“We have a Pope.” As the white smoke came billowing out of the Sistine Chapel, everyone in the parish offices waited, as I am sure many of you did, for the announcement made from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. And we met our new Pope Leo XIV.

We certainly have a God of surprises! An American citizen. A Peruvian citizen. An Augustinian friar. His chosen name, associated with Pope Leo XIII and a legacy of social justice. The Holy Spirit sent us someone we perhaps least expected, but most need.

I have led a series of discussions about this new leader in our Church. Here are some of the observations that surfaced:

1.) This pope is an unexpected gift to our Church! He is a leader who understands our American culture but has lived among the poor for two decades. His life experiences include both the blessings and challenges of those who are materially comfortable but may suffer from “time-poverty” and those who lack in basic human needs but are rich in trust in God.

2.) He desires to unite us in peace as a human family. I treasure his first words to the world in his “Urbi et orbi” blessing, “Peace be with you all.” In this, our new leader echoed the first words the Risen Christ spoke to his bewildered despairing disciples. Pope Leo XIV prayed that this peace would enter our hearts, reach our families and all people. The sentiments I heard repeated were how in need we are of a peacemaker and a leader who can unite our world that is divided in so many ways.

I think often of how our present culture is dividing families with different ideologies, spiritualities and priorities. I worry about, what I think of as, a “crisis of busyness.” Our families have so little unstructured time just to be with each other. I believe we will ultimately treasure, not what we have, but the time we have spent together. I know my heart is most at peace when I am with the people I love and when I am in prayer and fully trusting God with my life.

3.) Several people noted how he looked when he came out to greet us. They mentioned the emotion they felt they could read in his expressions of appreciation and love. One journalist described it as his “receptivity.” Several told me they were moved by his smile and “open-hearted” expression. If body language can be interpreted, he surely exuded humility and gratitude.  I felt a quiet serene warmth he held for us.

St. Augustine said, “Our heart is restless until it rests in you, O Lord.” In a culture that seems to be in a hurry to do more, have more, be more, the leader of our Church offered us to rest in the Peace of Christ. Our God longs for us to quiet ourselves and be open to that peace of heart. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for Pope Leo XIV!

Watch the video of Pope Leo XIV below to reflect with him, as Fr. Robert Prevost, on how St. Augustine’s teachings are still relevant in our lives today.

Recently, for a grant, I was asked to imagine the Sacraments of Initiation for Children in a Catechumenate Model. We were to imagine Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation, lived in our Church the way we experience OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, previously called RCIA).

The point was to challenge us to think of Sacrament as a not as a one moment event, but from the perspective of using a Catechumenal Formation Model: Preparation-Celebration-Mystagogy.

I found this an easy thing to do. While not using the language of the Catechumenate model we indeed have implemented it! Our parish does our best to involve preparing our children and parents creatively in their families and the parish, to make our celebrations occasions of great joy and beauty and do everything we can to continue unfolding of the significance of the Sacrament – in mystagogy, offering many experiences to lead to a deeper understanding of the mystery of faith and the meaning of the Sacrament celebrated.

This weekend we are delighted that 60 of our children will celebrate their First Holy Communion.

Led by Michelle Lukas, their preparation has been extensive and vibrant! Children are in a catechetical class for one to four years prior, from 3-K but not later than 1^st grade to begin what is called Remote Preparation. Here is Michelles’ summary of their Immediate Preparation:

• A parent/child evening session: Children worked with catechists while Fr. Mark talked with parents. He emphasized the importance of what families do and how we practice our faith. Parents shared some of the meaningful traditions of their childhoods as well as the traditions within our their families now. Children learned about the Last Supper, the Real Presence in the Eucharist, discussed the Apostles Creed, completed a bread shaped puzzle with the parts of the Mass, and practiced their special song that they sing at their First Communion during Mass.

