“Each marriage is a kind of ‘salvation history,’ which from fragile beginnings — thanks to God’s gift and a creative and generous response on our part — grows over time into something precious and enduring.” // Pope Francis

Valentine's Day serves as the culmination of National Marriage Week, a week that Catholics celebrate each year. The 2025 theme for National Marriage Week is 'Marriage: Source of Hope, Spring of Renewal. Pursue a Lasting Love!' 

As we celebrate marriage this week in our Jubilee of Hope, we want to recognize two couples from our family of parishes who met in their youth at one of our family churches and have grown together in faith since as husband and wife. Throughout their marriage journeys, they have turned to their faith as a source of hope and renewal, recognizing that God is the piece that holds them together.

Andy and Noelle were married in June 2005 at Noelle's childhood parish in Fishers, Indiana. The two found themselves primarily focused on the liturgy of their wedding day, inviting friends and family to participate as altar servers, lectors, cantors and Eucharistic ministers.  It can be easy to get swept up in the fun and excitement of the reception party, but the true celebration was the Mass and the sacrament itself.

What incredible stories of love that have grown from our parishes; we are inspired by their witness to God's love in their marriages. To say it best, Noelle shared some knowledge for other couples:

This past weekend, two of our parish staff members were honored at the Center for the New Evangelization Appreciation Banquet. This annual banquet recognizes and celebrates evangelists across the Archdiocese of Cincinnati who go above and beyond to share the Gospel and bring people closer to Christ.

One staff member who received an award at this year's banquet was our very own pastor, Fr. Brian Phelps! Fr. Brian received the Radiate Christ Award for Parish Evangelization.

His program bio read:

"Fr. Brian Phelps is the pastor of Our Lady of Light Family of Parishes in Centerville and Dean of the Emmanuel Deanery. He was ordained a priest in May 2014 and eventually appointed pastor of Our Lady of Light in July 2022. Fr. Brian was nominated for the Radiate Christ Award by an OLL parishioner. In her words, 'Fr. Brian [has] done an incredible job leading Incarnation and St. Francis through the Beacons of Light transition... the joining of our parishes into one larger family has been both spiritually enriching and organizationally practical... on a more personal level, Fr. Brian's counsel and guidance have been very helpful to me... His gentle and patient guidance and generosity with his time really made a difference for me.'"

Our second staff member who received an award at this year's banquet was our Digital Communication Specialist, Sarah Chivers. Sarah was the first to receive the Radiate Christ Award for Communications, a new category for the 2025 Radiate Christ Awards.

Her program bio read:

"Sarah Chivers is the Digital Communication Specialist at Our Lady of Light Family of Parishes in Centerville. Sarah demonstrates an amazing ability to use her creative skills to promote the Family of Parishes and evangelization happening locally and nationally though their social media, website, and other digital mediums. Sarah has a knack for using photography and video to share the story of the OLL Family of Parishes and God's calling to people throughout the Archdiocese and beyond."

Congratulations to Fr. Brian and Sarah! We are so thankful to have such innovative and motivated staff members serving our family of parishes.

We are less than a week away from Christmas.  Advent always seems to go fast.  Granted it is only 4 weeks long, yet it seems way too fast to prepare for the day we celebrate God entering the world as a human being, a baby born of the Virgin Mother. 
 
When we recount the story of birth of our Savior, we see the struggle of a young family who is trying to just make it to Bethlehem so that they can be counted by the Romans.  As they arrived, we remember there was no place for them to stay.  So they stayed in a stable and Jesus was laid in a manger or a food trough for animals.
 
This seems like the most illogical beginning of a story for someone who is the Messiah.  Yet, that is the point.  God enters into the world to take on and transform the human experience of original sin into the redeemed children of God.  The lowliness and poverty that Jesus takes on tells the story of the human experience.  We are all lowly and poor due to our fallenness and sinfulness.  God in his goodness and mercy takes that on so the we may be raised up out of that state and be restored to the people God created us to be...in His image and likeness.  We were not created to be lost, broken, and disillusioned.  We were created to live in the peace and love of God's life.
 
Yet, that is the story we all walk... the hospitality of the manger.  God invites us into a new relationship.  We walk knowing that our sinfulness can weigh us down, the Incarnation of God becoming human in Jesus Christ heals, restores, and makes us new again.  God rescues us from ourselves and reforms us in his likeness.  

