Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Home
United States
Paola, KS
Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Daily Masses:
8 am

Weekend Masses:
Saturdays - 5 pm
Sundays - 8 am and 10 am Pastor: Fr. Joe Sellas
Secretary: Rexanne Laudan
Office: 509 E.

Chippewa, Paola, KS 66071

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION:
4 to 4:30 pm on Saturday or call for an appointment
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM:
Instructions required; call for an appointment
SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE:
Must notify pastor at least six months in advance

HOMEBOUND PERSONS - Call the office for Holy Communion

08/03/2026

August 2, 2026
OT XVIII [A]: Is 55:1-3; Rom 8:35, 37-39; Mt 14:13-21
The central theme of today’s readings is the care God can take of us, meeting our physical and spiritual needs, if we put our trust in Him. He shares Jesus, His only begotten Son and become Incarnate so that Jesus can be Infinite generosity both prepares us for the Heavenly banquet, and challenges us to share our blessings with others.

In today’s Gospel, demonstrating God’s caring love for us, Jesus fed the enormous crowd of listeners both spiritually by his preaching, and physically by his miraculous multiplication of the apostles’ lunch of five loaves and two fish. This miracle shows the Divinity of Jesus, the providing care of God, and the compassion of Jesus for the crowd. The miracle is also a Messianic sign, identifying Jesus as both the new Moses who fed the Israelites in the desert and the new Elisha who miraculously fed the starving people of Gilgal (2 Kings 4:42-44). The Eucharistic wordings used, and the promise made by Jesus on the following day, that he would give his body and blood as food and drink (John 6:25-70), made the miracle a prefiguring symbol of the Holy Eucharist. More blessed to give than to receive: There was the beggar who sat at the Temple gate every day, begging for his living. One day he heard that
the King was coming to the Temple and he was all excited, sure that the king would give him enough alms so he wouldn’t have to beg any more. He eagerly awaited the arrival of the king but when the king came, the King did a strange thing. Instead of giving alms, he begged for alms himself. Perplexed, the beggar put his hand into his bag and reluctantly placed a few grains of rice into the king’s hands. Thanking him, the king departed, putting back to the beggar’s bag the grains he received, much to the disappointment of the beggar. At the end of the day the beggar returned
home frustrated. But when he poured out the contents of his bag to check his day’s collection, to his great surprise, he discovered a few grains of gold among the rice. How he wished he had given more to the king!

We are shown two attitudes in John’s account (John 6:7- 9) of the Gospel story: that of Philip and that of Andrew. Philip said, in effect: “The situation is hopeless; nothing can be done.” But Andrew’s attitude was: “I’ll see what I can do, and I will trust Jesus to do the rest.” Let us have Andrew’s attitude.

07/31/2026

☀️ Pool Party! 🏊

Don't forget to join us Sunday, August 2, from 6:00–8:00 PM for an evening of swimming, fellowship, and fun!

🍪 Refreshments provided. The weather looks beautiful, so come wrap up your weekend with a big splash! We hope to see you there!

07/29/2026

On July 11, Holy Trinity Church was honored to welcome Archbishop Shawn McKnight for the blessing of our church following its recent renovations and improvements.

We are grateful to everyone whose generosity and hard work made this day possible. May our renewed church continue to be a place of faith, prayer, and welcome for all.

07/26/2026

July 26, 2026
OT XVII [A]: 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12; Rom 8:28-30; Mt 13:44-52
Today’s readings teach us that Faith in Jesus as our God and Savior and sacrificing everything in life to do the will of God are equivalent to discovering and possessing the most valuable treasure or the “pearl of great price”. In other words, keeping a personal relationship with Jesus, remaining in a state of grace, and sharing his view of life are the most beautiful and the most precious things in the world.
God is in charge: Henry Ford (1863-1947) was the famous American motor manufacturer who pioneered large-scale motor production. He was the founder of the Ford Motor Company. A man, who went to interview Mr. Ford when he was very old, was surprised to find him calm and serene. The interviewer asked him, “Sir, are you not worried in your life? You have to face so many problems every day and deal with so many workers. Don’t you feel the strain on yourself?” Henry Ford replied, “No! I am not worried. I believe that God is managing the affairs and He doesn’t need my advice. With God in charge, I believe that everything will work for the best in the end.” – “All things work for good for those who love God” (Rom 8:28),
assures St. Paul in today’s second reading.
Which is more valuable, Harry or the deer? Some friends who went deer-hunting separated into pairs for the day. That night one hunter returned alone, staggering under an eight-point deer. “Where’s Harry?” asked another hunter. “Oh, he fainted a couple of miles up on the trail,” Harry’s partner answered. “And you left him lying there all alone and carried the deer back?” “A tough call,” said the hunter, “but I figure no one’s going to steal Harry.”
— Our Scripture for this Sunday is about discerning and choosing the right path and course of action at the right time, so that we may fully receive and freely share the love of Christ and so inherit the kingdom of God, a treasure everyone is invited to possess and warned not to lose.

07/21/2026

We had a great time celebrating the Women's Group's 4th birthday last Wednesday evening! Thank you to everyone who joined us for some great food, fun bingo games with wonderful prizes, and lots of laughs! We are already working on ways to make next year's event even more special! Our next women's group social is August 19th at 7:00 p.m. in the church hall. All women of the parish are invited!

