24 October 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Saturday of the 29th week of Ordinary time - ACTS RETREAT

Lord Jesus - you are the beloved son of the Father. 

Christ Jesus - you are our savior and our redeemer. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to be open to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

Priest: Let us pray to God, our Father, that his life and love may reach our hearts today and reach out to the whole world: 

1. For the whole Church, the community of disciples gathered around the table of the Lord that he prepares for us. May we grow in our love for the Eucharist. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For all those who are sick and afflicted and who await healing and companionship. We pray to the Lord.

3. For the presence of the Holy Spirit with us in the ordinary moments of life. We pray to the Lord. 

4. For individuals and families struggling to find meaning in life and struggling to earn their daily bread. We pray to the Lord.

5. For our deceased relatives, friends, and neighbors; for their entry into eternal life. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For our children, youth, and college students. May God accompany them on their journey of faith, in their studies, and in their activities. Let us pray to the Lord. 

7. For a greater love and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let us pray to the Lord. 

8. May the Lord bless all of us on the ACTS retreat this week. May be open to the Holy Spirit working within us. We pray to the Lord.  

9. For the prayers we hold in the depths of our hearts.

Priest: Hear our prayer, Father, and grant us the nourishment of Your love. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

25 October 2026 - homily for the 30th Sunday of ordinary time for the ACTS RETREAT MASS 10:30 am Sunday Morning - Psalm 18 - 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10

We welcome everyone to Mass today at Holy Savior. We especially welcome the women from the ACTS retreat, both our retreatants and retreat team members, and all their family members, friends, and guests today. Our theme for the ACTS retreat this weekend was taken from the refrain from psalm 18: “I love you, Lord, my strength.” When you look at the words of this psalm, it is certainly a psalm of putting our trust in the Lord. The psalmist sees the Lord as his rock, his fortress, his deliverer, his refuge, and his strength. When we go through trials, tribulations, struggles, and challenges in life, we can turn to the Lord and to God’s grace to accompany us in the reality of life, to be our strength and our refuge. 

A similar theme is echoed in our second reading from St Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. This letter is considered to be the earliest letter of St Paul included in the New Testament, written around the year 50 AD. St Paul praises the Thessalonians because they embraced Christ’s Gospel message even in the midst of their struggles and persecutions. They received God’s word into their hearts with great joy, becoming an example of faith for other believers in Christ in their part of the world. St Paul says that their actions and their example of faith spoke louder than any words. The Thessalonians turned to God, leaving beyond the false idols they had previously been worshipping. Through their faith, the Thessalonians truly served the living God. What a great example that Christianity community at Thessalonica is for us today as modern disciples of Christ. 

Last month, I was in Tupelo serving as the priest as the women’s ACTS retreat. We had founded the ACTS retreat in Tupelo for the Spanish speaking community 11 years ago and it is still going strong, which has been a huge blessing for that community. This weekend, we celebrate the first English speaking women’s retreat here in our Diocese. We are very thankful for the men and women in Vicksburg and here in the Jackson area who had gone on the ACTS retreat in Louisiana and who had the dream of starting the ACTS program here in the Diocese of Jackson. They persevered in trying to start the ACTS program here in Mississippi and never gave up, even when so many doors were close for them. I am so incredibly thankful for their faith and their tenacity and their heart for evangelization. I am very grateful to the ACTS program in the Diocese of Alexandria that has led us and guided us in starting ACTS here in our Diocese. They have truly been a blessing to us. We are having the 2nd ACTS mens retreat in March. And some of the men from the ACTS retreat program are going to help us put on the prison version of ACTS, called the Kolbe retreat in January for my inmates at the state prison in Pearl. 

On October 15, we celebrated the feast day of St Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun who was a great mystic and who was named the first female Doctor of the Church. After St Teresa of Avila died in the late 16th century, a prayer was found written in her handwriting in the margins of her breviary. This has become a very popular prayer:

Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things pass away. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. They who have God
lack nothing. God alone is enough.

Whether or not Teresa composed these lines herself, they certainly inspired her, just as they have inspired the many of the Catholic faithful who have prayed these words over the centuries.

This is a wonderful prayer of a person of great faith, and it has profound meaning, but as we think of the words of this prayer, we might ask: Do all things really pass, especially if we are trying to come to terms with the death of a loved one or a traumatic experience in our lives? Or how can we possibly “let nothing disturb us” if we are consumed with worry or anxiety about something? And what does it mean to say that “God alone is enough”? Do the things of this world mean nothing at all? 