Over this Christmas how can our hearts be the manger for Jesus.  A place where he is welcomed to stay and be kept warm, so that he can make our hearts ready to welcome all those around us.  God shows us the axiom belonging leads to believing.  We belong to God first, and He guides us to greater belief and faith in Him. 
 
This Christmas, let us make sure we are saying hello to people around us.  If they are new to you, please ask them if they need anything.  Be ready to welcome someone you may not know into the pew next to you.  We will be welcoming many people this Christmas, how can we help others and see Christ when they arrive this year.  Belonging leads to believing.
 
This January into spring we have an opportunity for all those who have not yet gone through the Rescue Project. Come and check it out. Ask those who have gone through it already of their experience.  The Rescue Project helps us to renew our relationship with God and those around us.  Please take some time to check it out.  
 
Let's make our hearts like the manger, so that Jesus may always be welcomed into our heart.  
 
Have a blessed Christmas!
 
In Christ,
Fr. Brian

Looking at the pictures above, you wouldn't necessarily know that there is a visiting priest present for Adoration. You wouldn't know that there are mothers or fathers or students, you wouldn't know who's retired or who just started a promotion at work. You wouldn't know anyone is celebrating a new stage in life or struggling with some difficult news. You wouldn't know anything about the people present except that they are children of God.

Adoration is an experience for people at any stage of life. Think of God as your grandparent that lives across the country - He wants to hear from you through prayer like your grandparent wants to FaceTime to see how you're doing and ask what's new. He wants to be a part of our lives, even the parts that feel mundane to us. While we may just be silhouettes in Adoration, God sees each of us individually. Before He formed us, He knew us, and He wants to continue that relationship with us throughout our human experience. 

As part of that human experience, it can be hard to find the time to participate in scheduled Adorations or XLTs. We're overwhelmed with busy schedules, we spend all day at work and school and with our children or grandchildren, then we go to our second jobs, our after-school jobs, we have chores and yard work to do and dinners to cook and bath time and bed time and time for exercise and hobbies. The last thing we may think about is setting aside time to simply be and put a pause on all of that busyness to spend quiet, peaceful time before the Blessed Sacrament.

"In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host." // Pope Benedict XVI

As we prepare to enter the Advent season in the coming weeks, we invite you to join us for hope and rest, especially in Adoration and other prayerful opportunities offered by our family of parishes. Bring your family, bring a friend, bring an open heart and an open mind. Know that you are worthy and welcome to any Adoration, XLT or other prayer event at either Our Lady of Light campus. Whether you are...

• Catholic or exploring Catholicism 
• With kids or without
• A student or retired
• A parishioner at one of our churches or from the surrounding community
• A sinner or a saint

You are welcome. Find peace with us in the midst of our busy lives.

When I was first ordained, I was approached by our priest personnel committee to see if I would take on being the chaplain for the Legion of Mary in Dayton.  I told them that I was happy to do so.  My grandmother was in the Legion of Mary, and I thought it was a good way to remember her.

As I began learning more about the Legion, I learned about Servant of God Frank Duff.  Frank Duff started the Legion of Mary in his small parish in Ireland in 1921.   By the 1940's, the Legion spread to other continents including Africa and Asia.  In 1965, he was invited to the 2nd Vatican Council as a lay observer, and when he was introduced to the assembly he received a standing ovation.  

The Legion's purpose is in devotion to Jesus through Mary and also multiplying the work of the priests by visiting the sick, communion to the home bound, and serving the poor.  His cause for sainthood is now up, so servant of God Frank Duff... pray for us!

The Gospel on Tuesday morning was about how the mustard seed exponentially grows beyond itself.  The same way, God grows us beyond we ever thought we could.  Every Saint starts by being baptized, and then grew in faith with God's grace through works of mercy, prayer, and growing in community with each other.

We begin the same way as all the Saints...in baptism.  

On All Saints Day, we celebrate all the Saints, the canonized and those only known to God.  On this day, we get a chance to remember all those in heaven, which could include all our family members.  

We all start out as saints when we are baptized.  God then grows us as the mustard seed to grow beyond our shell and become the flourishing disciple of Christ that He calls us to be.

