Written by Mary Ward

Is it any surprise that God refers to Himself as the Father? 

While our human minds and hearts cannot fully comprehend God’s beautiful, pure, unconditional love, He gave us a glimpse of it in our earthly relationships, especially that of being a mother or father.

Being a parent is one of the great joys in life!  We love our kids unconditionally!

And being a grandparent…is icing on the cake! Wow! What great gifts grandchildren are!  How blessed we are to be grandparents!

This weekend we celebrate the Feast Day of Saints Anne and Joachim, patron saints of grandparents.  We don’t know much about the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grandparents of Jesus, but we do know that they were faithful to God.  They were promised a child by an angel.  They were blessed so much by having Mary as their daughter!

I wonder at the pure bliss of raising a young woman so holy and so favored by God.

Can you even imagine what joy they experienced when their daughter was chosen to be the mother of our Lord and Savior, Jesus?!? 

As Mary pondered in her heart the words of the Angel Gabriel, was she able to share with her mother, Anne?  We know she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, but we don’t know about her mom and dad.

Were Saints Anne and Joachim involved in the life of Jesus as he was growing up?

I wonder what a delight He was to them.  I wonder if they saw His light, His perfection.

I wonder if they had any idea that their grandson would truly be the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

I wonder if we, too, can rejoice in being grandparents of those whom God has chosen for a special purpose on this earth.  I pray that we are good examples for our children and grandchildren.

On the Feast Day of Saints Anne and Joachim, let’s remember God’s perfect love as we hope and pray for the fruition of God’s perfect plan in the lives of our grandchildren.

On July 21, a bus filled to the brim with over 50 parishioners from Our Lady of Light Family of Parishes joined 50,000+ people in Indianapolis to be revived in their love for the Holy Eucharist. While it was clear that this event would be impactful, there was no way to prepare oneself to how deeply just one day surrounded by their Church family would change their hearts and lives.

Apart from our busload of parishioners, a large number of parishioners travelled to the Eucharistic Congress for the weeklong experience. We also had a handful of younger parishioners who traveled either with their families for the weeklong conference or on the bus trip with parents. Some of these younger parishioners, who are considering a religious vocation, found the experience to only grow that urge to follow Christ in a special way.

The Congress was fully prepared to accommodate Catholics of all ages and stages, as there was a family track young families could register for that encouraged them to seek their faith even in the busiest times of life.

"I was shocked at the number of young families in attendance," Sarah Chivers, Digital Communication Specialist said. "Families with 4+ kids, families with multiple kids still in strollers. The sweetest little boy that was coloring a picture of a monstrance during Jonathan Roumie's talk. I was talking to a woman from the Trenton area at one point and she said that there was no way that this event wouldn't make a lasting impact on these children's lives. I was in complete agreement."

The Eucharistic Congress cemented the beauty of a universal Church. Ruth Reeve and her daughter experienced the joy of this larger community as they waiting for the Eucharistic Procession to begin. Shortly after finding spots on the curb to witness this miles-long procession, a woman approached them to join their group in saying the rosary across both sides of the street.

"I wasn't sure how it would work -- but it did. Fortunately, her friend had a very strong voice and pretty soon everyone on both sides of the street were praying along. But not only that - there were people walking the procession route,  and every single one of them would start praying along with us while they were walking past our section of the route. It made me realize how truly universal our faith is; we are connected in so many ways. Through our prayers, through the mass, and most especially through the Eucharist. We sing the same songs, we pray the same prayers, we recognize and honor our professed religious brothers, sisters and priests, and we acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior, truly present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the Eucharist. The Eucharistic Procession gave me the opportunity to witness all of those things in one place and time and the word 'catholic' became crystal clear to me through that experience."

Those who witnessed Eucharistic Adoration throughout the Congress expressed how impactful it was. Parishioner Phil Mraz was one in attendance among thousands of people falling to their knees before the Blessed Sacrament.

"Though high up in the second level of stadium seats, I caught a whiff of the incense after the long procession had passed by. How remarkable and powerful to be in silent communion (pun intended) praying with thousands of Catholics adoring the Most Holy Sacrament."

While many of these more reverent experiences rang out as highlights of the Congress, there were many lighthearted moments that reminded us of the pure humanity that makes up the Catholic Church. Laughter and the arts played a major part of the weeklong event celebrating our Lord.

One speaker that stuck out amongst others was Sr. Josephine Garrett. 

