StAndrew Apostle Parish

06/02/2014

A few weeks ago, on Good Shepherd Sunday, I mentioned how important it is that we be praying and supporting vocations, because our diocese finds itself in a very difficult situation now. We’ve been able to manage up until this year – but now the reality of the shortage of priests has begun to hit – as a number of parishes lose their full-time priest and are “twinned” with other parishes. Fortunately, that’s not happening to us.

But, whenever the diocese moves one priest – the domino effect is that there are usually three other moves in connection with it. And this year, with 7 open parishes, there’s lots of shifting going on.

And Bishop Gainer has placed me into that mix. After what has been a wonderful 5 years for me here at St. Andrew – bishop has reassigned me as pastor of St. Francis Xavier parish in Gettysburg, effective June 23.

Someone asked me one time if it was hard to move from parish to parish… I remember saying that I thought there were two ways to live priesthood – one where you didn’t really get invested or involved in a lot of people’s lives – and when you move, it’s no big deal. OR, you can really invest yourself, get involved in the lives of your parishioners – and, when it’s time to leave, have your heart ripped out. Well, that’s the way I choose to live my priesthood.

This move will be very difficult – because it has been a WONDERFUL 5 years here at St. Andrew. I simply pray that all the spiritual growth we’ve made together will continue – and I won’t be that far away – so I’ll be checking on you to make sure!

Let me take this moment to thank ALL of you for your love and support. I will miss you all terribly – but I know that a reassignment by the Bishop is God’s will for me – to continue to build up a different part of His kingdom here in the Diocese of Harrisburg.

Next weekend I have drill (of course) – since Fr. Doerr has returned to Indiana for the summer, Fr. Gotwalt – my pastor when I was in Hanover – will be here next weekend. Then, we’ll have two more weekends together before the changes take effect. We’ll plan an opportunity for a farewell party – so keep your eyes on the bulletin next weekend…

05/13/2014

CATHOLICS! Now that the black mass has been exposed and people understand how precious our Lord is in the Eucharist, BE ADVISED! Protect Him at all cost! Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: be not afraid to tell people to consume our Lord at the time they receive Him. better safe than Sorry! PROTECT OUR LORD in the EUCHARIST!

05/08/2014

http://www.romereports.com/pg156755-vatican-s-homepage-gets-a-facelift-en

May 8, 2014. The official Twitter account of Pope Francis was one of the main driving forces.

04/28/2014

Here are some photos from our "St. Andrew Wilderness Outreach" weekend.

04/27/2014

http://youtu.be/CUd4ifViFBU

In this Word From Rome video series, I'm reporting live during the 2014 canonizations of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII. Journey with me as we watch t...

04/21/2014

http://youtu.be/zWc1n0ZUNtg

Part of Fr. Robert Barron's daily Lent reflections. For more uplifting meditations and advice, subscribe free at http://LentReflections.com.

04/19/2014

http://www.lentreflections.com/jesus-descends-into-hell/

Today we commemorate Holy Saturday, the quiet, somber interlude between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Instead of sharing my own reflections I’d like to share this ancient homily, written by an anonymous source. It brings to life that stirring line in the Apostle’s Creed: “He descended into hell.” …

04/18/2014

http://youtu.be/H_xI8rztHd4

Part of Fr. Robert Barron's daily Lent reflections. For more uplifting meditations and advice, subscribe free at http://LentReflections.com.

04/17/2014

http://www.lentreflections.com/holy-thursday-the-initiation/

Christianity is a revolutionary religion. It turns everything upside down, reversing the values and expectations of a sinful world. Throughout his life and ministry, Jesus tried to inaugurate people into this new world that he called the Kingdom of God.

04/16/2014

http://www.lentreflections.com/the-path-of-dispossession/

They are some of the harshest, most shocking words that Jesus speaks in the Gospels: “Anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

04/15/2014

http://www.lentreflections.com/flowers-in-the-desert/

We began these daily Lent reflections by noting how Lent takes us into a spiritual desert. Biblical people knew all about the desert: Abraham has to cross it to get to the promised land; Moses and the Israelite people have to go through it to get home; Joseph is sent into Egypt and prison before he…

04/15/2014

http://www.lentreflections.com/the-revolutionary-message-of-palm-sunday/

The texts that Christians typically read on Palm Sunday have become so familiar that we probably don’t sense their revolutionary power. But no first-century Jew would have missed the excitement and danger implicit in the coded language of the accounts describing Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem just a fe...