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!

Written by Christen Aquino

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” // Matthew 11: 28

I don’t know about you, but these words resonate within my heart.  In the fast-paced world we live in, my soul desires to find a deep, fulfilling, abiding rest.  Too often though, this idea feels like wishful thinking since there are a million things to get done, trips to be traveled, assignments due, meetings to be had, events to be run, and more; and it seems like the time to get it all done in is getting less and less.  Perhaps this is why Jesus’ words are more important today than ever before: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”  He knows just how whirlwind our lives are, and He is offering us a solution: that we would come to Him for an abiding peace and rest that only He can give.   
 
In my years of experience, youth ministry summers look like the total opposite of rest.  For example, this summer included two conferences, a mission trip, one weeklong camp hosted at Our Lady of Light and two weeklong camps hosted by LifeTeen in Georgia.
 
And yet, during all these conferences and camps, I often find more rest than I do during the rest of the year, because every day is centered around being with Jesus.  Daily Mass, praise and worship, adoration, opportunities for confession, talks and messages focused on growing in the spiritual life, small group conversation, and prayer.  All the chaos of life is stripped away, and I am able to focus on Jesus, present in the Sacraments, the Word, and in the community made up of our teens, our core team, and other ministers.
 
This summer Life Teen introduced our theme for the year: SANCTUARY.  While we’ve looked at this word and its meaning from various angles, the one that continues to most resonate with me, and our teens, is the idea of rest – rest from the world, from anxieties, from social media, from the demands we place on ourselves, etc.  The Eucharistic Jesus resides in the Tabernacle in the Sanctuary of our Churches and He dwells in the inner sanctuary of our hearts, if only we take the time to seek Him out and put Him first. 
 
I will always have a million excuses, but every day Jesus extends the invitation to come to Him so that He can give me the rest that He alone can give.  The question is, will I take the time to do so?
 
Challenge: Start small.  Set aside 5 minutes a day to encounter Jesus in the inner sanctuary of your heart.  Find a quiet place you will pray every day.  Read a passage from Scripture, listen to a worship song, or reading a writing from a saint and reflect on the words, asking Jesus how you can internalize them and make them present in your life.  The Hallow App has a great guided 5 minute meditation on Scripture or you can use the Sanctuary 30-Day Challenge.

Have you ever noticed how delicately our priests remove the Blessed Sacrament from the monstrance? It's quite a beautiful ceremony to end each Adoration, by returning Jesus in the consecrated host to the tabernacle, where all can continue their praise for the one who laid down His life for us.

We as Catholics believe that Jesus is truly present before us in the Eucharist. Jesus himself said to the apostles, ""I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; … he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and … abides in me, and I in him.” We do not simply remember the Last Supper at Mass, we are reliving it. We take an active part in receiving the true Body and Blood of Jesus. We say Amen, yes, to receiving Him.

While it may sometimes feel like we are just going through the motions at Mass, it is something new every time. We are older, we are different than we were the week prior. We reconfirm our belief and our stance as missionary disciples when we leave the church building and go out into the world. To quote the Catechism: "The Eucharist is 'the source and summit of the Christian life'" (CCC 1324). Life begins with the Eucharist, and it continues with us.

This is why our priests are so gentle while removing the Blessed Sacrament from the monstrance. How amazing it must be to hold Jesus in the Eucharist in their very hands. To cradle Him as they humbly carry Him back to the tabernacle.

Although, that's what it is to receive the Eucharist during Communion each time we go to Mass... isn't it? Whether we receive through our hands or on the tongue, we consume Jesus and in turn are living tabernacles. Jesus is alive within us. St. Pope John Paul II once said, "From the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others." How do we reflect God's love and mercy to those around us after we receive the Eucharist? How can we make a conscious effort to make God a focal point in our lives and share Him with others?

Written by Caroline Doorley

Hey there, Our Lady of Light Family,

This summer I had the pleasure to be the youth ministry intern for our family of parishes. It has been an amazing opportunity for me to serve Our Lady of Light in a new and different way.

At the beginning of the summer, I was lucky enough to travel to Arizona for the Catholic Youth Ministry Conference hosted by Life Teen. The Arizona trip not only offered spiritual refreshment, but also an opportunity for  professional development and community building within the Our Lady of Light youth ministry team. The most impactful part of the CYMC conference was the idea that your effectiveness in ministry is directly related to your ability to be uncomfortable — this does not just apply to those of us getting paid to work in ministry. Ministry is part of our faith, and it is not an easy task. Your ability to be uncomfortable will help you exceed in this task to ministry to those who haven’t experienced the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. This idea was something that I kept at the forefront of my mind throughout the summer.

Toward the middle of the summer, I gained experience with events and programming within our parish. I assisted the inaugural Into the Deep week for our Edge and Life Teen programs. We guided teens through the different historical periods in which the Bible took place by praying, playing, and eating our way through the Bible. Another event that I was a part of was Americana Fest. This opportunity not only provided an amazing learning experience on how to evangelize to those parking or walking by on our campus, but also how to assist managing a team of volunteers.  This event wasn’t specifically under the “Youth Ministry Umbrella,” but it really showed me that our parish staff do more than we could ever imagine. As a youth ministry intern, I am not just ministering to our youth, but also to their parents and anyone that they interact with.

