteousness set upon a darkened mind and the devil be given place. Cassian's remedies are simple and severe. First, make a firm resolution never to be angry at all-neither for good reasons nor bad. The moment the passion enters, discernment is lost and the soul can no longer be a temple of the Holy Spirit. Second, never attempt to pray while angry; such prayer is obstinate rebellion. Third, keep daily before your eyes the uncertainty of life and the certainty of judgment. All our other efforts- Mass, fasting, works of charity- profit nothing if anger and hatred alone bring us to eternal punishment. Practically, this means catching the first interior movement of irritation and turning it at once into sorrow for our own impatience. It means refusing to nurse the grievance past sunset, seeking reconciliation before the next Holy Communion, and enlarging the heart with patience so that the "waves of anger" are received and dissipated rather than confined and intensified. Peace, Cassian reminds us, does not depend on the conduct of others; it lies in our own control. In the confessional and in the daily struggle of parish life, I see how often this vice wounds families and friendships. Let us ask the Lord, who is meek and humble of heart, to give us the grace to root it out. May the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and our parish. In other news, due to an unexpected leave, I have been appointed as Vicar General and Chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte by Bishop Martin. While this appointment is expected to be temporary, during the interim, it will make my ability to take appointments rather limited. Please be patient with the office staff as they try to accommodate those needs along with my additional responsibilities.