26 April 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 4th Sunday of Easter - prison ministry

Lord Jesus - You are our Good Shepherd. 

Christ Jesus - You are the the gate through which we enter salvation. 

Lord Jesus - You look for the lost sheep. 

Priest: With faith and hope today, we present our prayers through Jesus, our Good Shepherd: 

1. For Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Kopacz, and all our Church leaders. May they form and nurture their flock with the love and compassion of the Good Shepherd. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For vocations in our Church to the priesthood, the diaconate, consecrated religious life, and lay ministry. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For our children and for all students. For a good end to the school year for them. We pray to the Lord. 

4. That we may reach out to the poor, the vulnerable, and the suffering through works of mercy. We pray to the Lord. 

5. That our civil leaders may always promote a culture of spirituality. For the freedom to practice our religion. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For our deceased loved ones and family members. That they achieve eternal union with God. We pray to the Lord.

7. For peace throughout the world, especially in Ukraine and the Middle East. For the safety of the men and women in the military. We pray to the Lord. 

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

Priest: We ask these prayers through Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd. He does not neglect his flock in their need. He is our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.

30 April 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Thursday of the 4th week of Easter

Lord Jesus - you are the word of God - Lord have mercy.

Christ Jesus - you bring us the love of your Father - Christ have mercy.

Lord Jesus - you are a light in the world - Lord have mercy.

PRIEST: As we celebrate the joyful Easter season, we bring our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. For all who follow Christ in their daily lives, that his love may be visible in their words and actions.

2. For those who seek Christ's truth in the reality of life, that the Holy Spirit lead us and guide us each day.

3. For our children and youth, that they always find hope and encouragement on their journey of faith.

4. For all who are suffering or struggling in any way, and for all who need healing of body, mind or spirit: that the love of family, friends, and neighbors may remind them of God’s loving care.

5. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, for their entry into eternal life, and for the souls in purgatory.

6. For those prayers we hold in our hearts today.

PRIEST: Heavenly Father, we ask that you continue to lead and guide your people during the Easter season. Hear the prayers we make through your son Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever and ever. Amen.

29 April 2026 - St Catherine of Siena - homily for Wednesday of the 4th week of Easter - Acts 12:24—13:5a

I just finished reading the biography of St Catherine of Siena written by the famous Norwegian author Sigrid Undset, who had won the Nobel prize for literature in 1928. It was quite an amazing book, detailing the life of an Italian mystic who lived at the 14th century and who died at the young age of 33. She was a Dominican lay woman who had considerable influence in advising popes and other lay leaders. This was the era in which it was disputed who actually was pope and when the popes were in exile in France, quite a tumultuous time in Church history.  There was a lot of political turmoil in Italy at the time as well.  And from the details of the biography, Catherine seemed immeshed in so much of the intrigue of that era, always traveling with a large group of people who were her followers and friends. In 1990, Pope John Paul II named her one of the patron saints of Europe.  She was named a Doctor of Church by Pope Paul VI.  This quote of hers reflects the courage and zeal with which she lived out her faith: “Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.”

We have had readings from the Acts of Apostles during these weeks of the Easter season. Last week, we heard about the stoning of Stephen, in which a man named Saul was a participant. We heard about Saul’s persecution of followers of Jesus.  Saul has a great conversion and he becomes a great evangelizer in the Christian community.  Today, we hear about the preaching of Saul and Barnabas, how they were chosen by the Holy Spirit to work in the community and to go to a special mission to Cyprus.  Saul will later be known by the name Paul. He becomes the great evangelizer to the Gentiles of the Ancient world. As we hear about the stories of the early Church from Acts, we might think about the ways that God calls us to spread Christ’s Good News in our words and our actions. All of us in our own way and with our own gifts can help bring this Gospel message to others. 

29 April 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Wednesday of the 4th week of Easter

Lord Jesus - you fill us with Easter joy. 

Christ Jesus - you accompany us on our journey of faith. 

Lord Jesus - you bring us hope. 

Priest: Gathered around the altar of the Lord, we bring our prayer petitions on behalf of all who are in need

1. That we in the Church may find ways to preach the word and to serve our neighbor. 

2. For our elected leaders. May they serve with wisdom, compassion, and humility. 

3. For an end to violence and terrorism in our nation and throughout the world. For peace in the Ukraine and the Middle East. For the safety of the men and women serving in the military. 