"After viewing several of her online videos, I really wanted to hear Sr. Josephine speak in person," Phil Mraz explained, "What a joy it was to see and hear her!  A person walking by the outside of the conference room might have mistook it for a comedy club rather than a religious presentation.  Her humorous anecdotes about a nun's life had everyone laughing.  But then she got serious without warning and provided numerous insights into the spiritual, physical, and mental healing power that the Eucharist has to offer.  What a thrill it was to meet her in person after the presentation to thank her for inspired and hopeful message."

As mentioned previously, the arts rounded out the weekend by orchestrating the emotional pull of our faith. The music throughout the weekend found the perfect balance of prayerful reflection and powerful ballads of love and glory for our Heavenly Father. From the established Matt Maher to newer artists like Sarah Kroger (who will be joining us at our Parish Picnic in August), Catholic artists set the stage to bring us into the moment fully.

"The music was wonderful!" Linda Shea reminisced, "To hear that many people singing hymns of praise to our Lord was so uplifting."

Sarah Chivers, who spent the day recording the event for those who were back home, took the back seat for many events to simply take it in. 

"The music would begin playing and arms shot up in praise," she recalled. "It was overwhelming. People were smiling, people were crying. But in the best ways. The power of the Eucharist had such an emotional pull over all of us."

The music and overall event were so powerful that they have inspired minister leaders on our campuses.

"I have been ignited with a evangelistic motivation now to share the Truth with people in my every day life as well as my music ministry and also through the Cursillo Movement," said Alex Abuyuan, who plays guitar at the 11:30am Mass at the Incarnation Campus.

Our parishioners who traveled on the Our Lady of Light bus were lucky to witness Jonathan Roumie, the actor who portrays Jesus on the acclaimed series The Chosen, speak at the final session before boarding the bus back home. At the end of his talk, he performed a dramatic reading of scripture that multiple parishioners mention gave them goosebumps. 

After coming home, parishioners had an opportunity to share their thoughts overall to share with you. Here are just a couple of quotes that express how closely they encountered Christ during the Eucharistic Congress:

"It was AMAZING!  So wonderful to share our love of the Lord, the Eucharist, & our Blessed Mother with 54,000 friends!! The sessions were inspiring & energizing.  I returned renewed & grateful for having the opportunity to attend." -Cheri Rotterman

"The Eucharistic Congress was truly life-changing. It’s humbling and surreal to have gotten to be a part of history! From the speakers to the liturgies to the music to the procession, everything was fabulous! Over 60,000 hearts of those in attendance were touched, as well as so many others we will touch as we all go out and spread the amazing news of the Eucharist! I’m so thankful Blake and I could attend. We are so excited about the next National Eucharistic Congress in 2033!!" -Beth Rinderle

"This was my first Catholic 'revival' and way out of my comfort zone.  I'm so glad that I took the leap of faith and went.  I wasn't very familiar with all the songs and the presentation speakers, but every single event was uplifting and inspiring.  How can you not be inspired when surrounded by tens of thousands of faith-filled Catholics!?!  Honestly, I'm still struggling a bit with what this all means to me and how it will change my life, but I am committed to praying about it further and sharing my experience with others.  See you in the Eucharist!" -Phil Mraz

"As we boarded the bus taking us to Indianapolis, my prayer was to ask Our Lord to make my day what He wanted for me. Well I could never imagine what He had in store for me. Words cannot describe how seeing over 50,000 pray together shaped my vision of how blessed I am to be Catholic." -Mary Gutman 

"It was one of the most incredible experiences of our lives.  To be worshipping the Eucharistic Jesus at Adoration with 50,000 to 60,000 people.  It was truly life changing or more specifically it was transforming." -Alex Abuyuan

Written by Sarah Chivers

Somehow we find ourselves nearing the middle of July already, though it feels like just yesterday I stood with others on the parish staff to wave our Incarnation School students off into summer. 

While the Incarnation Campus can feel eerily quiet without the sounds of students playing on the playground throughout the day, I can't help but still feel the busyness of summer. Staff members are at various summer camps with our middle and high school students across the country, others are at conferences and conventions, and still others are working hard in the office to prepare for the upcoming year. We have new major programs rolling out this year like the Rescue Project series, new events like our Parish Picnic and exciting opportunities for parishioners approaching quickly, such as a one-day bus trip to the Eucharistic Congress. 

It is exciting to be a part of a church staff that has so much in store for its parishioners. As a member of the team who has only been here for six months, I'm always inspired and amazed at how thoughtfully our staff considers its decisions and plans to ensure that all members of our community are accounted for and welcome. It is our mission to walk with others in their everyday life to bring them closer to God, and to do that requires a lot of time and energy.