One thing to keep in mind about St Teresa, is that she struggled greatly in her prayer life and in her relationship with God for around two decades. Teresa lived in 16th century Spain, the time of the Spanish Inquisition and great turbulence in both the Church and in politics. It was not an easy time for someone who was looking for creative answers as she struggled in her faith life as a Carmelite nun. But she persevered, sought guidance, and pressed forward. To advance in her relationship with God, Teresa said that the key was what she called, “determined determination”: to be patient, to be faithful, to have courage in the midst of her challenges, and to persevere. 

Even though Teresa’s prayer can challenge us in different ways, we can surrender to God and to the words of this prayer knowing of God’s tender love and care for us. God’s divine love can sustain us through the ups and downs of life, at the deepest level of our being. In a lot of ways, this prayer echoes the theme of what the ACTS retreat is about. In the freedom that God gives us, we choose to be a disciple of Christ and to live out the values of our faith. We persevere through the hardships and challenges and we find joy and hope in our faith. 

The challenge of the ACTS retreat is for the retreatants to live out the spirit of the ACTS retreat in the reality of daily life. That is the challenge all of us have as disciples of Christ, to live out our relationship with Christ each day. 

23 October 2026 - Prayers of the faithful for Friday of the 29th week in Ordinary Time ACTS RETREAT

Lord Jesus - you call us to be your disciples. 

Christ Jesus - you are our source and our strength. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to be missionary in spirit.  

Priest: Let us unite our prayers with the prayers of all believers today as we present our petitions to God: 

1. For all Church leaders, especially Pope Leo XIV and Bishop Joseph Kopacz. May they lead the Church in unity and courage. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For all of our governmental leaders. May the Lord lead them and guide them in the difficult decisions they have to make. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For all missionaries serving the Church throughout the world. For a missionary spirit in all of us. For greater understanding and dialogue amongst the religions of the world. We pray to the Lord. 

4. For our children, our youth, and our families. For a strengthening of their faith and a greater effort in the way we reach out to our families. We pray to the Lord. 

5. For those who are struggling through life. For those who are recovering from natural disasters. For those struggling with addictions, depression, and mental health issues. For healing and help for those who need it. We pray to the Lord. 

6. May the Lord bless all of us on the ACTS retreat this week. May be open to the Holy Spirit working within us. We pray to the Lord.  

7. For the spirit of Respect life month to last throughout the year. That all of us may have a greater respect for life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For the sick and the afflicted. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We pray to the Lord. 

9. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. May we unite our prayers with the prayers of Mary and the community of saints. We pray to the Lord.

Priest: Heavenly Father, with faith and hope, we present these prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever and ever.  AMEN.

22 October 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Thursday of the 29th week in Ordinary Time ACTS RETREAT

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

Christ Jesus - you lead us to the mysteries of God. 

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

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

1. For a fuller life in the Holy Spirit. That God will free us and lead us to a greater fullness in our faith. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For those who are grieving and afflicted. May God give them hope and the opportunity to heal. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For our team members and retreatants on our ACTS retreat this week. May they be open to the Holy Spirit moving within them. We pray to the Lord. 

4. For all who are in formation to become Catholic. That they will take God’s Word to heart and grow in knowledge and intimacy with God. We pray the Lord. 

5. For farmers and gardeners. For all who work the fields and bring food to our tables. That God will protect them and grant them a bountiful harvest, allowing them to be fruitful in their labors. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For a greater respect for human life in our words and our actions during Respect Life Month. We pray to the Lord.

7. That we may unite all the prayers we hold in our hearts with the prayers of our Mother Mary and all the saints. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: With a sense of thanksgiving and gratitude, we present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

24 October 2026 - homily for the Saturday of the 29th week in Ordinary time ACTS RETREAT - Ephesians 4:7-16

St Anthony Mary Claret was born in 1807 in the Catalonia region of Spain. We celebrate his feast day today. After spending five years as a priest giving retreats and missions in Spain, he founded a religious order named the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1849, commonly known as the Claretians. That same year, he was named as Bishop of Santiago in Cuba. Arriving in Cuba as the Bishop, he found his Diocese to be in very bad spiritual condition, so he initiated reform measures, including the establishment of a teaching order of sisters in the Diocese. In 1857, he was named as chaplain to Queen Isabella II of Spain, so he returned to his home country. As Queen Isabella’s advisor, he helped revive the Catalonian language and spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Blessed Sacrament. After a revolution in Spain in 1868, he died in exile with Queen Isabella in 1870. His missionary spirit lives on in the ministry of the Claretians, which number more than 3,000 priests and brothers and who serve in more than 70 countries throughout the world. 

