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Pastor’s Letter: April 26, 2026

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,

Blessings be in your hearts today! What a grace-filled week we had here at St. Philomena! Our First Communion celebration last Sunday was so joyful—it is always so inspiring to see the reverence of our First Communion students! On Monday, we then had a prayerful Memorial Mass celebration for Fr. Albert’s father Andrew—thanks so much to all who were able to join in prayer. Tuesday, Bishop Lou was here for a wonderful Confirmation—our 8^th graders were strengthened by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! Wednesday, a great group of parish members representing Finance Council, Education Commission, and Building and Grounds got together to work on long-term planning for our campus. I was also happy to share with our Finance Council at our last meeting that we pushed over the $2 Million mark of our Changing Lives Tuition Assistance Campaign—we moved past 2/3 complete for our $3 million goal! It has truly been a week of blessings here! This coming week, our momentum will slow a bit as I am away for my continuing education series—thanks to Fr. Albert and Fr. Daniel for covering the sacraments for us while I’m away.

Continuing our reflections on the Anointing of the Sick, our Catechism teaches that “Jesus has the power not only to heal, but also to forgive sins; he has come to heal the whole man, soul and body; he is the physician the sick have need of” (CCC, 1503). Sometimes you may see Jesus referred to as the “Divine Physician,” almighty God dwelling among us who can heal anything that ails us—body, mind, heart. This title is always a reminder of who Jesus is and why we can go to Him with all our needs.

If we look in the Old Testament, we often see a connection between illness, healing, and forgiveness of sins. This is clear when we think about the things that can make us suffer—some..