Our work (God's work) is so rewarding; we are always looking for the next way we can help make Heaven more present around us. Sometimes I am so eager for the next thing that it feels like there is no time to rest (in truth, sometimes I don't want to rest!). But as July catches up to me and I find my calendar filled to the brim, I remember that God's work is sometimes found in the resting times. God is so often found in the quiet. 

With all of the summer traveling and holidays coming up, it's easy to find yourself overwhelmed. Things to do, an itemized list of things to buy and prepare, hours on the road away from home... If you find any time to yourself amongst the travel and yard work and events, it's easy to just crash and turn on your favorite show or scroll on your phone. It's comfortable to just zone out when we're overwhelmed. 

But the true comfort is found when we remember to prioritize time with God. As the Digital Communication Specialist for our family of parishes, I find it my responsibility to mention every now and then that we need to put our phones down and just be in the quiet with Him. I try to mention that every now and then on our social media - try this new prayer, seek God in these moments, stop the scroll and say hi to God. He is our source of peace amongst the noise.

This can often be easier said than done. As a mother of toddlers and a full-time worker, I find myself spending my ride home going through the list of things that need to get done that evening: cook dinner, eat dinner, unload, reload, do a load of laundry, bath time... but also... make enough time to read a few stories with the girls before bed, and also you need to clean the bathrooms at some point or maybe finally vacuum but also take care of your nightly routine and find time to talk with your husband about the day then also read the next chapter of your book that you've been dying to get to since you set it down the night before with a massive cliffhanger... 

But I forget to schedule time for prayer. 

And I'm exhausted.

And I forget to prioritize what I can't see. 

Even if that thing I cannot see is the only thing that needs to happen that day.

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, I want to challenge you to find new ways to prioritize your relationship with God. Place your Bible in front of your bedroom door so you can't open the door without moving it first if you need to. Wake up just fifteen minutes earlier and start your day with His Word. Put it at the start of your day so that the overwhelming list of things to do isn't in your way yet. God comes first. When He comes first, everything else falls into place. 

And know that I am right there with you, walking alongside you as we seek a deeper relationship with our God who loves us so much. Sometimes we fall away, sometimes we fail. But as Fr. Brian mentioned in his homily this past weekend, God doesn't say "My grace is enough if you are sinless within the next five weeks." He knows we're human, He knows our shortcomings and frankly knows us better than we know ourselves. But He always loves us and will always be waiting for us to return to Him. 

Find peace in Him in the busyness. He is the source of all we are looking for in earthly things.

Blessed Carlo Acutis was beatified on October 10,2020.  He is known as the Apostle to the Internet, since as a teenager he cataloged all the reported  Eucharistic Miracles in the history of our Church.  He made a website so that all can see those miracles.  During our Corpus Christi celebration, we had numerous Eucharistic Miracle panels displayed in the gathering space of the St. Francis campus. With his mother, Carlo would walk the streets and help the homeless when he was about 14 years old.  He will be canonized a saint in the near future.  
 
We have many saints in our Church that give us an example of holiness.  Last month I wrote about Michelle Duppong, who hopefully will be the next American Saint.  What these two have in common, is they realized that God was calling them to have a relationship with Him. 
 
As we are trying to define what our vision and mission of Our Lady of Light Family of Parishes.  Our staff and had a team building morning. I spoke with our Family Pastoral Council, and other groups and asked them what does it mean to be a parishioner of Our Lady of Light Family of Parishes.  I also asked them what habits does a missionary disciple have?
 
It was interesting because many people didn’t really know how to define a missionary disciple (and I must admit that I have learned over the past few years as well).  It is a term that we use today to describe someone who is seeking a greater relationship with Jesus in their life and a greater relationship being in communion with those around them.  A disciple seeks prayer, time with scripture, connecting to a small prayer group or connection group, normal reception of the sacraments, acts of service to name a few.  
 
These are all traits that we want to see in our people.  Yet, at the same time we have to realize that we are not the ones who are initiating the relationships.  It is God first who is initiating and inspiring us to have a greater relationship with Him in Jesus, and a greater relationship with those around them.  
 
That is why we realized that we have to help people understand and realize that God wants a relationship with every single person.  He never stops reaching out to us and share His life and love with us.
 
God makes His life present to us in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and especially in Jesus’ true presence in the Eucharist.  We make heaven present to others with things like acts of service, showing forgiveness, and great worship of God.
 
We are called to help others come to know God personally, because we already know him personally.  He wants a relationship with all His children and wants to walk with us in our every day life.
 