• Bread Baking Retreat: Many parents (and other parishioners) helped the children bake bread and participate in other activities to prepare for their celebration of First Communion. Then, families joined their First Communicants for a special prayer as they shared their freshly baked bread followed by a picnic lunch together. Thank you to Christine Baar for leading the bread baking.

• With their parents, children decorated their First Communion candles at home and said a special prayer.

• Children and parents worked together to complete a workbook, giving them an opportunity to discuss different parts of the Mass and our Catholic traditions together at home.

A special feature this year was for each child to create a Sacrament Memory Box, an idea first conceived by Fr. Mark and Fr. Tony and developed by Michelle. Each child created their Memory Box, as a keepsake. This will be a special place to keep things to hold Sacrament memories. The children decorated their box on their retreat day to look like stained glass, reminiscent of the tradition of stained glass in our church. They were given 7 stickers to represent the 7 sacraments inside their boxes to continue to decorate their boxes at home and write the dates of their sacraments on the box.

Congratulations to our First Communicants who will now join us at the Table of the Lord. Thank you to Michelle Lukas for leading their preparation, to Fr. Tony and Fr. Mark, their teacher, Alyssa Cloherty, catechists Kris Ponzi and Anna and Nick De Bakker and helpers for all the time, faith and care, they put into preparing our children to receive their First Holy Communion.

One thing I deeply love about being Catholic is the sense of being part of a big family. Our family is now mourning the passing of Pope Francis, who most identified as being a pastor. We live in a world that deeply needs that all-embracing pastoral love. We have lost our leader, but it feels more like losing a holy, wise, caring grandparent.

The work of mourning is remembering. To “re-member” is to put ourselves back together after loss. What I choose to remember are the images of Pope Francis that I treasure: him wanting to pay his own bill leaving the hotel after being elected Pope; his first words to the faithful, “Pray for me;” him moving to Casa Santa Marta, the humble smaller guesthouse residence rather than the extravagant papal apartments; him leaving his motorcade on a tarmac to kiss a child with cerebral palsy and then with that compassionate heart, seeing what others miss, acknowledging the parents who cared for this child day in and day out and who must have moved heaven and earth to get their son there. And I choose to remember his last generous act of love to come out on Easter Sunday to be with people as if to say, “I love you” one last time.

What I most hold dear about Pope Francis is his humility. Krista Tippett, the religious journalist, said, “Spiritual humility… is about approaching everything and everyone else with a readiness to see goodness and to be surprised. This is the humility of a child, which Jesus lauded… It has a lightness of step, not a heaviness of heart.” She, as well as other spiritual leaders have noted, humility is not to lower our opinion of ourselves, but to elevate our regard for others. Humility is not about me getting small but encouraging others to be big and creating a climate where that is more likely to happen. It is our spiritual work, to create an opening for others to be big, to transform the heaviness of the heart for mercy and understanding. 

As we mourn the passing of Pope Francis, we do so in the context of trust of the Advocate promised in Scripture. May the Holy Spirit send us another leader so humble and compassionate! May God send us another minister of mercy! May we remember the leader who never leaves us, Jesus Christ, so humble himself, to be born in a manger and die on a cross for us. How loved we have been by Pope Francis! How loved we are by our God!

Eternal rest grant to Francis, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

In catechizing about Pentecost with our young children and their families, we discussed how the Apostles huddled in the Upper Room and were simply afraid after Jesus died, even after they knew he rose from the dead. They didn’t know how to move forward. They were known for being followers, not leaders, and now with their leader gone, they had no idea what the plan was. They were afraid, as the Scripture story tells us, until the Holy Spirit came upon them. As we expressed it with the children, with the power of the Holy Spirit, they became “brave” and from that day on they shared Jesus’ story, life and love, so others would be followers, from generation to generation, continuing to today, with us.

Shortly after our lesson I spoke with one of our moms going through cancer treatment. She spoke with such courage about how well her chemo was going, just one treatment to go! Only to share she will then begin radiation and surgery. I thought…this is what it means to be brave. I could almost see the Holy Spirit hovering over her, filling her. I know having talked with her and her family, she believes that her secret power is the power of prayer, of her prayer and all of us praying for her.

