Prayers of the faithful for the feast of St Joseph the Worker - 2025 May 1

Lord Jesus You grew up with Mary and Joseph in Nazareth.

Christ Jesus - You give dignity to human work. 

Lord Jesus - You are our Lord and Savior.  

PRIEST: Lord, you are the source of all holiness. We pray to our Lord God who gave St. Joseph the light and strength he needed to be faithful at all times: 

1. For Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Joseph Kopacz, and all priests. May they follow the example of St Joseph and lead us through a responsible and dedicated leadership.

2. That we in our Christian community may respect and love each other and be dedicated to our families by following the example of St Joseph.

3. That those entrusted with responsibility in various ministries of the Church set a modern Christian example for the people they lead.

4. That St Joseph the Worker may inspire all laborers and workers to work wholeheartedly in this world, seeking always to give God glory and be faithful to the duties assigned to them.

5. That through the intercession of  St Joseph, all humanity may find the opportunity to have secure employment and a fitting standard of living. We pray to the Lord.

6. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. We pray to the Lord. 

PRIEST: Heavenly Father, we praise you for having led St Joseph to serve your son Jesus and his Mother Mary so faithfully. We ask that you help us to be faithful to our responsibilities and serve you with love. We ask this through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever and ever. AMEN. 

1 May 2025 - homily for Friday of the 4th week of Easter - homily for the feast of St Joseph the worker - Acts 13:26-33

We have a lot of different examples of holiness in the lives of the saints. Just this week, on Tuesday, we celebrated St Catherine of Siena, a Dominican lay woman who lived in the 14th century and who had an incredible influence on the Church and the Church leaders of that era, leading her to be named a Doctor of the Church in the late 20th century. Then, yesterday, we commemorated Pope Pius V, who was named pope in the era of the Protestant Reformation and who was entrusted to implement the reforms and renewal that came out of the Council of Trent. Today, we celebrate Joseph, the spouse of Mary, as St Joseph the worker. Pope Pius XII instituted this feast day in 1955 to foster devotion to St Joseph as a model of faith and holiness and to counter-balance the May Day celebrations of the communist countries of Europe. This feast day is inspired by Joseph’s life of holiness as the humble hard-working carpenter who has inspired the Catholic example of the worker for centuries, emphasizing the dignity and respect we have for human labor and the way it contributes to our families and our society.  Beginning with the story of creation in the Book of Genesis, the dignity of human work has been celebrated as us participating in the creative work of God.

Just as St Joseph the carpenter and foster father of Jesus is a great example of the holiness of human labor for us in the modern world, we must remember that Jesus worked as a carpenter too. He learned carpentry from Joseph by working working with him. Jesus spent his early adult years working in Joseph’s carpentry shop before the start of his ministry. John Paul II stated in his encyclical On Human Work: “[Christ], while being God, became like us in all things devoted most of the years of his life on earth to manual work at the carpenter’s bench. This circumstance constitutes in itself the most eloquent ‘Gospel of work’, showing that the basis for determining the value of human work is not primarily the kind of work being done but the fact that the one who is doing it is a person.” Later in the same document, John Paul II states: “the Church considers it her task always to call attention to the dignity and rights of those who work, to condemn situations in which that dignity and those rights are violated…”

In addition to this feast day of St Joseph the worker today and the feast day of Joseph the spouse of Mary on March 19, Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph the patron of the universal Church in 1870. Just as Paul and the other apostles and disciples in the Early Church are great examples of faith for us as heard in our readings from the Acts of the Apostles during the Easter season, we honor St Joseph today in his example of holiness and his example of the dignity of human work. 

3 May 2026 - homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter - John 14:1-12

Our readings on this fifth Sunday of Easter present us with the themes of dwelling places and home. We Catholics are aware that the earth is not our permanent home. We are a pilgrims on a journey of faith here on earth. We are journeying toward eternal life with God in his heavenly kingdom. 