At the end of the summer, I had the opportunity to travel with our middle schoolers down to Georgia for Camp Hidden Lake. This was such a fulfilling experience watching our teens grow closer to the Lord and begin to understand the upcoming theme for this school year: Sanctuary. It is truly inspiring to watch a group of teens not only grow closer with our Lord, but also with each other and with all the adult leaders on the trip. My favorite experience with our teens at camp was their willingness to support each other. Whether they were supporting a teen that was nervous to take part in a lake day activity, messy games, or after a particularly emotional experience with the Blessed Sacrament. Teens at Our Lady of Light have an amazingly supportive and welcoming culture.

It has been a blessing and privilege to work with our family's youth this summer. This internship has been a very formative experience. As I head back to Marian University for my sophomore year, I would appreciate it if you could keep me in your prayers.

Thank you for a wonderful summer!

In honor of today's Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus, we are bringing back a classic article written by our Human Resources Manager, Debbie Field. Are you a Martha or a Mary? Let's find out!

✚✚✚

​Me? Yea, I tend to lean “Martha”.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  Well, let’s see.

I suppose the story of Mary and Martha is ultimately all about priorities.  Were the tasks for the day just as important or more important than focusing on our Lord?  Or was there room for both?

The Need for Both

We need do-ers in our lives like Martha.  And we also need Marys who focus on what our Lord wants from us and spending time in His presence.  It doesn’t hurt to be a little of both, but leaning more toward the Mary side is what Jesus impresses upon us in his gospel.  Jesus’ word should be our first priority while ensuring the tasks of the day come second.  It is likely all of us have both of the qualities we see in Mary and Martha.  However, when we focus the attention on Our Lord which He  deserves, we then tend to share that focus with others in service of our family, fellow parishioners, and those in our community.

How Do You Learn?

So, leaning Mary or leaning Martha is something we should all examine in ourselves.  Clearly being a “Mary” is a different/closer relationship with Jesus and understanding what he wants of us.  Our daily lives reflect the busy nature of our jobs, taking our children to soccer, daycare, basketball practice, etc.  And all of us will assess where to draw that bright line of too much or just enough.  However, it is incumbent that all people of God understand proportion and priorities.  This story of Mary and Martha brings into focus where those priorities belong.  Jesus worked hard to spread the news of eternal life through His ministry.  So, working hard is not a bad thing.  It’s when we allow that hard work to get in the way of understanding what we can learn from our Lord which may make us a “Martha”.

Being a “Martha” doesn’t mean you don’t have “Mary” in your heart.  Martha’s hard work clearly didn’t mean she didn’t love Jesus.  She clearly did; however, her focus was more logistical and hospitality-like.  She was one to serve in an effort to ensure her household was run properly and efficiently.  Martha allowed the distractions of her desire to make everything perfect for Jesus, get in the way of what was truly important.

To Martha's Surprise...
​
Upon Jesus’ arrival, He made sure He conveyed there were other priorities which He wanted Martha to focus on.  It’s likely Martha was not in her comfort zone hearing this.  Afterall, she was one to take care and ensure all were treated generously and that all preparations had been made for Jesus or any guest who visited her home.  To have Jesus admonish her or remind her of the need to be “Mary-like” was probably quite surprising to her.

Do you let your day’s activities sway the attention from our Lord?  Focusing some time each day on peace and quiet allows us to set aside the chaos and craziness we all experience in our days and re-direct our focus to the One who loves us, Jesus.

Yes, You Can

But can we be both Mary and Martha at the same time?  Now, there is a question.  Perhaps through our parish ministries, which elicit the time of so many of us, we can focus on what our Lord wants of us.  Both devotion to the ministry and its goals, as well as the hard work it takes in some cases, is a way to be a little bit of Mary and a little bit of Martha, and still be what Jesus wants of us.

Many Become One

As we, within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, begin our second year of transitioning our parishes into families of parishes, transition is also a Martha/Mary story.  Should we focus on the planning, the merging of staffs, the mass time changes, the ministry similarities, or the new pastor changes?  Or should we look toward the future when the parishes will be one family and share in the love of Christ together.  Jesus is not worried about the “how” we get there, but about the “what” our family will look like once we have arrived.  It is up to all of us to be “Mary-like” for that goal to be achieved.

We are multiple families becoming one and regardless of what we may have lost, or the grief we are experiencing in the loss of a beloved priest, our traditional mass times, a long-held parish identity, or perhaps the structural church itself to another, it is up to each one of us to listen to Jesus as he guides us to be one family.

​Please Pray for Us

So, must I change from being a “Martha” to a “Mary” to be all Jesus wants me to be?  Perhaps.  Or can I ensure my heart is “Mary-like” and my hands “Martha-like”? As a member of an Archdiocese of Cincinnati parish, I ask for your prayers that all of us who are transitioning be blessed with the strength Jesus grants us to accept the things we find difficult to accept and grateful for the opportunity to join with others of another parish as we become one family.  This is for each of us to pray on as we examine how we experience the presence of Jesus.
​
Martha or Mary? Jesus loved them both. And regardless which you feel you are more like, He loves you!!