St. Patrick Catholic Church

08/30/2026

Our Gospel today, brothers and sisters, picks up from last Sunday’s Gospel. Peter’s confession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ of God, is a turning point. Professing Jesus as the Christ open’s the apostles to some realities about the role of Christ; that is that Jesus will be rejected, suffer and be put to death, followed by the Resurrection, but they don’t “hear” that part, nor do they understand it. Jeremiah, in our first reading, likewise has come to face the reality of being God’s prophet. He says, “You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped.” However, the Hebrew translated here as “duped” is actually very different. It should read, “You seduced me, O Lord, and I let myself be seduced!” God drew Jeremiah in, and the prophet followed, but he has come to realize, in a very mature way, what it means to be a prophet: hardship, rejection, persecution, yet filled with the presence and grace of God. Likewise, Jesus is telling the apostles to break free from immature ways of thinking and acting. To see things as they are, rather than what we would like them to be, or how we would prefer them to be. The road of disciple and apostle is the way of the Cross!
Tuesday is World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, this opens the Season of Creation which lasts until the 4th of October, the Feast of St. Francis, Patron of the care for our common home, our Sister Mother Earth. This year’s theme is Living Water: Immersion in Living Water, based on Ezekiel 47:9, 12. This passage from Ezekiel portrays God’s life-giving water flowing from the temple of God. This river becomes very large and gives life and sustains it richly and abundantly. As Catholics we are challenged to see reality as it is. We have been charged to be stewards of creation, and climate change is an issue which we need to face and find ways to counterbalance humanity’s harsh footprint on our planet. Let this season of creation encourage us to help in enriching the sustainability of our environment, especially this year, the precious gift of water, so that no living creature may suffer from thirst and our crops and forests may produce much fruit for the good of all to share.

08/23/2026

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday, August 23, 2026

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

I was reading a reflection by Desmond Knowles about Peter. He said that Peter is one of the most interesting characters in the Gospel. He said it is amazing that Christ selected Peter as the leader of the church. By human standards, he was a disastrous choice and should never have been appointed. He further said that you could hardly describe him as a stable person because at times he was brave while on other occasions he displayed complete cowardice. When we think of the times that Peter did not display qualities of a good leader, we have to acknowledge that the Lord knew what He was going to do. His call to lead was a most important step in the development of the church. Christ had confidence in him and entrusted him with a mission which was crucial for the continuation of his work.

Peter’s choice is a wonderful example of the power of God at work-using the weak things of this world to confound the strong. With the Lord, all things are possible. The Lord continues to use us, even in our weakness and sinfulness. God bless you.

Reflection by: Fr. Salvator M. Stefula, T.O.R.

08/16/2026

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday, August 16, 2026

My dear sisters and brothers, all our Scripture passages this weekend remind us that God’s plan, from the beginning of salvation history, has been a universal one. The prophet Isaiah tells us that the Lord is open to the Gentiles, not just to the Jewish people. “Foreigners will join themselves to the Lord … for my house shall be called a house of prayer for ALL peoples.” Centuries later, in his letter to the Romans, Saint Paul calls himself the apostle to the Gentiles. Throughout his various missionary journeys, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles and in his letters, Paul brought the message of hope and mercy rooted in Christ’s Paschal Mystery to any who would receive it, and the community of believers, the Church, grew to reflect this reality. The Church, from its very early days was, and is, a kaleidoscope of peoples of every race, culture, language and social status, truly catholic (that is universal) united in one God, one faith, one baptism in Christ Jesus our Lord. Even Jesus gives witness to that in our Gospel today when he recognizes that faith in him can be present even in a Canaanite woman! Christ’s great commission was to make believers of all nations. That mission belongs to all of us. There are no barriers or exclusions to come into the Catholic Church. There must be no divisions among Catholics for we are One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic; in Christ we are all one family, a human family transformed by faith, hope and love. Now and always and forever!

Reflection by: Fr. Alberto Bueno, T.O.R.

08/11/2026

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday, August 9, 2026

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Greetings in the Lord. Our first reading takes us back to about 860 years before Christ. The queen at that time was Queen Jezebel. The prophet Elijah was living in Israel at the time. The queen was not a nice person and tried to lead the people into paganism, but the prophet was trying to keep them faithful to God. There was not a good relationship between the queen and Elijah. She tried to have him killed and to save his life he left Israel and fled to Mt Sinai. This was the place where previously God had made a Covenant with Israel and where He gave Moses the Ten Commandments four centuries earlier. God spoke to the prophet not in thunder, lightning or an earthquake but in the quiet whisper.

How do we pray? Do we always have to speak, or can we sit quietly and hear what the Lord may be trying to tell us. There are times when we need to be quiet and listen to the silent voice of the Lord speaking to us. Fr Grassi once said that if we talked less and listened more it would be better for us and for the church.

May the Lord give you His peace!

Reflection by: Fr. Salvator M. Stefula, T.O.R.

