26 July 2026 - Catholic blessing of the backpacks for the beginning of the school year

Let us pray:

God of wisdom and knowledge, we pray for the beginning of the school year as we bless our students and their backpacks today.  

Bless our teachers and our school administrators, that you affirm therm and their calling, in their sacred vocation to teach our students. Make our schools lively centers of sound learning, new discovery, and the pursuit of wisdom.

We thank you for each student. Lead them in your way, your truth, and your life. Let each classroom they enter be a place of life and light. Give each student good friends and let them be good friends for others. Give them learning opportunities that demand their best efforts.

Bless all of our parents. May they help their children receive a good education. May they give encouragement and support to their children. 

May the angels and saints stand guard and keep watch over our students, teachers, and families, keeping them safe and protected.

Bless these our students and their backpacks. May they always feel the divine love and support of Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd. May they feel the love, support, and prayers of our parish family.   

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN. 

25 July 2026 - Reflection for the Feast of St James - Matthew 20:20-28

On Tuesday, July 22, we celebrated the feast day of St Mary Magdalene, whom Thomas Aquinas named “the apostle to the apostles” for the way she was the first person to witness the resurrected Jesus and to announce the news of his resurrection to the other apostles. Today, July 25, we celebrate the feast day of St James the Greater. To distinguish between the two apostles named James, one was labeled the Greater and the other the Lesser. James the Greater was the son of Zebedee and the brother of John, another of the apostles. It is possible the James’ mother, Mary of Salome, was the mother of the Virgin Mary, so James may have been Jesus’ first cousin. We hear from James’ mother in our Gospel today, as she wants Jesus to put her sons in places of honor when he assumes the throne of his eternal kingdom. 

James became a prominent leader in the Early Church. He was sent to Spain as a missionary, where his tomb has been one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the world since the early 9th century when his remains were rediscovered by a hermit. The city that developed around his tomb is named after him, Santiago de Compostela.  The pilgrimage of St James is affectionately referred to as the Camino. The first reported appearance of Mary, which happened while she was still alive, took place in the city of Zaragoza, when she appeared to St James to encourage him in the midst of his missionary work in Spain. The site of that appearance is one of the largest churches in Spain, Our Lady of the Pilar. James is recorded as being the first apostle to be put to death as a martyr for the faith, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. More than a half million people will hike the pilgrimage route of St James this year in Spain. Through his witness and through his pilgrimage, James’ evangelization efforts in the modern world still bear a lot of fruit. May we unite our prayers with the prayers of St James the Greater today on his feast day. 

25 July 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the Feast of St James the greater - prison ministry

Lord Jesus, you bring your message of Good News to the world. 

Christ Jesus, you bring new life to your people. 

Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd.  

Priest: As we celebrate the feast day of St James the Apostle today at Mass, we present our prayers to our Heavenly Father: 

1. For the Church and our Church leaders. May our priests and bishops always preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ with integrity and hope.  

2. That our governmental leaders work toward justice, healing, and reconciliation.

3. For all missionaries, peace makers, first responders, and the men and women in the military. May they feel our gratitude and prayers. 

4. That all of us may proclaim the Gospel of life in our words and our actions, respecting human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

5. For healing for all who are sick or afflicted in mind, body, and spirit. For patience and understanding for their family members and care givers. For the men and women who are sick here at CMCF. 

6. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. For our deceased loved ones and family members. 

7. On the feast day of St James, we pray in a special way for the people of Spain and for all pilgrims, especially pilgrims who are journeying to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela on pilgrimage. 

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

Priest: God of love and compassion, you grant rest to the weary and you fill the needs of those who come to you. Hear these our prayers that we make through your son Jesus Christ our Lord for ever and ever. AMEN. 

31 July 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Friday of the 17th week in Ordinary time

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

Christ Jesus - You forgive the sins of the contrite. 

Lord Jesus - you proclaim the values of the kingdom. 

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

1. For Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Joseph Kopacz, and all Church leaders. May the Lord bless them as they lead the people of God in integrity and in truth. 

2. For the Catholic faithful. That their faith in God give them courage and hope as we deal with the ups and downs of life. 

3. For those who hold public office. That they will seek not their own interests but the good of the people whom they govern. 

4. As we celebrate the feast day of St Ignatius of Loyola, we pray for all members of the Jesuits and for all missionaries and evangelizers. May we all be missionary in spirit. 