In our readings at Mass for the last several weeks, we having been hearing from St Paul’s letters to the Ephesians and to the Galatians. In our reading from Ephesians today, St Paul speaks about God’s grace, about how God’s grace to each person individually. Paul speaks about how there was diversity in how Christ appointed his followers to different roles, as some were apostles or prophets, while others were evangelists, pastors, and teachers. They did not do ministry individually, but rather worked as a team in the work of service to God and his people. Paul speaks about how these individuals work together for the growth of the Body of Christ and build that body up in God’s love. We see in our ACTS retreat this weekend a great diversity in our service as individuals, but all of us working together in the common goal of this ministry. We met for several months working together to plan this retreat and bonding together as a team. 

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, grace is the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become his children. Through the working of grace in our lives, God invites us to a life of holiness and to eternal life with him. Through baptism, we participate in the grace of Christ and in a life of disciples. 

God’s grace is at work in a powerful way here at our retreat this weekend. We are hearing about God’s grace at work in our lives in different ways as people share their stories with us in the presentations and in our conversations. God’s graces has helped us meet the challenges and struggles we have met in life. God’s grace will help us to heal when we need healing in our lives. May the Lord continue to open our hearts and our minds to the presence of God’s grace in our lives and in the way God has been present to us in our journey of faith. 

Prayers of the faithful for the Catholic sacrament of Holy Matrimony - Marriage convalidation

Priest: We now call upon the mercy of God the almighty Father. 

His plan of salvation is reflected in the love and fidelity of Emily and Austin, the their marriage that they are having blessed in the church today: 

1. Renew the fidelity of your servants Emily and Austin. Holy Father, as they bless their marriage today in the presence of their family and friends. We pray to the Lord. 

2. Holy Father, who with the Son and the Holy Spirit enjoy from eternity the perfect oneness of life and communion of love, grant that Emily and Austin may always remember and faithfully keep the covenant of love they make in this Sacrament. We pray to the Lord. 

3. Holy Father, watch over Emily and Austin and their family in both the joys and challenges of life. We pray to the Lord. 

4. Holy Father, you will that the partnership of Marriage should be an example of Christian living, grant that Emily and Austin and all married couples may be witnesses in the world to the mystery of your Son’s love. We pray to the Lord. 

5. We have family members and loved ones who are going through health challenges and illnesses. We pray for them in the name of Christ the healer and the great physician. We pray for healing in body, mind, and spirit. We pray to the Lord. 

6. We pray that the Lord bless all the children and youth of our community and accompany them on their journey of faith. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: O God, in whose plan, family life has its firm foundation. Please hear with compassion the prayers of your servants and grant that, following the example of the Holy Family, they may praise you without end in the joy of your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. ± Amen.

23 October 2026 - St John of Capistrano - homily for Friday of the 29th week in Ordinary Time ACTS RETREAT - Ephesians 4:1-6

Today is the feast day of St John of Capistrano. We probably are familiar with him by his Spanish name, as mission San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, California was named after him by the Franciscan missionaries who brought God’s word to the native people of California. The Spanish missionaries usually named missions and areas after the saint on the date of the feast day on which they arrived in that location. St John of Capistrano was born in 1386 in the kingdom of Naples in Italy.  He was imprisoned during a war with a neighboring town. He entered the Franciscan community as a friar in Perugia after his release. After being ordained to the priesthood, he brought his gifts of preaching to countries all over Europe – throughout  Italy, Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Russia.  Through his preaching, John of Capistrano tried to unify the Christians throughout the European realm. He also wrote religious tracts against different heresies of that era. He died in 1456 at the age of 70. 

We have been hearing from St Paul’s letters to the Galatians and the Ephesians these past several weeks.  Today, in his letter to the Ephesians, St Paul writes how he is a prisoner of the Lord. He is writing this while he is actually imprisoned in Rome. Writing this message behind bars, it gives weight to his message to the Ephesians to be worthy of the calling to live a Christian life that they received through their baptism. He exhorts them to be patient, gentle, and humble. We can imagine St Paul praying that he himself would be follow those same virtues in his challenging life circumstances. He calls the Ephesians to live in unity as one Body and one Spirit, of which those virtues would help to achieve these goals. We can think of the ways our faith and God’s love can set us from free from all that keeps us down. 

We welcome all of you to this first Mass of our ACTS retreat. The Mass and the Eucharist are central to our Catholic faith and to our relationship with Christ, so Mass has a very important role in our ACTS retreat. As we hear St Paul tell the Ephesians to be patient and humble, as we start this ACTS retreat, it is important to be patient and humble and open to how God is speaking to us through this retreat. It is always good to enter a retreat time with openness to how God is going to speak to us through this retreat, that it may be in a way that might surprise us. God will certainly speak to us in this retreat in the midst of the reality of our lives, through the talks and devotions and conversations and prayers and experiences we will have in this retreat. May our hearts and our minds be open. May we not have expectations as to what this retreat is going to be. The team and I look forward to journeying with all of you this weekend.