St. Thomas More Catholic Student Parish

09/06/2026

Due to scheduling conflicts, we unfortunately will not be able to offer a livestream for 10:30am Mass 9/6/26

09/05/2026

https://youtube.com/live/HJdCBZxfp8Y?feature=share

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Hello and happy Wednesday! Today, WMU officially opens up their academic semester, with KVCC and K-College right around the corner!
The Vatican News report that “Pope Leo XIV released the ‘Pray with the Pope’ video accompanying his prayer intention for the month of September 2026, which was ‘For the care of water.’ In the video produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the Pope prays that water may be a ‘source of fruitfulness, freshness, and hope,’ and recognizes that water is ‘a right without borders.’

“Water, he says, ‘quenches thirst, nourishes the earth, and heals wounds,’ as well as serving for Christians as a symbol of God’s grace and love for us and our renewal in Baptism. ‘Forgive us for turning it into a commodity, forgetting that it is a universal gift, a right without borders, meant for all your children,’ he prays. ‘We see with pain so many brothers and sisters who lack clean water, who walk for miles to find it, who become ill due to its scarcity.’ Pope Leo goes on to pray that the Holy Spirit may make Christians ‘pilgrims of the essential,’ who are able to live simply and avoid all waste or pollution.

“He encourages us to defend everyone’s right to water, so that all may drink ‘without fear and without inequality.’ ‘May our care for water be a sign of love for the Creator and a commitment to the lives of the poor, educating new generations to value and protect the Earth’s resources,’ he concludes.

I hope you have a blessed day! Take care!
Peace,
Fr. Paul

09/01/2026

In today’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus astonished people because he teaches with authority and commands demons with authority and power. What is authority? What is power?

This demon calls out Jesus, seeking to “out” him as the Holy One of God. This demon hopes that revealing Jesus’ identity might lessen or usurp some of Jesus’ authority and power to rebuke and expel it. Instead, Jesus silences the demon and commands that it come out of the man.

The demon obeys Jesus and leaves the man without hurting him.

Power is the ability to act. For example, I can use a brick to build something, to hold a door open, or I can use that same brick to smash something. Power is neutral; it can be used for good or evil.

Authority, on the other hand, is the “capacity to author life in others.” It comes from the root word “author.” God is the author of all things, that is, God is the creator of all things. Thus, authority in Jesus flows from God’s creative power to teach, heal, preach, expel demons, and raise people from the dead. Jesus’ authority and power is always used for good.

Jesus is an extraordinary teacher. He teaches from the authority of God the Father within him. He speaks directly to our hearts in love, calling us to live in self-sacrificing love. This love calls us, because he wants to give us the fullness of life that is found by giving ourselves away in love as he does.

08/31/2026

Monday, August 31, 2026
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Hello and happy Monday! Happy return to school as all the public schools are open now! WMU will start their semester this week: KVCC – starts next week; K-College to return by mid-September! It’s great to see new and returning students!

According to the Vatican News, Pope Leo in his Angelus address yesterday reminded us that, “In our life of faith and in our prayer, may we have the same sincerity as Peter, humbly telling Jesus what we truly feel, even when our hearts are confused.”
…“In his catechesis, the Holy Father recalled the day’s Gospel reading according to Saint Matthew, in which Jesus reveals to His disciples the mystery of His impending Passion, Death and Resurrection. The Pope acknowledged that what the Lord says is a far cry from our expectations of a triumphant and powerful Messiah, with whose help they would defeat their enemies, and how Peter expressed his disagreement and, surprised and disappointed, rebuked Jesus, saying to Him: ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’ The Pope suggested that this makes us think about our human nature.

“‘For us, too,’ he acknowledged, ‘it is not always easy to understand and accept God’s ways, especially when they are very far from our own.’ He also recognized that ‘the temptation arises, against all the reasoning of faith, to think that the Lord is the one who is wrong,’ or ‘worse still, that He is not listening to us or is not concerned about us.’

“Faced with this uncertainty, Pope Leo underscored that Peter, even in his impulsiveness, teaches us two important things. ‘The first is, even in such moments,’ he said, ‘never to cease our dialogue with the Lord.’ Instead, he proposed, ‘we are confidently to tell Him our difficulty in understanding what He is asking of us.’The second, he continued, ‘is never to judge God’s work, but rather humbly and prayerfully to listen to what He is revealing to us through His actions, even when they do not meet our expectations.’

“Pope Leo noted that the greatness of the first of the Apostles is also evident in this.
Pope Leo recalled that Jesus replies, ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ and explains to him and the other disciples that, to follow in His footsteps, they must deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him, pointing out to the faithful that ‘Peter will do just that.’ ‘After listening to Him, Peter,’ the Pope said, ‘will accept the challenge and remain faithful to the words of Christ, whom he has recognized as his Redeemer, for the rest of his life, even unto martyrdom.’”

I hope you have a safe and blessed day!
Peace,
Fr. Paul