We are called to make our dwelling here on earth during this lifetime. We are to live as disciples of Christ and to proclaim God’s kingdom on our journey of faith. As disciples, we form the Church, the body of Christ here on earth. But we are also to form a domestic church in our homes with our families. Our faith is lived out each day mostly in our families in the domestic church. The words and actions of the family members form the faith of the family, the faith of the mother, father, and children. Our faith begins at home. We see this reflected in the sacrament of baptism. In a Catholic family, a child is baptized as a baby, as the parents make a profession of faith, profess the vows of their own baptism, and take responsibility for raising their child in the faith. The domestic church is to play a key role in our lives of faith and in helping us grow in holiness. The domestic home is the primary place where we are to practice intimate and selfless love of other persons.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus speak as heaven as a home that is filled with many dwelling places. “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” Jesus gives us this comforting image of the eternal life with God that awaits us in his kingdom. Jesus assures us of the personal love that God has for each one of us as he prepares for those who are faithful for him a place in the eternal kingdom. 

When I first arrived at Holy Savior and Immaculate Conception in the summer of 2022, which is hard to believe that it was 4 years ago, I met with Hunter Yentzen, the leader of the youth. One of the things we spoke about was adoration of the blessed sacrament. You might recall that I addressed adoration of the blessed sacrament at length in my homily last week. That devotion involves setting aside time to spend with the Lord’s body and blood that is present in the Eucharist as it is displayed in a special way in the church or in a prayer room in a monstrance or tabernacle. From that conversation I had with Hunter, we started adoration on the first Wednesday of each month, inviting all parishioners, but having a special emphasis in inviting our children, youth, and families. Making time for God as a family, practicing a devotion of the faith as a family, and praying to God as a family are important in the life of faith of the family, the domestic church. I want to invite you all to spend time with God in adoration. We have our first Wednesday adoration time this upcoming week from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, with confessions offered during that time as well. We have fellowship time with pizza afterwards as well. 

As we think about our family as a domestic church, how I we treating our families as such? Do we pray together as a family? Do we go to mass and adoration and participate in the life of our parish as a family? We had what I consider a good turnout for the Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent and for the liturgies of the Triduum during Holy Week, but many of our families and children and youth do not come to any of those liturgies. Many people who consider themselves devout Catholic never come to the liturgies of the Triduum. So, again, we need to ask ourselves if we are truly ourselves in our families as a domestic church. 

As we celebrate the 5th weekend of Easter and as we hear this wonderful Gospel reading today, may we respond to this great love that God offers us by taking good, responsible care of our earthly dwellings, making our homes true “domestic churches.” In our families and in our dwelling places here on earth, may we honor and worship God with our prayers, with our thoughtfulness toward each other, and with our generous hospitality shown toward all.

3 May 2026 - bulletin reflection for the 5th Sunday of Easter

Today, our children in our first communion class will receive the eucharist for the first time. Our children and their families have been looking forward to this day with great anticipation. They have been preparing for this day all year. We are very thankful for this moment in their lives of faith. In recent years, we have had a greater discussion and emphasis in the Church on the importance of the eucharist in our lives as Catholics. We have been discussing the importance of forming a eucharistic culture in our lives and in our families and the importance of identifying ourselves as a eucharistic people. Blessings to all of you as we continue to celebrate the joyful Easter season. Father Lincoln. 

3 May 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 5th Sunday in Easter - Saturday vigil mass

Introduction: We continue our celebration of the Easter season on this fifth weekend of Easter. With great joy, we will celebrate first communion with our children at our Sunday morning mass at Holy Savior. We hear Jesus tell us today that our hearts should not be trouble, that our heavenly Father has many dwelling places, that Jesus will prepare a place for his disciples. With the hope of our faith, may the reality of the resurrection help us to bring the Gospel message to the world and to evangelize others. 

Priest: Penitential Rite: 

Lord Jesus - you will prepare a dwelling place for us. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us the joy of your resurrection. 

Lord Jesus - you bring us the hope of the eternal life in you.

Priest: With hope and trust, we bring our prayers today to our heavenly Father: 

1. For our children who are receiving the Eucharist for the first time at Holy Savior this weekend. We pray that the Lord continue to lead them and guide them and their family as they continue to grow on their journey of faith. We pray to the Lord. 

