The Collar's Corner
From Fr. John's Desk
St. Patrick and St. Vincent de Paul Parishes
Two Parishes, One Faith
Becoming alive in Christ, called to bring Him to
life in the world
July 2026
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart;and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." --Matthew 11:28-29
Dear Parish Families,
This is one of those verses of the Gospels that speaks to all of us, isn't it? Don't we all know what it's like to be burdened? Don't we all carry in our hearts and our minds some type of struggle or challenge? Doesn't every one of us find something weighing on us? I don't think there's anyone who's reading this who's saying to themselves, "Nope, not me. No burdens here." We may not all have the same burdens and some of us may be carrying burdens that are heavier than others, but if I asked you to respond with a burden that you're currently carrying, my guess is that every one of us would be able to name at least something, some burden.
And so this gospel, which is the gospel that we'll hear at Mass this weekend is an invitation from Jesus to all of us. The Lord's invitation is simple, "Come." Come to me with all that you're carrying and come to me with all that's weighing you down. But not just come to me, but come to me and you will find rest.
The rest that Jesus invites us to find comes not from having our burdens removed, but from being yoked to Him. A single animal didn't need to be yoked, a yoke was only needed when one animal was joined to another so that they could work together. That's the rest that Jesus wants to offer to us, the knowledge of not carrying our burdens alone. Maybe that might mean not carrying our burdens in silence. Sometimes the temptation might be there to "fight through it" on our own. But maybe this week we might name our burdens for the Lord in our prayers or maybe we might name them with someone else. Sometimes the reality of knowing that someone else is praying for us, even if they can't physically take the burden away, can help us to find a bit of rest. Second, pause and remember "I'm not yoked to my burdens. I'm yoked to Jesus."
Please know that you 're in my prayers & please keep me in yours!
Fr. John
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AN UPDATE ON OUR PARISH ENVELOPES
As we shared at Masses this past weekend, our envelope supplier has informed us that they will not be sending out envelopes for the month of July. There have been a number of supply issues over the past few months and their hope is that, by pausing envelope production for a month, they will be able to catch up on production for all of the parishes that they supply envelopes for.
If you have envelopes left from previous months, they suggested simply crossing out the old date and writing the current one in. However, if you turn in an envelope on a weekly basis (THANK YOU FOR THAT!) you will likely not have any extras laying around. In that case, simply write your name and envelope number on a blank white envelope and put that in the collection basket. We also do have some blank envelopes that have been provided to us from the envelope company in previous months. Just ask if you would like a few of those to hold you over.
We apologize for this inconvenience that is totally outside of our control. Please also be aware that this is a fluid process and, though the company may have sent an email saying they would not be sending envelopes for July, things do change. Also, the email that I received did not specify which parish, so my understanding was that they were notifying me for both parishes. However, that might not be the case, so, if you do end up getting July envelopes give thanks and praise to God :) And if you don't, give thanks and praise to God anyways.
"Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching." --2 Timothy 4:2
INDEPENDENCE DAY
As we mark and celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding this weekend, I wanted to share with you the letter that Pope Leo XIV sent to mark the occasion. You can read the full letter here...https://www.usccb.org/resources/48409-U000.pdf
"This same freedom has permitted the Catholic Church to take root and flourish within the United States, to the advantage not only of her own members, but of the entire nation. As faithful sons and daughters of the Church, Catholics are called to imbue every dimension of their existence with the charity of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 5:14), living out the Gospel in the circumstances of daily life. Such a way of living has given rise to the many benefits that the Church has provided over the years to the development of this nation. In particular, I bring to mind her service in areas of education, the preferential care of the poor, healthcare and basic social services, to name a few." --Pope Leo XIV
JOINT PARISH PICNIC AND RAFFLE
Our 2nd annual Joint Parish Picnic on Sunday, August 16th, starting at noon on the grounds of St. Patrick's. More details will be coming as we draw closer. As I've shared in the past, this picnic is an opportunity for both parishes to come together in friendship and fellowship. There'll be sideboards, raffle baskets, food, and more!
For those who are feeling lucky, you can pick up your raffle tickets for a chance to win $1000, $500, or $300 starting this weekend at Mass. At St. Patrick's you'll find baskets with tickets at the doors of the Church. Please take some tickets (just don't fill them out during the homily ;)) and return them via the collection or the Parish Office. At St. Vincent de Paul there'll be some tickets available in the Sacristy after weekend Masses. You can also stop into the Parish Office during the week to pick some up as well. Good luck!
UNEXPECTED VISITORS AT MASS
Over the last few weeks there have been a few times at either parish where we have had an unexpected visitor at Mass. Visitors who've been coming, not necessarily to pray and to worship with us, but rather have caused some disruptions both during and after Mass. I wanted to take a moment to share with you a few bits of information about both visitors.
At St. Patrick's, the gentleman who walked in during Mass a few weeks ago and walked around the Church with his radio on, is the same gentleman who visited a number of months back. When he visits us he seems to also visit and do the same thing at Our Lady of Angels Parish down the street. Fr. Ramser, the Pastor there, & I have been in contact and the police have reached out to the gentleman and/or his family. While respecting medical confidentiality I will say that this particular gentleman has some mental challenges and those are being addressed. Should he show up again, Fr, Ramser & I will be in touch with the authorities to figure out what else can be done.
At St. Vincent de Paul there was a woman who wandered in through the side door a week ago at the end of the Saturday Vigil Mass and went through the Church after Mass asking for money. This particular woman is known to us is someone whose "needs are not genuine," and we are working on steps for if/when she shows up again. Again, I don't want to discuss specific steps in the general forum, but please know that I, along with our maintenance person, and our staff & ushers are (or will be ASAP) aware of who this woman is and what should be done.
Overall, our main goal is to keep everyone who comes to either parish to pray and to worship safe, while at the same time, providing a helping hand as we're able to those who are genuinely in need. We want to make sure that those who come to us with genuine needs are met with the welcoming presence of Christ, while also being prudential in who is on our property.
DIVINE MERCY HOLY HOUR
Our next Divine Mercy Holy Hour will be held this Sunday, July 5th. At 3:00 pm, the great hour of God's mercy, Fr. Robert will lead us in the Divine Mercy Novena along with some time before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in Eucharistic Adoration. All are welcome to come and pray, rejoicing in God's abundant mercy! Our Divine Mercy Holy Hours are hosted at St. Vincent de Paul.
Jesus, I trust in you!
ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Looking ahead on the liturgical calendar, August 15th is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and it is normally a Holy Day of Obligation. This year, however, since August 15th falls on a Saturday, it is not a day of Obligation.
That day (August 15th) we will a 9:30 am Mass at each parish in celebration of our Blessed Mother's Assumption. The normally scheduled Saturday evening Masses, since the Assumption is a "higher feast" than a Sunday of Ordinary Time will also celebrate the Assumption. That means that, if you come on both Saturday morning & Saturday evening, you will hear the same readings and prayers. The normally scheduled Masses on Sunday morning will be for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
That might be a bit confusing, but basically that weekend, even though there are 2 different celebrations, there is only 1 obligation, and that is the Sunday obligation. If you attend the Mass on Saturday morning, then you would also need to attend Mass that evening, or on Sunday morning, to fulfill the Sunday obligation. However, if you attend the Mass on Saturday evening (even though it celebrates the Assumption), that Mass would fulfill the Sunday obligation.