4. For our students who are completing their semester at school. For all our graduates. 

5. That we will come to see the Lord Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. 

6. For the sick and the afflicted. For the faithful departed. 

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

Priest: God of all, you sent your only Son to us as a sign of hope and faith. Help us always to keep his way firmly in our sights as we make these prayers to you in his name, Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

19 April 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 3rd Sunday in Easter Cycle A - prison ministry

Lord Jesus, you are a fountain of God’s grace and mercy. 


Christ Jesus, you give us food for our journey in the Eucharist. 

Lord Jesus: you are the way that leads us to new life. 

Priest: As we continue our journey through the Easter season, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. That we may always live as a eucharistic people and promote a eucharistic culture at CMCF.  We pray to the Lord. 

2. For our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Kopacz, and all our Church leaders. That they may lead their people to a richer appreciation of the presence of the Lord in the breaking of the bread. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For our civic leaders and the people whom they serve, especially the most vulnerable. We pray to the Lord. 

4. That we Christians may not drift from meeting the Lord each week in the Eucharist. For a greater love for the Mass. We pray to the Lord. 

5. Our prayers go out to our family members, our spouses, and our children. May the Lord watch over them. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For the sick, the afflicted, and those battling addictions. May they know the care and love of Christ. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For peace throughout the world, especially in Ukraine and in the Middle East. For the safety of the men and women serving in the military. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For our deceased loved ones and family members. For their eternal union with God. We pray to the Lord. 

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

Priest: Heavenly Father, we present these prayers the risen Christ. He is our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

28 April 2026 - Prayers of the faithful - TUESDAY OF the 4th week of Easter

Lord Jesus - you tend your lambs - Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus - you feed your sheep - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you shepherd your flock - Lord have mercy. 

Priest: With faith and hope in the risen Christ, we present our prayer to our God of love and mercy: 

1. For the Church throughout the world. May our faith in the love God be expressed in our love for one another. 

2. For peace in our world. May all lands that suffer violence and injustice find peace and reconciliation. We pray especially for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine. We pray for safety for the men and women serving in the military. 

3. For the poor, the homeless, and for those who are unemployed. May our care and concern for those in need be a sign of God’s mercy and love. 

4. For the protection and sanctity of human life. May all people be treated with the dignity they deserve. May we respect all human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. 

5. For the children of our parish who are preparing for the Sacrament of first holy communion. May they grow in wisdom and grace on their journey of faith. 

6. For the sick and the afflicted.  For those battling addictions. For those who need healing and reconciliation in their lives. 

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today.  We pray to the Lord.  

Priest: Heavenly Father, you are present in our midst. We pray that you continue to lead us and guide us as we celebrate the Easter season. We present our prayers through the risen Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

28 April 2026 - homily for Tuesday of the 4th week of Easter - Acts 11:19-26

Peter Chanel was born in France in 1803. He worked as a shepherd as a young by. He became a parish priest, but was intrigued by the letters sent home by missionaries to places like India and the Americas since he was a young boy. He joined the society of Mary, known as the Marists, as a young priest. That order was in the early stages of its formation. He spent his first years as a Marist serving as a spiritual director at their seminary. He traveled as a missionary to the Canary Islands, Chile, and the South Pacific Islands, establishing Marist mission sites at those places. He served as a missionary on the island of Futuna in the South Pacific near Fiji. He was killed there in 1841 in a dispute and is considered to be a martyr of the faith. He was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1954. He is one of the patron saints of the Oceania area of the South Pacific. 

In the Acts of the Apostles today, we hear how news reaches the Church in Jerusalem about how the Gospel was preached to the Gentiles in Antioch. This was quite startling news, since to this point, the Gospel message was just being presented to the Jews. Barnabas was sent to Antioch to investigate what was going on. When he recognized God’s grace at work, he encouraged the evangelizers in their efforts to spread Christ’s Gospel message. 

Missionary efforts continue in different ways. We heard about Peter Chanel’s missionary work in the South Pacific in the 19th century. I find that many of the men whom I serve in the prison have not been introduced to a lot of the basic concepts of Christianity. We here in the Church in modern America have a lot of missionary work to do as well. May we hear God calling us to be missionary in spirit and to be evangelizers for our faith.