Have a blessed rest of your week and see you at Mass.

In Christ,
Fr. Brian 

Every year we train new servers and every year we talk about why the church has statues, sanctuary lamp, candles, etc.  They all have a significant meaning for us.  One day a very astute kid asked..."I get white is for heaven, gold is for celebration, purple is for penance but why green?"  I had to laugh a second but the kid was very serious when asking this question.  

On that day, I said that Ordinary Time is the time where we listen to what Jesus said and did, to help us grow to be more like him.   My answer didn't seem to satisfy him and he just said okay.

This is what I wish I said that day:  Green represents hope, life, and anticipation of growth just as new flowers and trees blooming do.  It is a sign of life, and of nature that reflects our hope and growth in our spiritual lives as children of God.  We listen to what Jesus said and did, so that we may emulate him in our life and be more like him every day.  This is because we are made in his image and likeness.  We are renewed every day like a new rose growing.

Ordinary Time is the longest liturgical season at 34 weeks yet we think of it as just a filler for Advent, Lent, Christmas and Easter.  Those are the high holy times of the year where we celebrate the coming of Christ at Christmas and await his second coming at the end of time.  We celebrate our Lord's life, passion, death, and resurrection and the ascension into heaven.  

Ordinary Time is the hinge between those seasons and not a filler of time. During this season we sit at the Lord's feet to listen to him and see what he did.  It is more than just "What Would Jesus Do." It is What did Jesus do, say, and how does he want me to follow God as a child of God.  This is the time we hone our skills of prayer and missionary zeal of being a follower of Christ.  

We have 8 weeks left of Ordinary Time until advent.  How can we take these 8 weeks to be more intentional of prayer and more generous of our time, talent, and treasure to our community, our family of parishes. Let us realize that God has given us all that we need to preach the Gospel, and our faith is not meant to be dull.  

It is meant to be an adventure that only God can send us on.  There is nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time...it means ordering our life to be like Christ.  

We have 8 weeks....how can we live that missionary faith of time, talent, and treasure and live as Christ calls us to live?

I hope you have a blessed week and a blessed time of growth over these next 8 weeks.

In Christ,
​Fr. Brian

"If early one morning you see a tight group of men praying together while you are picking up your carry out, look closely, they may just be TMIY parishioners from Our Lady of Light."

Chris Bramlage, a member of the That Man Is You group at Our Lady of Light, is always inspired by the number of men who meet bright and early on Saturday mornings for fellowship with other Catholic men and to grow in deeper understanding and appreciation of their Catholic faith. With over sixty men in attendance, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is stirring a desire to make godly men in our community.

"In the OLL TMIY program, I have found authentic Catholic fellowship. We openly share our troubles and victories over worldly things as we try to focus on the eternal. I have made some lasting friendships with men where I feel comfortable sharing anything with them. They listen, empathize and console," Chris explains.

One powerful thing about this community of men is their commitment to each other. "They push me to confession, conversion and toward Christ," Chris says. Holding each other accountable in their Catholic faith is a powerful part of their mission - in a world where it is difficult to find connection, they stand beside each other and help each other get to Heaven.

​Community is vital to a strong Catholic faith. We are not meant to live this life alone: God created us to be a people who need one another. As it says in the book of Proverbs, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (27:17).

One article from Ascension Press said it well in regards to how the world so largely functions online today:

"Rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide have all been rising over the past 20 years. It’s no wonder people are afraid. They have few real friends and are being isolated further and further from reality and the ability to engage in lasting, fruitful relationships. Yet, “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). We who live in an authentic Catholic community are able to live in faith, hope, and love. It is only through this exchange with others man develops his potential and thus responds to his vocation (CCC 1879)." (The Power of Catholic Community by Ryan Welch)

We at Our Lady of Light recognize the importance of community with one another. With various groups for all adults, for men and women, and even for those in specific stages of life, our community groups are vital to the strength of our community. We hope that you will find a community that helps you search more deeply for God in your life, and encourages you to support your brothers and sisters in Christ in their faith journey as well.

For more information about That Man Is You, as well as our other men's and community groups for Our Lady of Light, please visit www.olldayton.org/communities

“Speak less to Augustine about God and more to God about Augustine.” -St. Ambrose to St. Monica

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine of Hippo.