Our Lady of Light Family of parishes has a new vision and mission statement:
Vision: We are called to make heaven present here and now.
 
What this means is that when we go to Mass, heaven is made present to us in the Eucharist. When Jesus said “Do this in memory of me,” God brings the action of Jesus’ Passover with apostles 2,000 years ago present to us today. We are sitting in the upper room with them, and all of the heavenly court of angels and saints.
 
God’s life is communicated to us in the Eucharist. We are called to take this reception of God’s greatest gift to humanity, the true presence of the resurrected Christ, and make that present for others.  What we receive fuels our zeal to serve others around us, walk with each other in the journey of faith, serve the poor, be volunteers to help with youth programming, and live our faith wherever we are: at work, at home, and show Christ to all we meet.
 
Our Mission then is to help people walk with God in their every day life.  This could mean something different to every person or family since we all have different situations.  
 
As we move toward our parish picnic, we will be highlighting saints that were not priests, nuns, or other types of religious.  We will be highlighting saints that lived as “lay people”, or people that lived the vocations of marriage or single life.  These are two great vocations that bring love and fruitfulness to the Church.  St. Gianna Molla, St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, Sts. Zelie and Louis Martin, St. Thomas More, Blessed (soon to be Saint) Carlo Acutis, Blessed Chiara Bodano.  These are all saints who were parents, sons or daughters, doctors, merchants, in politics.  They all lived lives of families and sought to live the life of heaven here and now.  
 
In Christ,
Fr. Brian  

When it was determined a parish family name was needed to describe our new Beacons of Light family more, we all wondered... Can we? How will we? Who will dream the name we will all learn to love as a parish family?
 
Well, “yes, we can”, “together we will”, and “our dreamer gave us a name”.

The Process

Confirmation #2 | Fr. Brian, Pastor
Monday following holiday weekend. Sarah spoke with Fr. Brian about the “coincidental” prayer card story. Fr. Brian added that his grandmother attended the apparitions of Our Lady of Light in Cincinnati back in the 90’s.

“My grandmother went to Falmouth, KY multiple times. On the night of the purported apparition, she came back with a picture that she took. I still remember those pictures. They had struck me because I still remember seeing what seemed to look like a form of the Blessed Mother. She would also go to the Holy Spirit Center every year for the annual Mass with those who also went to the purported apparitions.  The last one I remember that she went to was during the first weekend I was in seminary in 2007.  I went with her that time as well.” 

Since the announcement of the parish family name, several parishioners & staff have come forward with their own personal story of previously observing, reading, or hearing of Our Lady of Light. 

Private revelation is not required to be believed.  Pope Francis said, “A prophet, brothers and sisters, is each one of us.  A prophet is he who, by virtue of baptism, helps others read the present under the action of the Holy Spirit," which helps people "understand God's plans and align yourselves" with them.  And clearly the Holy Spirit visited the review team when choosing the name submitted by only one person.  The Holy Spirit’s guidance, through each one of us, pointed us to the most perfect messenger from God…Our Blessed Mother, resulting in a most wonderful parish family name…Our Lady of Light Family of Parishes.

Come, Holy Spirit, and continue to fill the hearts of our family of parishes as we look to Our Mother to guide us and pray for us as the “Our Lady of Light” family of parishes, to forever rejoice in the love of Jesus, our Everlasting Light.  Amen.

And that is ‘what’s in a name’!

It isn't everyday that you find someone with a commitment to the inclusion of persons with disabilities as strong as Noelle Collis-DeVito's. From volunteering with youth programs and assisting students with disabilities to developing an office at the Archdiocesan level dedicated to serving persons with disabilities, Noelle found her passion for this community of believers with disabilities through years of working side-by-side and advocating for all to be included.

Currently in pursuit of her Master's Degree in Pastoral Ministry with a certificate in Disability and Ministry, Noelle fondly remembers the start of her ministry journey as a volunteer for the youth ministry program at St. Francis of Assisi in the early 2000s. At the time, she was working on her Bachelor's Degree in Religious Studies, and upon graduation she accepted the position of High School Youth Ministry Coordinator at St. Francis of Assisi. When her second child was born, Noelle made the decision to stay home with her children, but continued to share her gifts with the Church through parish missions, conferences, retreats and volunteering. 

In 2018, after her children were comfortable settled into school, Noelle accepted a position with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in the Respect Life Ministries. There, she worked to establish the Office for Persons with Disabilities. Today, Noelle works for the University of Dayton in the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives where she is developing curriculum for adult learners surrounding catechesis. 