07/20/2026

July 19, 2026
OT XVI [A] Wis 12:13, 16-19; Rom 8:26-27; Mt 13:24-43
Today’s readings tell us about a very patient and compassionate God
Who is hopeful that the so-called “weeds” among us will be converted.
They warn us that we should not be in a hurry to eliminate such elements from the Church, or society, or the family, based on unwarranted and/or hasty judgment.

Seeds for sale: A woman dreamed one night that she walked into a brand- new shop. Much to her surprise, she found God working behind the counter. She asked God, “What do you sell here?” “Everything your heart desires,” God replied. It was incredible. She was talking face to face with God. “I want peace of mind and love and happiness and wisdom and freedom from fear,” she told God. Then almost as an afterthought she added, “not just for me, but for everyone on earth.” God smiled, “I think you’ve got me wrong, my dear. We don’t sell fruits here. Only seeds.”

Life messages: 1) We need to practice patience and show mercy. Let us patiently and lovingly treat the “weeds” in our society as our brothers and sisters and do all in our power to put them back on the right road to Heaven, especially by our good example, encouragement, and fervent prayer for their conversion. Let us remember that most of us have been “weeds” in God’s field more than once, and God has showed us mercy. God is so merciful that He allows evil to exist in order that what is good may grow. He allows evil to exist also because He can turn it into good. Through the power of the Spirit, God can change even the ugliest thorn into a blossom of Faith. In God’s field, we have two responsibilities: to grow in grace, God’s favor, and to share His Word and love with others.

07/15/2026

Jult 12, 2026
OT XV [A] Is 55:10-11; Rom 8:18-23; Mt 13:1-23
Today’s readings are about the transforming power of the word of God when read, preached, and lived. They also warn us not to be disappointed at the absence of immediate results. We must take a positive and optimistic view of our missionary efforts, as we keep on bearing witness to Christ’s Gospel. The parable of the Sower in today’s Gospel challenges us to listen intently to God’s Word, to be open to it, and to allow our lives to be shaped by its power. The parable reminds us that man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart. Sowing seeds by living the Faith. Bruce Larson tells about a young African woman who came to the U.S. from Angola. Her name was Maria and she was always laughing. One day she went to a meeting on evangelism in her church where they were talking about pamphlets, missions, campaigns, and all the rest. At one point, someone turned to
Maria and said, “What do they do in your Church in Angola, Maria?” “In my Church,” said Maria, after a moment’s thought, “we don’t give pamphlets to people or have missions. We just send one or two Christian families to live in a village. And when people see what Christians are like, then they want to be Christians themselves.”
Life messages: 1) We need to assess our use of the word of God. We need to read the word of God every day, starting with a prayer to the Holy Spirit for the gifts of attentive reading and the ability and willingness to apply the message we receive to our daily living. When we listen to the word of God as read and preached in the Church during the Holy Mass, or in a televised program, we need to pay full attention to the message given by God, Who uses the priest or preacher as His
instrument.

07/09/2026

The Women's Group will be celebrating our 4th anniversary with a birthday party on Wednesday, July 15th at 6pm in the Parish Hall. All women are invited! There will be dinner, bingo, and a fellowship with friends! RSVPs are not needed and no prior involvement is required, just show up at 6pm ready for a great time!

07/08/2026

📅 Save the Date! 🏖️💦

Mark your calendars for the Holy Trinity Pool Party!

📍 Paola Family Pool
🗓️ Sunday, August 2nd
⏰ 6:00–8:00 PM

Join us for an evening of swimming, fellowship, and summer fun with our parish community!

We hope to see you there!

07/05/2026

July 5, 2026
The prophet Zechariah pictures the coming of the Savior/King as a time of peace. Jesus, the Savior/King, has come.
We might ask, considering all the turmoil in the world around us (or, in some cases, the turmoil within us), where is the peace that he is supposed to bring?
Our question recalls that Jesus told us: I do not give you the peace that the world gives. What then is the peace that Jesus brings? He tells us this morning that
his peace is only possessed by the child-like - those who are willing to learn from his gentle, humble lead - those willing to yoke themselves to him. The peace that
Jesus can give is refreshment to the weary and to those who find that this worldly life can be burdensome. To be humble like Jesus means to accept the gracious,
compassionate love of God our Father for what it is - unconditional, always welcoming us into the love of our Father’s home. The Father loves us in the same way that he loves his Son Jesus. Our faults and failings areforgiven even before we ask, and our acceptance of his love is reason for rejoicing, for celebrating.

Gentleness will flow from accepting that God loves everyone else in the same way he loves me - unconditionally. This realization causes me to respect and even reverence others as the place where God’s love is at work - even if that other person is not yet aware that God is loving and working there.
Gentleness is learning to love others unconditionally - forgiving them even before they can say “I’m sorry,” reaching out to fill their needs even before they can say
“I’m in need,” lifting their spirits even before they can say, “I feel down today.”
When I open myself to be grateful for God’s compassionate love for me and am willing to respect his love working in everyone around me, then I am able
to experience the peace that Jesus brings. My soul will find rest from the weariness of the world’s competition and conniving. The burdens of living each day will be
lightened. I will be better able to see the hand of God’s love at work in everything and everyone around me.
May each of us be wise enough to learn the secret of inner peace from Jesus who is gentle and humble of heart.

Address

501 E. Chippewa
Paola, KS
66071

Website

https://holytrinity.weconnect.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Holy Trinity Catholic Church posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Holy Trinity Catholic Church:

Want your place of worship to be the top-listed Place Of Worship in Paola?