I ran into another mom I love, who is on a journey of grieving a great loss. Her heart was broken but she was carrying on. I know she is taking it only “one day at a time” but I also know each day she is brave. Each day she is holding on, trusting God, moving forward, for the sake of those she loves.

These conversations made me think of how the Scripture continues to be the Living Word of God and I wondered if we are not that different from the Apostles. Without a relationship with the Holy Spirit how brave are we? How strong are we? We have just our own strength, our own limited courage, knowledge, understanding, but with the Holy Spirit we each can be brave to face our own hardships, crosses, challenges. Jesus promised us a “helper.” He never expected we could face life on our own.

As we move through Lent, it is great to allow the Lenten practices and sacrifices to soften our hearts. But what would it mean for this Lent if we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit to change us, to make us brave like my friends, to face our challenges believing in the power of prayer? What if, like the Apostles, we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit to not only follow Jesus, but lead others to His heart of love?

I never really liked the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel. It is a little dark for me. However, I was always impressed with Gretel’s ingenuity to leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find her way home after heading into the woods with her brother. Unfortunately, in the story, birds ate the breadcrumbs, so they didn’t provide the direction needed.

Nonetheless the idea of an identifying path, if even fleeting, has resonated with my spiritual life. When I look back over the years, I can see many times when I have been “lost in the woods,” times when I haven’t been clear about the next step in a decision or a life direction. Growing up, my mother had often suggested her logical method when faced with a decision. She was a big proponent of making two lists to compare and weigh options. I loved my mother dearly but that tended just to confuse me more as both lists seem to be viable choices.

I have found more help from Gretel’s method, watching for the breadcrumbs I have always found God provides. When I pay attention to the quiet, still voice of God in my heart, I find paths where God leads me. Like Gretel’s they may be fleeting, but often God reminds me in impressive or subtle ways I am not alone. God who promised to be with us always, in fact, is. I sense God’s love in kindness from a friend, the words in a song from church, a quote that I hear anew in Scripture, in a moment of beauty in nature, in the voice of someone who loves me.

I have come to hold a deep and abiding trust that God wants the best for me, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit were given to me at my Baptism and sealed in me at my Confirmation are what I need to meet the challenges in my life. With the gifts of knowledge, understanding and wisdom I will find my way through difficulties and decisions I face. And the gift of courage is there, especially when the way seems dark and unclear or new and scary.

I know some people who have such strong faith! Their sense of direction is always keen and unwavering. But some of us, in the complexities of our lives and of those we love, have a deep-seated need to move in life, relying on grace and a few breadcrumbs to know our path. And God’s light, always seems to give the insight, at least to know, the next right step. I hope you recognize breadcrumbs God leaves for you!

Listening to the coverage of the late President Carter’s life, I heard a newscaster comment that Jimmy Carter may be, “the best-known Christian in contemporary history.” That might be true, or it might be debatable. Either way, would Christ be interested in a competition of who was his best follower…probably not. And I do think a solid case might also be made for St. Mother Theresa or St. Pope JPII, or several other holy people.

But be that as it may, I pondered that statement in light of my research on faith formation and thought about three elements worth remembering that Jimmy Carter’s life, after his presidency, evidence.

Humility – There seems to be no clearer manifestation of holiness than the person who embodies humility. The humble person knows their value…and the value of every other human. C.S. Lewis said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” Humility was intrinsic in Jimmy Carter’s spiritual ethic. He had a home and believed every person should have a home. He used his influence and his own hands to create homes for those who didn’t have one.

Resilience – I was moved to read how depressed he was after his roaring defeat in his second bid for the presidency. But in coming home to his tiny, small town, he remembered God had a purpose for him. And he needed to find out what that was. From that season of his life, he created his foundation which built homes in 140 countries and eradicated two diseases that killed children in Africa. It was said that he was looking for places that had problems and causes that got little attention. Guess he found some significant ones.