5. For our students at the beginning of the new school year. 

6. For the sick, the afflicted, and the lonely. May the Lord touch them with his healing power. 

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

Priest: We present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

30 July 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Thursday of the 17th week in Ordinary time

Lord Jesus - you call us to listen to God’s prophets. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us hope. 

Lord Jesus - you are the savior of the world. 

Priest: We present our prayers to our Heavenly Father: 

1. May all of us Christian, by word and example, bear witness to the Good News of the Gospel in the world. 

2. May we come to appreciate the treasures of God’s kingdom. 

3. May we initiate actions in our lives that help us grow in our love of the Eucharist. 

4. For the sick and the afflicted. May they be restored to health and find support in their faith and in the love and care of their friends and family members. 

5. For those who are exploring the Catholic faith in their lives. For those who came into the Church this past Easter. 

6. For our students at the beginning of the new school year. 

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

Priest: We present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

31 July 2026 - St Ignatius of Loyola - Friday of the 17th week of Ordinary time - Jeremiah 26:1-9

We hear harsh words from the prophet Jeremiah today from six centuries before Christ’s birth. Even though Israel was told that the people would confront disaster if they did not repent and turn back to the Lord, they become angry and indignant, wanting to put the prophet Jeremiah to death. Sometimes we don’t want to hear God’s message. In my prison ministry, I remember one prisoner at the state prison in Yazoo City telling me that when he was in the process of committing the crime that put him into prison, he knew that God was trying to tell him that he was doing something wrong, but he did not want to hear what God was saying and did it anyway. Sometimes we turn our back on the Lord and ignore him.  Through Jeremiah, the Lord tells the people of Israel that they will be treated like Shiloh if Israel does not repent. Shiloh was an ancient shrine that had been destroyed by the Philistines. 

St Ignatius of Loyolas, the saint we celebrate, would admit that for many years in his life, he had turned his back on God. Ignatius was born in 1491, the year before Columbus sailed for America. He had a brother who sailed with Columbus. He was the youngest of 11 children from a family in the Basque country in mountainous area of Northeastern Spain.  He was trained to be a member of the royal court and to be a solider, but while fighting at the siege of Pamplona in 1621, he suffered a broken leg that had to be re-broken after it was not set properly.  His friends carried him more than a hundred miles back from the sight of battle to his family’s ancestral home. Ignatius was confined to his bed for a long period of time during his recuperation from his injuries, where he learned about saints such as St Dominic and St Francis of Assisi. He also read stories about Christ and his ministry. This brought about a profound conversion of faith. After spending time as a hermit in a cave and time wandering as a pilgrim, where he was able to reflect upon his vocation, Ignatius enrolled in the University of Paris at the age of 30 to become a priest, a very advanced age to be in formation for the priesthood. He had to study Latin with young boys in order to get ready for his study of theology.  Even though Ignatius had turned his back on God for most of his early life, he had opened his life to God after that battle injury. From the humble beginnings of his conversion, he wrote his spiritual exercises while trying to discern God’s will for him in his life.  With a group of good friends from the University, Ignatius of Loyola went on to found the religious order of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, an order of priests that still has great influence in Catholicism today.  We celebrate Ignatius of Loyola today. May we pray that his prayers and intercessions accompany us on our own journey.

30 July 2026 - Solanus Casey - Thursday of the 17th week in Ordinary time - Jeremiah 18:1-6

Born in 1870, Solanus Casey was thrown out of a diocesan seminary due to his poor academic performance. He entered the Capuchin Franciscan seminary, where he also struggled. He was ordained as a Capuchin Franciscan as a simplex priest, only allowed to celebrate mass but to perform no other priestly duties. He was not allowed to hear confession and not allowed to priest. He served as a porter and sacristan with the Franciscans throughout the 53 years of his priesthood, tasks he accepted with great humility. At the monastery in Detroit, in the midst of his duties, he also gave wise spiritual advice, giving great spiritual advice and bringing healing to many. When he died in 1957, more than 20,000 passed by his casket to pay their respects.  

Jeremiah is sent to a potter’s workshop by God to be taught some lessons. One lesson Jeremiah learns today is this:  just as a potter has complete control over his clay and makes whatever he wills, so is the Lord master of his people. We are like clay in God’s hands.  He will fashion us and mold us if we let him. The Lord teaches us lessons in our ordinary lives, just as he taught Jeremiah from the ordinary daily work of a potter.