24 July 2026 - St Francis Solano - Friday of the 16th week in Ordinary Time - Jeremiah 4:13-17

St Francis Solano was born in the province of Córdoba, Spain in 1549. At the age of 20, he joined the Franciscan Friars minor which followed a strict routine of prayer, fasting, and silence. After his studies, he became an itinerant preacher.  During a plague in Grenada, he ministered to and tended to the sick and the dying. He requested to be sent to Africa as a missionary, by at the request of the King of Spain, he joined at group of Franciscan missionary that were sent to America. He served in the regions of Paraguay, Argentina, and Peru. He learned the local languages to be able to minister to the native people there. He had a love of visiting the sick. On those visits he would often play the violin for them, as he was a talented musician. He died in Lima, Peru in 1610 and was canonized a saint in 1726. He is exemplary life of faith served as a wonderful means of evangelization in his missionary work. 

In our passage from the 4th Chapter of Jeremiah today, God calls his people to repent, affirming the covenant he has made with them. While the people always associated the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple with God’s presence that was with them, but the prophesy foretells an era when they will not need the ark to be God’s presence with them, that his presence will always be completely with them wherever they are. This message of repentance is made in the midst of the threat of the Babylonian exile, when the people will be separated from their holy city and their religious sites. We must never forget God’s fidelity to us, no matter what we are going through. 

Catholic Prayer for College Students at the Beginning of the School Year

Gracious God,
We thank you for our college students who are beginning a new year of studies. 
As they start they new semester, we ask for a blessing for Tiffany, Silas, and Greta. 
May you watch over them O Lord in their studies and their school activities. 
Provide them with strength, courage, patience, and perseverance. 

Lead and guide their professors as they help them learn this semester. 
May their studies help them grow intellectually and help them learn in their field of study. 
May you grow on your journey of faith this school year and may you feel the Lord accompanying you every step of the way. 

Know the love and prayers of your parish family will be with you always. 

May God bless you on your journey. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN. 

23 July 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Thursday of the 16th week of ordinary time

Lord Jesus - you proclaim the justice of God’s kingdom. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us hope.

Lord Jesus - you are the savior of the world. 

Priest: With faith and hope, we now present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. For greater wisdom on our journey of faith. For wisdom for our governmental leaders and Church leaders. 

2. For gift of peace in our local communities and throughout the world. May we be open to greater dialogue and opportunities for reconciliation. 

3. For those who came in to the Church this past year. That the Lord continue to bless them on their journey of faith. 

4. For all who are struggling with addictions. That God will free them and help them find the assistance they need. 

5. For the grace to live out the Gospel of life in our daily lives. 

6. For our children and youth who will be starting the new school year. May the Lord bless them on their journey.

7. For the prayers who hold in the silence of our hearts. 

Priest: We give thanks for the blessings we receive in life. We give thanks for God’s grace that helps us meet our challenges. We present our prayers though your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

23 July 2026 - St Bridget of Sweden - homily for Thursday of the 16th week of Ordinary time - Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13

Born in 1303 in Sweden, St Bridget of Sweden had a great devotion to Christ’s passion throughout her lifetime. She was married to a Swedish landowner for 28 years and had 8 children with him. She served as a lady in waiting to the queen of Spain. When her husband died, she committed herself to austerity and celibacy. She founded a monastery for both men and women. That community developed into a religious order known as the Brigantines. She advised the popes who were in exile in Avignon, France to return to Rome. She was known as a prophet and did not refrain from preaching the strong words that God put in her mouth. She is the patron saint of the country of Sweden and one of the co-patron saints of Europe. 

This week and next week during daily Mass, we will hear from the prophet Jeremiah in our first readings. Jeremiah compares the love that God has for his people with the ways Israel is not faithful to God. Israel has abandoned the founts of life giving water that God offers them to the broken dry cisterns that Israel chooses to dig themselves. Do we go to God for spiritual fulfillment in life? Or do we choose to try in vain to find that fulfillment within ourselves? If we rely solely on our earthly pursuits and not on God, we will remain spiritually unfulfilled. 

22 July 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Wednesday of the 16th week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you call us to a life of discipleship. 

Christ Jesus - you are our redeemer and our savior. 

Lord Jesus - you bring us hope. 

Priest: As we celebrate St Mary Magdalene today as the apostle of the apostles, we bring our prayers to our heavenly father: 

1. That our Church leaders may be an example to the people by the humble way they live out their faith. 

2. That our elected officials strive to serve with faithfulness the people who elected them. 

3. For purity of heart as we walk down the path of faith. 

4. For an atmosphere of love and respect in our homes and in our communities. 

5. For a greater sense of stewardship of God’s creation and of the gifts God has bestowed upon us. 

6. We offer our prayers for those who have died. May they rise to heavenly glory. 

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. 

Priest: We ask these prayers through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

22 July 2026 - homily for the feast of St Mary Magdalene - John 20:1-2, 11-18

The Mass of St Mary Magdalene has long been celebrated on July 22 each year. However, Pope Francis officially elevated the liturgical status of this mass from a memorial to a full Feast day back in 2016, putting this celebration on par with the Masses for the other apostles on their feast days. The change was made to emphasize her importance as the first witness to Christ’s resurrection. 

Mary Magdalene is sometimes referred to as the apostle to the apostles, referencing her encounter with the risen Lord in the Gospel of John. Mary of Magdalene is weeping at the place of Christ’s tomb, seeing that it is empty, thinking that his body has been stolen. The Lord appears to hear, but at first she is unable to recognize him because of her grief and sense of loss. Yet, when Jesus calls her by name, she is able to recognize him, and calls out to him, Rabbouni, Teacher. She goes out to announce to the other disciples the Good News, that Jesus is risen from the tomb. 

The resurrection is not just an historical event. It is not just a doctrine of our faith that we are called to blindly believe. The resurrection is a connection that each one of us has with Jesus as his disciple, a personal connection. We have the promise that Jesus is indeed alive and that he can speak to us directly in our hearts. He can transform our pain and our sufferings into hope and encouragement. 

After her encounter with Jesus, Mary Magdalene did not want to stay there in that encounter and hold onto him. Her immediate response was driven by her sense of ministry and mission, of sharing that experience with others. She goes to others to share the Good News. We too are to share our experiences of Christ with the world, not to hold onto them as private experiences.  

We can learn from Mary Magdalene because we cannot relate to her so easily. Like Mary Magdalene, our own fears and our own sufferings can be overwhelming sometimes on our journey of faith. Her faith and courage give an example of faith to follow. She learns to have faith and to trust in the presence of Christ’s love and mercy. Her witness was very important to the Early Church. As we honor Mary Magdalene today, may we unite our prayers with her prayers. 

21 July 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Tuesday of the 16th week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you are the son of God and the son of Mary. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us hope. 

Lord Jesus - you are the savior of the world. 

Priest - The Lord has opened our minds and hearts to the wisdom of God. Let us bring our needs to our loving God.

1. That the Lord to inspire the leaders of God’s people to lead us to the truth of our faith. 

2. That the Lord to direct and motivate our political leaders to attend to those in need. 

3. That the Lord assist this faith community to always remember that God dwells with us. 

4. That our children and youth be inspired by the corporal and spiritual works of mercy of the Church. 

5. For healing and wholeness for the sick, the lonely, the aged, and the afflicted. 

6. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts today. 

Priest: With humble hearts, we present these prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.