Faith – This leads me to the third value which, by every measure, was at the center of his life, his faith. He embodied consistent life practices of keeping the Bible and its teachings the highest priority which echoes the research on what is effective in faith formation. His simple, yet profound faith habits exemplified everything research today tells us is effective to develop faith:

1. Belong to a faith community. In his case, a tiny church in Plains, Georgia.
2. Do something for that church. He is said to have taught Sunday school every Sunday he was able to. What if everyone taught Sunday school for one year? I believe we would be a different Church.
3. Live the Gospel message. He lived works of mercy- fed the hungry, healed the sick, sheltered the homeless and then added everyone deserves a basic education.
4. Read Scripture as the living Word of God. He and his wife read the Bible together every night. I wish I could say that happens in our home every night.

These seem like lessons in life for all of us. What a legacy it would be if we each were eulogized as, best known for being Christian?

Christmas arrives each year, and with it, an invitation to pause and wonder. Beyond the busyness, beyond the gifts, beyond the meals and glimmering lights, lies the heart of this holy season: the miracle of the Incarnation.

What does it mean that God became one of us? This profound truth of Christmas can feel almost too wondrous to comprehend. Yet, it is also deeply personal. The Creator of the universe chose to enter the messiness, the brokenness, and the beauty of human life—not as a king commanding power, but as a vulnerable baby, born in the humblest of places.

The Incarnation reminds us that we are not alone. God didn’t remain distant or detached. Instead, He stepped into our world to walk beside us, to laugh and weep with us, to teach us how to live and love. Emmanuel “God with us” is not just a name; it’s a promise. A promise that wherever we go, whatever burdens we carry, God is present, wrapping us in His grace.

Emmanuel is incomprehensible, remarkable and humbling. Maybe that is why Christmas, and all that it celebrates, seems to be most clear when we view it through the lens of a child. For a child meets life with an open heart and accepts love for what it is. A gift.

I wish you a child’s heart and a grateful spirit for the gift of the love God has for you this Christmas. I wish you, in the midst of busyness, a few quiet moments to pause and ponder this, the most precious of all gifts, our God who wants only to love you.

I have a problem. I am a Bookaholic. I have never met a book I didn’t like. Every time my husband has put together another bookshelf, we both plan on it being the last one but in time another is needed.

But there are a few books I refer to so often that I keep them close at hand, on my desk. Wake Up Grateful is one of those books. The author, Kristi Nelson begins the book with these words, “Not dying changed everything.” At 33 after receiving a diagnosis of Stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Kristi said, it was in facing death she came to understand to take nothing for granted. 

Wake Up Grateful invites a transformational shift in perspective that changes daily life. “It invites us not to consider if the glass is half empty or full but awaken to the gift that there is a glass at all!” I love that perspective! How often are we grateful just for the glass or the cool clean water readily available to us?

Gratitude can be transactional. We may be grateful when we “get” something we want. But what is our response if things don’t go our way? Gratitude can be conditional. Certainly, our faith and the life of Jesus reveal to us life will have challenges and painful times. Gratitude is a feeling and a reaction to things outside of us. It’s fleeting and highly conditional. “It loves a string of green lights and a prime parking spot with money on the meter.”

Choosing to live a grateful life is more profound. It conditions us to “appreciate the value of the yellow and red lights in life.” This book asks the question, “What does it mean to truly live every day?”

One of the many simple yet significant practices suggested in this book is the change of perspective to reframe our language and thought from what we “have to” do in life, to what we “get to do.” For example, learning not to say or think, “I have to clean the garage” to “I get to clean the garage” that is… becoming more mindful that we have a garage to keep the snow and ice off our car. Oh, and yes, we have a car! And a functioning body and eyes to drive the car! And paved roads to drive on! Can you see the shift of perspective? That is what it means to live a grateful life.

I may go to therapy about the book problem sometime, but for now I think I will be grateful to love reading and have a husband who keeps building bookshelves.