St. Monica's story is one that takes many twists and turns. Often we look at the lives of the saints and feel like sainthood is unattainable. But the saints, while very holy people, weren't perfect and didn't have perfect lives. They had their own vices and their own obstacles in life. It was how they trusted in God and asked Him for strength during these difficulties that made them qualified for sainthood. Once they found their way to God, they did not turn back.

St. Monica's biggest trial is one that perhaps a number of us relate to. While he is now renowned as a doctor of the Church due to his writings that laid the foundation for modern thoughts on Christianity, St. Monica's son Augustine turned away from the Catholic Church for a good portion of his life, nearly seventeen years. Raised in the Catholic faith, St. Augustine fell into a life of sin and darkness. Sins of impurity and pride plagued his mind and turned his heart from Jesus. He no longer believed in God and His Truth. 

Initially, St. Monica cast Augustine from her home. His new ideas of religion and the afterlife seemingly startled her - this was not the same boy that she had raised to know the goodness of God. After a period of time with the two estranged, St. Monica had a vision. She was to reconcile with her son. She visited their local bishop in tears, asking how she could help her son. The bishop comforted her saying, "The child of those tears shall never perish."

It is important to note that St. Monica fought to have her children baptized. Her husband was a Roman pagan and uninterested in religion - he did not give permission for Augustine to be baptized until he had fallen significantly ill as a child. After meeting with the bishop, St. Monica returned to her fight to save her child from sin. She committed to a regular regimen of intense prayer  and fasting for her son. When Augustine left for school, St. Monica went with him. There, she met St. Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, who assisted in leading Augustine back to the faith. 

How many of us have witnessed similar situations in our lives? We raise our children to know our loving and forgiving God, only for the seductions of the world around us to distract them and draw them away from Him. They look for something to give them happiness, but true happiness is found in our Father. 

As St. Ambrose said to St. Monica upon learning about St. Augustine's situation, "Speak less to Augustine about God and more to God about Augustine.” While we may find the urge to constantly remind our children who have fallen away that God is there, it is ultimately their choice. St. Monica witnessed her son live a precarious life with parties, stealing, lovers, even a child born of wedlock. But she did not pressure him or force him to live a certain way. She simply prayed for him to find his way back to God. To realize that God was the only answer to filling a hole he was anxiously trying to fill.

If you have a child who has fallen away from God (a relative, friend, etc.), we invite you to join us in this prayer for intercession from St. Monica. We are praying for all those who have fallen away from His love.

St. Monica, I need your prayers. You know exactly how I’m feeling because you once felt it yourself. I’m hurting, hopeless, and in despair. I desperately want my child to return to Christ in his Church but I can’t do it alone. I need God’s help. Please join me in begging the Lord’s powerful grace to flow into my child’s life. Ask the Lord Jesus to soften his heart, prepare a path for his conversion, and activate the Holy Spirit in his life. Amen.

{Prayer from Word on Fire}

By Incarnation School Principal Leah Coghlan, Vice Principal Amanda Ooten and Assistant Principal Kristi Erickson

Back to school is such an exciting and busy time of year for everyone! The promise of a fresh start, new friends and faces, and the anticipation of the unknown waits for us. But is it unknown?

We know God is there for us in any season of our life, even the busy ones. When we become overwhelmed or anxious, we are always invited to turn to prayer and find our silence and peace with God. At school, we invite our staff and students to take some moments in the morning, afternoon, and before we nourish our bodies to pray together. These moments might be small, but they are consistently beautiful as students stop in their classrooms, hallways, wherever they may be to take that moment with God.

This school year kicks off with a new goal for our school community.  We are intentionally focusing more and more on our mission to ‘walk in the footsteps of Jesus’.  We will be launching a new theme to Live Like Jesus, Love Like Jesus, Act Like Jesus. This will be integrated throughout the classrooms, academics, expectations, and most importantly prayer.

As you and your family begin another busy season, remember to slow down and find that prayer time together. We also invite families to attend our all-school Mass on Friday mornings. Seeing our students and teachers pray and worship together is the highlight of our week!

As always, the school families and Our Lady of Light parishioners are in our prayers. Thank you for keeping the students and staff in yours!