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Pastor’s Letter: July 19, 2026

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,

May the Lord’s blessing and peace be in all your hearts this day! This past weekend I had the joy of officiating a wedding for a wonderful couple, Patrick and Alyssa. I have known Alyssa for a good number of years and enjoyed getting to know Patrick during the preparation process. Their wedding was just the picture of a great wedding you would imagine—a joyful celebration with their family and friends. In the midst of marriage preparation, I will often ask a couple how things are going with their details and decision making. It is always interesting how couples handle decisions like where the reception will be, what is on the menu, what the decorations will be like, etc. For some couples, the bride-to-be will take the lead for decisions of things like the color choices and dresses. For others, they have a team of helpers including family and close friends. The groom-to-be often has the largest range of involvement, from being more quietly supportive to being actively involved. I will say, many a groom-to-be will volunteer that he enjoyed tasting the different cake options!

However a couple is planning their wedding, there are many decisions to make for the ceremony. For special events like weddings, we often all prepare by wearing special clothes. There will be specially chosen music, flowers, etc.—all of those external details help convey to us in our hearts how special the moment truly is. Those details also serve as a reminder of how a sacrament works—there are external signs (details if you will) that help us recognize what is happening interiorly in the hearts of the bride and groom—Jesus is there at work with His grace forging two hearts into one. Just as special dresses and suits/tuxes help us recognize that a wedding day is different from any other Saturday, so too do the exchange of vows and exchange of rings help us..