2. As we seek to follow Christ, that we in the Church may show the world the way to the Father. We pray to the Lord.

3. We pray that our national and world leaders choose the path of peace over the ways of violence and conflict. We pray for those communities and countries divided by violence and war. We pray for peace especially in the Middle East.  We pray to the Lord.

4. For all deacons, whose ministry of service dates back to the early days of the Church. For all transitional and permanent deacons in our diocese. We continue to pray for Hunter Yentzen and Chris Halliwell as they continue their diaconate formation program. We pray to the Lord.

5. For those whose hearts are troubled. For those who have lost their way. For those who are in need of guidance and support. That they might find what they need in our community of faith. We pray to the Lord.

6. For the sick and afflicted of our community. We pray for healing in body, mind, and spirit. We pray to the Lord.

7. For our deceased family members and loved ones. For their entry into eternal life. We pray to the Lord.

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: God of love and mercy, your son Jesus Christ shows us the way to you. Teach us to follow him more closely. Hear these our prayers that we make in his name, for he is our risen Lord for ever and ever. Amen.

3 May 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 5th Sunday of Easter - prayers of the faithful for First communion Mass - 10:30 am Sunday at Holy Savior

Introduction: We continue our celebration of the Easter season on this fifth weekend of Easter. With great joy, we also celebrate first communion with our children this morning. We hear Jesus tell us today that our hearts should not be trouble, that our heavenly Father has many dwelling places, that Jesus will prepare a place for his disciples. With the hope of our faith, may the reality of the resurrection help us to bring the Gospel message to the world and to evangelize others. 

Priest: Penitential Rite: 

Lord Jesus - you will prepare a dwelling place for us. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us the joy of your resurrection. 

Lord Jesus - you bring us the hope of the eternal life in you. 

Prayers of the faithful:
PRIEST: On this 5th Sunday of the Easter season, we pray that all of us may be drawn more intimately into God’s love and mercy. We offer our prayers today for our needs and the needs of the world around us.


1. For God’s Church, that we may hear the call to be witnesses to the joy of Christ’s resurrection in the world. We pray to the Lord.


2. That we may be good stewards of our environment and take good care of God’s creation. We pray to the Lord.


3. For those who are who are hungry, for the poor, and for those in need. May we reach out to the them in works of mercy. We pray to the Lord 


4. For our first responders and for the men and women in the military. For all who protect us. We pray to the Lord.

5. For peace throughout the world. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For our children receiving first holy communion this morning and for their families. May they feel the joy of receiving Christ through the Eucharist. We pray to the Lord. 


7. For those who are sick in our parish community and in our families. For healing for them. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For our family members and loved ones who have died. For their entry into eternal life. We pray to the Lord. 


9. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. We pray to the Lord. 

PRIEST: We are the people you shepherd, O God. We are the flock you guide. Hear these our prayers and graciously grant them through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever and ever. AMEN. 

30 April 2026 - Pope Pius V - homily for Thursday of the 4th week of Easter - John 13:16-20

Today, we celebrate the feast day of Pope Pius V. He was elected pope in 1566. He served as pope for six years. He was born to a very poor family in the Piedmont regions of Italy. He worked as a shepherd until the age of 14, at which time he entered the Dominicans. As pope, Pius saw his main objective as the continuation of the massive program of reform for the Church, in particular the full implementation of the decrees of the Council of Trent that occurred after the Protestant Reformation. That council took place from 1545 to 1563. While pope, he published the Roman Catholic Catechism, the revised Roman Breviary, and the Roman Missal. He declared Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church, issued a new edition of the works of Thomas Aquinas, and created a commission to revise the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible. The decrees of the Council of Trent were published throughout all Catholic lands, with Pope Pius V insisting on their strict adherence in response to the Reformation. 

We hear of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Passover meal from John’s Gospel today, a reading that was front and center during Holy Thursday in the midst of Jesus’ journey to the cross. We hear this reading again during the Easter season. It is a different context, but the message of being a servant and living out our faith in humility and service still speaks to us on our journey of faith. It is sometimes difficult hearing this message of service in the midst of our busy lives and in the midst of trying to get everything done. I think we all need to ponder how God is calling us to serve him and to serve our neighbor in humility and trust.