08/04/2026

BINGO & DINNER
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11
St Patrick Social Hall
5:30 PM Dinner
6:30 PM Games
Cost: $25.00
26 games & 4 specials
MUST BE 18 TO PLAY
TICKETS SOLDAT THE DOOR ONLY

08/02/2026

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday, August 2, 2026

My dear Sisters and Brothers, From the times of Isaiah and the other prophets, God has been calling his people to himself. God desires to provide for us, generously, what we most need, that is, God’s very self! The words spoken via Isaiah today express this so powerfully. God gives freely and overwhelmingly, if we but respond. “Come to me heedfully, … that you may have life. I will renew you with the everlasting covenant.” (Isa. 55:3) Jesus fulfills this in today’s Gospel from Matthew (Mt. 14:13-21). With just five loaves and two fish, the Lord provides a much-needed meal for over five thousand people with more than enough for all and plenty of leftovers. This wonderful meal prefigures the Eucharistic Banquet which Christ will ultimately give us, as an everlasting memorial, his very Body and Blood, to sustain us every day of our lives. Because, as Saint Paul so poetically tells us in the eighth chapter of his Letter to the Romans (Rom. 8:35, 37-39), nothing will ever separate us from God’s love in Christ: “For I am convinced that (nothing in creation) … will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s love in so many ways is, powerfully, generously, overwhelmingly, constantly, available freely for each one of us! What more could we ask for?

Reflection by: Fr. Alberto Bueno, T.O.R.

07/26/2026

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday, July 26, 2026

Our first reading is from the first book of Kings. It is a wonderful story of Solomon who succeeded his father David as king of Israel. King David dies about 970 years before Christ. This reading speaks about Solomon’s prayer as he begins his reign. Of all the things that he could have prayed for as he began as king, he chose to pray for an understanding heart that he would reign well. He valued wisdom more than anything else. We have often heard the phrase—the wisdom of Solomon.
Last week, we heard Jesus speak in parables and today Jesus is once again using parables in speaking about the kingdom of heaven, the net thrown into the sea, the parables about the treasure and the pearl of great price.
Jesus is telling us that the kingdom of God and the living in God’s good grace is of the highest value to us. Going to Mass, prayer, keeping the Commandments, loving God and each other is not just a form of insurance that we will be happy in the next life. It is something that we make part of our lives. The kingdom of heaven does not come automatically. We have to invest in it to really possess it OR to have it possess us.
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AUGUST 2, THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS OF THE PORTIUNCULA
We encourage you to make a visit during the day to obtain a Plenary Indulgence.
The conditions to receive the Indulgence are:
+ Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation
+ Attend Mass & receive Holy Communion
+ A prayer for the intention of the Holy Father, Pope Leo
+ Say the Creed
+ Recite the Lord’s Prayer

Reflection by: Fr. Salvator M. Stefula, T.O.R.

07/19/2026

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday, July 19, 2026

Who is God and how does God manifests Godself to us? In today’s first reading, the Book of Wisdom paints a picture of God that is most compelling. God is omnipotent, but God has the “care of all (creation).” God’s might is the source of justice, yet God is lenient to all. Yet, “though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us.” God’s teaching of God’s people is that “those who are just must be kind.” As the first verse of today’s psalm says, “You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.” (Psalm 86:5) even Jesus’ first parable in today’s Gospel tells us the same. The parable of the wheat and the weeds. The owner of the wheat field, who represents God, is patient, waiting for the harvest time to separate the wheat from the weeds so that none of the good wheat may be lost but, rather, saved. What a marvelous God we have! Not only is God patient, lenient, merciful, and patient, but the Lord also sends the Spirit, as Paul writes in today’s passage from his Letter to the Romans, “the Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness,” to accompany and aid us in all things. If we are to imitate Christ, who is a mirror of the Father, then we too must be like Jesus, and the Father, with ourselves and with each other. Let Love, the sum of all that God is, be the source of all our words, thoughts, and actions in our lives. That in this way we may be a mirror of Christ, and the Father, through the work of the Spirit to all we meet, making present God’s kingdom in our world.

Reflection by: Fr. Alberto Bueno, T.O.R.

07/12/2026

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday, July 12, 2026

The Prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people who are being held as captives by the Babylonians. He is reassuring them that they will soon be able to return to their native land. They were in exile for 50 years and it was finally coming to an end. They may have felt that this was not even possible. God is assuring them, through the prophet, that his promise will be fulfilled. God’s word is like the rain. When God sends the rain it does the work of keeping the world green and alive. When God sends out his word, it is not full of empty promises, but it has the power to be effective.

Jesus spoke many times in parables. A parable is a story that has a message. We must be careful to not put too much attention on the story and miss the message that Jesus is telling the people and us.

The parable in today’s Gospel is certainly one of those that is very familiar to us. Jesus is the one who scattered the seed by speaking God’s word to all who would listen. Not everyone responded to Jesus. Some ignored him, some received his message with enthusiasm but quickly forgot or became easily distracted. There were others who took God’s word to heart and grew in God’s grace and love. The challenge for all of us is to listen to the Lord and respond to what Jesus is asking of us so we will continue to grow in God’s grace and love.

Reflection by: Fr. Salvator M. Stefula, T.O.R.

07/11/2026