May this Thanksgiving be an opportunity to change our focus from pursuing more and better to the grace and gifts before us and within us. I wish you today and always a grateful heart.

Over three decades ago I was introduced to a new idea in religious education, implementing a Family Model of Religious Education, that put parents in the center of their child’s religious and spiritual life and in which the parish takes a supportive role of helping parents fulfill the promise they made at their child’s Baptism. At that time the priest or deacon asks the parents, “You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of training him (her) in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him (her) up to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?” 

If your child was Baptized you responded, “We do.” But we all know it is easier said than done. Raising a child in the Catholic faith, is not a simple, easy or once and done endeavor. 

The renowned religious sociologist, Dr. Christian Smith concludes after decades of studying the question of the transmission of faith, from one generation to another: 

• There have been decades of empirical research on the transmission of religious faith and practice. Research findings are consistent and strong: within a given religious tradition, the single most important influence on the religious “outcomes” of children is the religious lives of their parents. 
• The influences of other factors pale in comparison including youth ministers, clergy, Sunday School, youth group, mission trips, religious schooling, peers, media, teachers, coaches, you name it. 
• He concludes, Parents, for better or worse… are the most influential “pastors” of their children 

As you read this you might be thinking, “Well, this is what a sociologist believes but I believe what the Church teaches. I agree. The Church in its wisdom taught this truth long before academics studied it. Every Church document advises, advocates and instructs us in the same belief. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: 

• “The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom,”  
• The Christian family… should be called a domestic church.  
• Parents receive the responsibility and privilege of evangelizing their children.  
• Parents should initiate their children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith of which they are the “first heralds” for their children. 

And because of this – the direction from our Church and the research on how faith is passed on- we have offered a Family Model of Faith Formaiton. 

The Family Program is offered to ALL families in the parish, those with children who attend public school, or Catholic school, families of preschool, grade school and high school families.  

We also offer the Emeritus Program that runs simultaneously so any adult is welcome to participate. It is lifelong faith formation for anyone in the parish. Please consider joining us. Please visit Family Program or Emeritus!  

This is the 30th year of Family Program at St. Anthony on the Lake. We believe this model has contributed to the culture and spirituality of our parish. It has impacted hundreds of families. We hope you will be part of it. Everyone is invited! There is room for everyone! As, Jesus said, Come and See! 

Do you believe those words apply to you?

Our theme for this year at St. Anthony on the Lake for our parish and school is Called, Gifted and Sent. I hope you think of yourself as called, gifted and sent. It probably describes who you are more than you realize.

If you are reading this, you probably have been called to live the values of your faith, maybe as a parent, or a friend, or a spouse, or a neighbor. Someone is watching you and knowing God’s love because of you.

You are gifted in a completely unique way. Imagine this- no one, ever in all of time, has been created exactly like you. No one can give- time, understanding, wisdom, empathy, kindness, love- exactly as you can, to another person. You are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give to others, in simple or profound ways. You may give the only smile someone receives today. Your love may make a difference in another person’s self-image. You are gifted!

And you may wonder, “How am I being sent?” It is an interesting truth that none of us would even know about God, let alone have a relationship with God, unless someone was sent to us. It is our decision if we are willing to be sent to another. That truth of God’s love dies with us or is sent out into the world because of us. It is an awesome responsibility!

For many reasons, this has been a challenging time of my life. Some days it seemed there was more that was needed of me than I have hours in the day to give. Out of the blue, my friend Robin reached out to me to say she had been thinking of me. I shared my sense of being a bit overwhelmed and asked her to pray for me. This was her response:

Absolutely praying for you! You have many gifts to offer. When anxiety is present, remember it is God that is acting through you making the impact. You are His vessel.

How blessed to have a friend like Robin to remind me it is God who calls, gifts and sends me! Not because of anything I did, earned or deserved but because God has loved me first, and will give me what I need to be who God meant me to be.

I hope you will continue to pray with an open heart to know how our good God calls you, gifts you and sends you to set the world on fire!