Noelle Collis-DeVito's commitment to including those with disabilities is clearly expressed through her impressive resume of leadership in the field. In addition to her position at the University of Dayton, she serves on the Council on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. She is also a national speaker and writer on the topics of sensory-friendly Mass, adaptive catechesis, and multi-sensory learning for accessible classroom. 

Noelle is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Pastoral Ministry with a certificate in Disability and Ministry. For her practicum, Noelle  offered an integrative program over the summer for families at Our Lady of Light centered around the Eucharistic Revival. Inspired by those living with disabilities within her own community, Noelle wanted to make a difference for those with disabilities within the Our Lady of Light Family by fulling integrating those with developmental and learning disabilities with the full Body of Christ. She modeled her practicum to allow full families to encounter the Eucharist through integration of diverse considerations, including multiple-intelligence learning theory, sensory-oriented experiences, a family model approach and a Montessori feel, with the hope that the program would be reproducible and offer best practices for parishes who are exploring solutions for new catechetical approaches.

Overseeing this program energized and revitalized Noelle's faith as she witnessed how the Eucharist is seen through the eyes of children learning about Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. How wonderful it would be to understand how deeply and truly Jesus loves you for the first time all over again.

Luckily, we have that opportunity each week at the Mass. Each week we relive the Last Supper together. Just as Jesus gathered with His disciples around the table, told stories and broke bread, we too gather around the altar, tell stories from the old and new testaments and receive Jesus in the Eucharist. If you've felt stuck in a period of repetition and going with the motions at Mass, let this weekend be a fresh start. At Mass this weekend, open your eyes and your heart and understand how deeply our Father in Heaven loves you.

Last week I watched two documentaries.  The first was the documentary on Ulysses S. Grant called Grant.  The second was the documentary on Abraham Lincoln called Lincoln.  They could have been more imaginative about naming them.
 
Grant and Lincoln are polar opposites of each other.  Both came from poor backgrounds but one was an academic and one was a hard worker and confident in his skills and courage.  Lincoln read Shakespeare, the King James Bible, and all the great English literature.  He also read Euclid and Greek philosophers.  He taught himself to read by reading these books. U.S. Grant read what he had to read.
 
Yet, they both learned whatever they could to perfect their craft and their careers.  Lincoln was about politics, and Grant was about war.  Yet, they both knew that they must apply themselves in order to understand their craft and careers.
 
Faith is no different.  We must apply ourselves to learn about our faith. We also must apply ourselves to journey to the heart of God.  
 
St. Anselm of Canterbury said “Fides quarens intellectum.”  This means "Faith seeking understanding.”  This means that faith is the gift given to us by God so that we may come to understand the truth of God.  
 
St. Augustine once said “Credo ut intelligam.”  This means “I believe so that I may understand.”  This means that my belief in God helps me to understand the truth of God and what He has created. 
 
Both St. Anselm and St. Augustine hit at the very center of our struggle of faith.  We struggle to understand because God is greater than what we can ever imagine.  We must learn about our faith and be knowledgeable about our faith.  God gives us the gift of faith not to find the depths of all the dogmas of our faith first, but to know the heart of God first.
 
It is most important to know the heart of God first.  The greatest theologians of the Church were not always the best educated, they were the ones who understood the heart God most personally.  St. Catherine of Siena was the greatest theologian of her time and was not educated.  She knew God so well because of how she prayed, and answered God’s voice.  Popes listened to her and she greatly influenced many because of how well she knew the heart of God.  St. Thomas Aquinas was visited by Jesus towards the end of his life and he said that all his writings were merely straw compared to the love of Jesus Christ standing in front of him.  
 
St. Augustine tried to understand God so much that he gave us the beginning of the teachings on grace, sacraments, mercy, the Trinity to name a few.  Yet, his greatest desire was to know God so well that he said “O Lord, my heart is restless until it rests in you (Confessions of Augustine).”
 
We struggle to understand the dogmas of our faith.  Dogmas are the revealed truth that God has revealed to us to be true.  Yet, we will never know the depths of them fully.  God desires that we know the depth of His love, mercy, and His loving heart.  The pinnacle of this relationship is at Mass receiving the Eucharist due to how Jesus Christ poured his heart out for us on the cross.  Through His heart we come to know the depths of the dogmas of the Church.
 
When we pray the Our Father, we pray “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This is the heart of God.  Our journey is coming to know that heart of God who pours His love and mercy out for us.

​In Christ,
Fr. Brian