I remember the first time I went to a place that a true canonized saint walked in the United States.  At the end of my internship year, I went on a mission trip to Winnebago, NE to the reservation of the Winnebago Tribe.  There was a parish out there that had a mission that was started by St. Katherine Drexel.  She began the mission as part of her ministry to Native American and African Americans.  

She went to see Pope Leo XIII and told him of the plight of the peoples in the United States.  She asked who will you send to minister to these people.  Pope Leo XIII said why don’t you become a missionary.  Well, after much prayer she did. She formed the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to minister to the the African American and Native American peoples.  

Today, there is a woman that was a FOCUS Missionary whose cause is up for sainthood.  Servant of God Michelle Duppong passed away on December 25, 2015 at the age of 31 from cancer when she was the Director of Adult Faith Formation for the diocese of Bismarck, ND.  She was a FOCUS Missionary for 6 years before her work for the diocese.

She was described as a young woman of great faith, compassion, prayer, and always walked with college students with great love.  She could walk with college students and speak with them in a very real way about their lives and faith.

After her death, “people have attributed miraculous healings and personal consolations to Duppong’s intercession, or have claimed to hear her voice giving them courage, her mother told OSV News. 

This shows us that saints are from all walks of life, and God is still inspiring us to holiness.  This past Sunday was Pentecost where we celebrated the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.  Today we still see the movement of the Holy Spirit in people like Michelle Duppong.  

How do we see the Holy Spirit moving in our family of parishes? How has the Holy Spirit moved in your life and and inspiring you to live your faith?  How has the Holy Spirit renewed your faith?  How has the Holy Spirit shown you how to help you to live a greater life of love and seek holiness?  Holiness is our participation with God by allowing God to guide us to be the people he created us to be.  

In Christ,
Fr. Brian

In high school we had to take one art class.  We could choose from theatre, art, or band.  Well I was horrible in all three of those, so I chose the lesser of three evils and chose art.  When we got there, we were told that the lowest grade anyone will ever get is an 85.   You can guess what my final grade was for the class, an 85.

One assignment we had to draw a self portrait of our face.  We had to look at ourselves in the mirror, and then then draw what we saw.  I did the best I could but at the end I got tired of looking at myself in the mirror.  The drawing got an 85, but it also helped me to appreciate my family.  I take after the Italian side of the family.  It made me think of my dad, my grandma, my uncles.  It also made me think of my grandfather whom I never met because he died right before I was born, and my middle name is named after him: William.

Just looking at my face made me think of all of that.  

This past Lent and Easter, the Holy Face of Jesus has been a place of prayer for me.  It is a devotion that many saints have cultivated, especially St. Therese of Lisieux.  Her name is St. Therese of the Holy Face of Jesus.  

What struck me was that the Holy Face of Jesus is always shown very serene, asleep in death before the resurrection.

This past year, though, there was another word that came to me in my prayer.  That word was calmness.  In the Holy Face of Jesus we see the calmness of Christ.  Jesus faced the agony and the terror of his passion and death.  Yet, we see him walk that path with great calmness.  He always had control over the situation and reminded Pilate that any power that seemed to be his, was given to him by God the Father. Jesus was in total control through his life, death, and resurrection.  

We too can lean on that calmness of Christ.  Really, calmness is a sign strength.  We do not need to face things with our own calmness and strength because we don't always have that in us, but that Jesus' calmness can permeate our lives.

It is very human of us to worry, be anxious or allow things around to rob us of our joy, peace, and grace.  What Christ shows us is that we can turn to him and he can calm those storms in our lives as he did in the Gospels.  He has total control and wants us to turn to him. 

Whenever we have a time of needing our Lord to calm the storms in our lives, he wants us to say a simple prayer of "Lord I give these things to you.  Show me the way to your peace and help me walk that path."

That is why he sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, so that we may always be connected to him through the Holy Spirit. We are given all of the gifts we need.  The Holy Spirit purifies our prayers, and the Holy Spirit guides us on the path to holiness. Let us take some time to look at the face of Jesus and sees the calmness of his face and know it in our own lives.

This image is a body of Jesus that was cast from the Shroud of Turin.  They were able to make this from a holographic image of the Shroud.  Just notice his face is not a face of terror or horror, but the face of calmness knowing that his mission is now complete.  He can send us the Holy Spirit to give us what we need. All we need to do is ask.

We also see his face here in the Eucharist.  We can sit in front of Him and we can see his loving, calm face.

Our Lady of Light's Director of Youth & Mission, Christen Aquino, found remarkable inspiration in our parish youth during this year's 8th Grade Retreat.

"This past weekend we held our first 8th Grade Retreat for Our Lady of Light Family of Parishes. The retreat theme, “Some Assembly Required,” reminded us that each of us are unique and unrepeatable, are here for a specific purpose, and our relationship with God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – gives us a foundation for living out our faith both now, into high school, and beyond."

As the retreat leader, Christen had the opportunity to witness EDGE students and school students come together and build community around their common faith. Sharing meals together served as a big uniter, as well as Saturday night's time in Adoration.

"I was sitting up front, eyes closed in prayer. After a few minutes of exposition, I invited the teens to take a comfortable position to pray and talk with Jesus. I heard loud noises and was about to say something to them when I realized that what I had heard was all of them coming up to sit before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."

​When she opened her eyes, Christen saw not one or two, but the entire group of 8th graders together before the Blessed Sacrament.

"It's moment like this, watching young people “seek the face of Christ” as a community, that I’m reminded how powerful young people are in a parish. Our teens have the power to change the culture of our community for the better – to help all of us, young and old, seek the face of Christ more, and particularly in our worship at Mass and in Adoration."
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Even after a weekend retreat, several 8th graders were present Sunday evening for our Parish Mission, True Presence Night, and once again found themselves eagerly approaching the altar to be close to Christ.
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Please pray for the 8th graders in our family of parishes, who grow closer each day to graduation. Ask God for His many blessings upon them as they enter high school, so that they may continue to seek Him throughout their lives.

​"And while I'm standing there taking photos of these young men and women receiving the sacrament of Confirmation, I can't help but smile and feel a tear pool in the corner of my eye. I'm witnessing the Holy Spirit live in front of us like we see Christ each week in the Eucharist and it's spiritually overwhelming. He's with us in this room and He's igniting a flame that will catapult these young people into their faith in a way they haven't experienced before. Just watch them as they turn from Archbishop Schnurr - there's a soft smile that they just cant help. That's pure joy from a true encounter with God."

Our newly hired Digital Communication Specialist, Sarah Chivers, recalls her work taking photos during the recent Confirmation celebrations in January. In her service to the Church, Sarah shares how she witnesses God among us, especially in the sacraments. Through the lens of her camera, she captures special moments such as the proud smiles of the newly confirmed seen below.

Apart from larger occasions like Confirmation, Sarah finds the special moments of being Catholic while celebrating weekly Mass, engaging in youth programs, and even while out in nature. As the primary photographer for Our Lady of Light, she takes inspiration directly from our community to tell the story of our family of parishes.

"I like to think that God is still writing unpublished chapters of the Bible. That there are hundreds of thousands of books lining the walls of Heaven filled with the stories we've lived out. The moments that I capture illustrate His love stories to us and from us."

Whether those moments are a couple in their golden year of marriage sharing a sweet hug during the sign of peace, a LifeTeen student kneeling before the blessed sacrament during an XLT or even a young family celebrating that first Mass with their newborn child, Sarah hopes to share the beautiful stories of our family of parishes.

Similar to how Sarah looks for special moments in our congregation, try to notice the special moments in your life. There are no moments in life too small to glorify God. 𝗜𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲?