📖From the Administrator’s Desk

October 18, 2026 

Twenty‑Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

J. M. J.

My friends, in this weekend’s Gospel we hear about the Herodians and Pharisees who try to trap Jesus—either into seeming to be a non‑devout observer of the Law (if He said taxes should be paid to Caesar) or into seeming to be a rebel against Roman authority (if He said taxes should not be paid). Our Lord refuses to be trapped and instead reminds His opponents—and us—who we and all creation belong to.

Jesus says: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” He is really saying: even if you must pay your dues to civil authorities, never forget that you belong to God. Everything and everyone—even those in authority—ultimately belong to the Lord. We are all pilgrims journeying together toward eternity.

Since that is the case, in our individual and social lives we are called to be civil, kind, and loving, even toward those we may disagree with politically or on important issues. The Lord invites us to work together and to witness to the truth of each person’s dignity—from womb to tomb—so that more may recognize that dignity. When we see that we all belong to the Lord, we are reminded not to see those we disagree with as enemies or deplorable, but as fellow beloved children of a good God. That is the glue that keeps society together and helps keep polarization in check, even as we wrestle with difficult issues in our culture. This is a hard call from Christ, and we need His grace to live it daily.

Winter Schedule

On the weekend of October 31 and November 1, we will switch to our Winter Schedule for the Saturday evening Mass at St. Stephen’s Church in Marathon. Beginning that weekend:

• Vigil Mass: 4 PM (instead of summer 5 PM)
• Confessions: 3:00–3:45 PM (instead of summer 4:00–4:45 PM)

Thank you for your attention—this gives us all a few weeks’ notice before the change.

Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day, and please remember me in yours. May God bless us, and may Mary keep us always in His love.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing! 

Peace,

             Fr. Mal

October 11, 2026

October 11, 2026 Twenty‑Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

J. M. J.

My friends, in today’s Gospel we hear Our Blessed Lord tell the parable of the wedding feast. One detail that stands out is the wedding garment. The Master has a guest thrown out of the feast and into the outer darkness because he is not wearing one. At first this seems puzzling, especially when we do not know the cultural context in which Jesus told this parable.

In the time of Our Lord, guests at a wedding were given a wedding garment by their host before entering the feast. So the man without the garment would have rejected what was freely offered to him. Jesus reminds us that He invites us all to share His life — but on His terms, not ours. May we ask Him to help us welcome the wedding garment of His grace, bit by bit, one day at a time, so that we may share His Eternal Life, here and hereafter.

Columbus Day

Monday, October 12th, is Columbus Day. In honor of the holiday, our parish office will be closed. There will be one Mass that day at 10:00 AM at St. Patrick’s Church. There will be no 6:00 PM Mass, no Confessions, and no evening Adoration.

May we give thanks to Our Blessed Lord for the spirit of adventure, bravery, and exploration that moved the great pioneers throughout our history.

Winter Schedule

On the weekend of October 31st and November 1st, we will switch to our Winter Schedule for the Saturday evening Mass at St. Stephen’s Church in Marathon.

Beginning that weekend:

• Vigil Mass at St. Stephen’s will move to 4:00 PM (instead of the summer 5:00 PM).
• Saturday Confessions at St. Stephen’s will move to 3:00–3:45 PM (instead of the summer 4:00–4:45 PM).

Thank you for your attention — this gives everyone (including me!) a few weeks’ notice before the change.

Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day, and please remember me in yours. May God bless us and may Mary keep us always in His love.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing! 

Peace,     

      Fr. Mal

October 4, 2026 

Twenty‑Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

J. M. J.

My friends, in today’s second reading, St. Paul invites us to “have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” We have only to look at our own lives and at the culture in which we live to see that anxiety surrounds us. Sadly, many forces in society thrive on stoking our fears for their own ends.

St. Paul reminds us that thanksgiving—gratitude—is the prayerful antidote to needless anxiety. Gratitude helps us see all that we are, all that we have, and all that we love as gifts from a good God who walks with us always. When we are grateful, we can live even anxious moments with poise and confidence in Jesus.

A grateful spirit lifts our minds to what Paul calls the best subjects for our thinking: “whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, and praiseworthy.” What a beautiful world we would live in if each of us saw our lives as gifts from the Lord! Thanks be to God.

Month of the Rosary

October is the month of the Holy Rosary. In praying the Rosary, we enter into the key events of the lives of Jesus and Mary. It is one of my favorite ways to pray—only about twelve minutes for one set of mysteries. May we never forget that Our Blessed Mother always leads us to Christ her Son.

Blessing of Animals

This weekend, Sunday, October 4 at 3 PM, we will hold the Blessing of Animals in honor of St. Francis, patron of animals, in the parking lot at St. Patrick’s in Whitney Point (rain or shine). Light refreshments will follow. Pets of all faiths—and their humans—are welcome!

Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day, and please remember me in yours. May God bless us and Mary keep us always in His love. Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

 Peace,  

           Fr Mal

September 27, 2026

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

J. M. J.

My friends, in this weekend's Gospel, we hear Our Blessed Lord tell the story of two sons. Their father invites both of them to go to work in the field, in the Vineyard. The first of his sons first denies his father's request but then changes his mind and goes to work. The second of his sons first agrees to work but then ultimately doesn't go to work. Jesus asks his listeners (the Chief priests and elders) which of the two sons had (in the final analysis) followed the will of their father, and they correctly answer that the first son did so.

Our Lord then reproaches the chief priests and elders for failing to follow his call to the kingdom, and he says that those who they would regard as “deplorables” and “irredeemables” and “unclean” (due to their life history and circumstances) are paradoxically opening themselves to Jesus and are entering into the life of the kingdom of God ahead of the self‑righteous chief priests and elders. The Lord doesn't simply want us to welcome him in our words but in our daily deeds.

Those parts of us, those places in us that are wounded and suffering are most often the places where we are faced with the fact that we need Jesus. When we allow Christ to lead us, one day at a time, then he can help us (step by step) with his grace so that we can follow in the pathways to which he calls us. It’s when we self‑righteously pretend that we don’t need God (or that we are already righteous on our own accounts) that we are headed for trouble in our lives.

May we ask Christ, whose Body and Blood we receive at the Eucharist, to help us to not only praise him with our words but witness to him with our actions in our daily lives.

PRIESTS’ RETREAT

This coming week, I will be joining my brother priests of the Diocese of Syracuse for our days of retreat at Alexandria Bay, NY. This is a beautiful opportunity for us to gather with our bishop for prayer, fraternity, conversation and support. Since I will be out of town this week, there will be no daily Masses this week, since I can't be in two places at once. Please keep us in prayer as we spend time together and with the Lord on retreat.

BLESSING OF ANIMALS

On Sunday, October 4th, we will be holding the blessing of animals in honor of St Francis (patron of animals). It will be in the parking lot at St Patrick's in Whitney Point on Sunday, October 4th at 3 PM (rain or shine). After the blessing, there will be some light refreshments served. Pets of all faiths and their humans are welcome!

Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day and please remember me in your prayers!

May God bless us and Mary keep us always in his love!

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Peace,

Fr Mal

September 20, 2026

Twenty‑Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

J. M. J.

HOPE APPEAL

My friends, last weekend marked the official kickoff of our diocesan Hope Appeal. All contributions to the Hope Appeal go to support the over 26 ministries of Charity and Evangelization throughout our seven‑county diocese. The Hope Appeal funds Catholic Charities; hospital chaplaincy; Newman Centers; vocation promotion; formation for ministry; formation for our seminarians, priests, and permanent deacons; the Taped Mass for the homebound; soup kitchens; and so much more.

All money raised over our goals will be returned to our parishes to support our ministries. May we all be generous in supporting this year’s Hope Appeal. Thank you, and may the Lord bless you a hundred‑fold for your generosity done for others in Jesus’ name.

The theme of this year’s annual Appeal is “We are the Body of Christ.” May we never forget that, in Jesus, we belong to one another and we do not walk alone. Our gifts to the Hope Appeal help to bring the Light and Love of Christ to so many throughout our diocese. God bless you for your goodness!

2026 Hope Appeal Goals:

St. Stephen–St. Patrick — $ 18,901.00

Our Lady of Perpetual Help — $ 2,631.00

THE GOD WE BELIEVE IN IS GENEROUS

In our Gospel this weekend, we hear Our Blessed Lord tell the parable of the Laborers and the Vineyard. The Master goes at different times of the day to seek workers for the field and agrees with everyone for the usual daily wage.

At the end of the workday, the Master gives everyone the usual daily wage. The workers who have worked all day are jealous that the Master has chosen to give the same wage to those who have worked only a little while. The owner answers back: “Are you envious because I am generous?”

The Lord calls all of us to work in His vineyard. Whether we have been in God’s service many years or only a little while, the same generous Lord has called us to serve and calls us to the same ultimate destiny — holiness and eternal life with Him. It’s amazing simply to have been lovingly chosen by Jesus to do His work, no matter our life history or state in life. That’s an encouraging thought for our journey! Let’s not envy one another but celebrate the generosity of Christ, who calls us to gather in His abundant harvest.

Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day, and please remember me in yours.

May God bless us , and Mary keep us always in His love.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Peace,

Fr Mal

September 13, 2026

Twenty Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time

J. M. J.

My friends, in this weekend’s Gospel we hear Our Blessed Lord tell the parable of the unforgiving servant who initially begs his Master for forgiveness for his debts but then refuses forgiveness for his fellow servant. The unforgiving servant receives harsh punishment from the master after he refuses forgiveness. Our Lord closes the parable by saying: “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

If we hurtfully and deliberately withhold forgiveness from those who have wronged us, then we cannot expect to experience God’s forgiveness ourselves. This is incredibly difficult, especially when we have experienced deep wounds, betrayal, or hurts from others. It can be incredibly hard to forgive. We need to be reminded here that forgiveness doesn’t mean having positive thoughts or feelings about those who have failed us.

It is important instead that we pray to want to want what’s best for those who have wronged us — that they may come to know Christ, and that they, together with us, may come to know Christ’s eternal life. May we this week think of at least one person we need to forgive and ask the Lord Jesus to help us forgive them in our hearts, to help us pray to want to want what’s best for them.

TWO GREAT FEASTS

On Monday, September 14th, we celebrate the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, where we remember with joy the Triumph over evil that Our Lord won by His dying for us. This feast goes back to when St. Helena, Mother of St. Constantine the Emperor, discovered the Cross of Christ near the site of Our Lord’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection in the fourth century. The relics of the Holy Cross are preserved at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Rome. This feast reminds us that our sufferings, if lived and offered in union with Christ, are opportunities for growth in grace. As the old prayer goes: “Hail, O Cross, our only hope.”

On Tuesday, September 15th, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. On that day we remember the Compassion of Our Blessed Mother in the Passion of her Son Jesus. We remember Our Lady’s wholly unique cooperation in her Son’s work of Redemption. There are seven key moments commemorated on this feast:

(1) The Prophecy of Simeon

(2) The Flight into Egypt

(3) The Three‑Day search for Jesus by Mary and Joseph

(4) Mary Meets Jesus on the Way of Calvary

(5) Christ’s crucifixion and death

(6) Christ’s being taken down from the Cross

(7) Christ’s burial

May Our Lady of Sorrows teach us to unite ourselves with Christ at all times.

Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day and please remember me in your prayers!

May God bless us and Mary keep us always in His love!

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Peace, Fr Mal

𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆

𝑨𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒌