Eucharistic adoration is an incredible gift and I am so pleased that we have perpetual adoration; it has transformed this parish (and all of us) in ways we will not see fully until the other side of eternity. For me, adoration was not something I experienced until college as part of an overnight event the Newman Center was putting on for Lent. I remember going and not knowing what to expect and/or do during that hour. Turns out, Jesus knows what to do and He led me through this hour and left me desiring more. Unfortunately, there was no perpetual adoration at that time and so this desire to adore Jesus in the Eucharist would go unfulfilled until seminary. That’s when I was able to daily make a holy hour with Jesus; something that’s now the foundation of my life and daily routine.

In Genesis 3, we read the account of the Fall, the moment Original Sin corrupted the human condition and wounded our relationship with God; Adam and Eve grasped for what belongs to God alone and, as they reached out to take the fruit, they told God they didn’t need Him, that we’d rather do things our way. This grasping at what belongs to God alone is the root of all sin, a lack of trust in the Providence of God.

Hello St. Mary Magdalene,

It is a tremendous joy to be back in our newly renovated sanctuary and I truly thank you all for your prayers, support, and patience to help bring us to this point. This is part of a series of articles I’ll be writing about what’s next for our parish. Today, I wish to take some time to give an overview of what you’ll see in the coming months when our mural work is installed this winter (2022). This is custom made mural work that will fit our spiritual charisms and the physical space in a captivating way.

What does it mean to follow Jesus? The Gospels show us that Jesus called each person individually, recognizing the things that stood in the way for each. He looked into the person's heart and saw the true desires of the person standing before him.

Happy solemnity of Corpus Christi! Today we celebrate as a Church the gift of the Eucharist, the Body of Christ (Corpus Christi), in a special and particular way. Specifically, it also provides the chance to reflect on the role and prominence of the Eucharist in our life. For me, this feast holds a special significance as nine years ago (2013) my first Masses as a priest was for this solemnity. Thus, each year I find myself reflecting on the words of the Second Vatican Council: that the Eucharist is the “fount and apex of the whole Christian life” (Lumen Gentium, 11). What, though, does it mean to say that the Eucharist is the fount and apex of Christian life?

I’d like to give everyone an update on our progress on our renovations. The concrete foundation as well as the posts for our altar rail have been laid. We’ve also had the ceiling and back wall painted to match the theme of the artwork that will be installed in our sanctuary. Construction should be completed late this summer. We’re running into supply chain issues affecting the delivery of our marble and other materials. These setbacks have a cascading effect into other areas of the project which is delaying the completion of this project. What remains is the delivery and installation of the marble for the sanctuary, carpeting, the decorative woodwork, the altar rail, and final cleanup.

Why are you here? I mean two things when I ask that. First: why are you here at church? Second: what is your purpose in this life? It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that those two questions have very little to do with each other. After all, why go to church every week, or even only on certain days like Christmas and Easter, if it is not important? For most of my life, I only had to worry about the second question because, for about 24 years, I was not a Catholic.

Did you know that May is a month dedicated to Our Blessed Mother? To celebrate her intercession in our life it’s an ancient tradition to crown our Lady on May 1st as a way of asking her to intercede for us and to share in her joy in Christ risen from the dead. Today’s insert features that rite so that you can pray along with us as we crown Mary during our 9:00am Mass. You can also adapt this rite if you’d like to crown an image/statue of Mary in your own home.