13 February 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Friday of the 5th week of ordinary time

Lord Jesus - you are the living word of God. 

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

Lord Jesus - you call us to faith and hope. 

Priest: With humble hearts, let us present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. For Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Joseph Kopacz, and all our Church leaders. That the Lord will give them courage and wisdom. 

2. For all the Catholic faithful of the Diocese of Jackson. We pray that God will strengthen our spirits, help us form supportive relationships, and guide us in our ministries. 

3. For peace in communities and nations experiencing terrorism, violence, conflict, or war. That we may work to mend broken relationships and practice justice. 

4. For all who are unemployed or looking for a new job. May the Lord help them find their vocation and a work situation where they will be able to prosper and contribute to society.  

5. For our children, youth, and college students. That they may feel God’s presence with them in their studies and their school activities in their journey throughout the school year. 

6. For our sick and the afflicted. For healing in body, mind, and spirit. 

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

Priest: With joy and hope, we present our prayers through our Savior Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  

12 February 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Thursday of the 5th week of ordinary time

Lord Jesus - you are the Beloved Son of the Father. 

Christ Jesus - you are our Savior and Redeemer. 

Lord Jesus - you proclaim the values of justice and compassion. 

Priest: In faith and hope, we bring our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. That our Church leaders may help us profess in word and deed that Jesus is Lord and help us to better know him and follow him. 

2. That we may increase our awareness of God’s grace at work in our lives, that it may help us share more fully in the life of the Trinity. 

3. That we may trust in God’s providence to lead us in our evangelization efforts and in our proclamation of God’s kingdom. 

4. That our students and teachers may learn together as they grow in wisdom. May God will protect them and guide them throughout the school year in their studies and their activities. 

5. For a deeper appreciation of the beauty and dignity of life: that the wisdom and knowledge of God may open our minds and hearts to honor and respect life, especially in the aged, the disabled, and the mentally ill.

6. For those who have died, especially our loved ones, family members, and friends, for their eternal life with God.

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

Priest: As we continue our journey of faith during these days of ordinary time, we present our prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

12 February 2026 - Sister Dorothy Stang - homily for Thursday of the 5th week in ordinary time - Mark 7:24-30

Sister Dorothy was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1931, one of nine children. She entered the community of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1948. After teaching in Catholic schools in the United States for 15 years, she was sent to the country of Brazil, where she spent 4 decades defending the rights of poor settlers who lived in the rain forest jungle. She advocated for better stewardship of the rain forest, seeing the destruction and deforestation caused by powerful  Brazilian ranchers. On February 12, 2005, less than a week after meeting with Brazil’s human rights officials about threats to local farmers from loggers and landowners, she was shot by hired gunmen and left to die on a muddy country road. She was 73 years old. She was posthumously awarded the 2008 United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights. She has been declared a martyr for the faith by the Vatican. 

Like the faith of the Syrophoenician woman in the Gospel today who crossed cultural and society norms to plead for Jesus to help her daughter out of her great faith for Jesus, many of the missionaries of our Church like Sister Dorothy Stang are great examples of faith for us through their perseverance against challenges and obstacles. 

 

7 February 2026 - homily for Saturday of the 4th week in Ordinary time - First Saturday Devotion - Mark 6:30-34

As we celebrate the first Saturday devotion this morning in honor of Our Lady of Fatima, we celebrate daily Mass for Saturday of the 4th week in Ordinary Time. We have a wonderful Gospel reading today about Jesus and his disciples serving in their mission and ministry. There is excitement about what Jesus and his disciples are doing, about the miracles and healings they are performing, about their proclamation of God’s kingdom.  Yet, the crowds have been demanding so much of Jesus and his disciples. They are worn out, as they have little time to rest and even eat. I am sure the disciples were amazed at the new found popularity, but it was probably taking a toll on them. Right now in ministry, many of us are stretched very thin. As the Gospels state, the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. This past week, I have a ton of meetings with the diocese, three masses at St Jude, two masses at the federal prison, and two visits to the state prison. All of this while trying to plan for a diocesan workshop next week on Tuesday and Wednesday and the ACTS retreat for men starting on Thursday of next week. I love being a priest, but it is certainly a busy life. We all need to strive for balance in our lives, to work hard for the kingdom of God, but also to have to for rest and prayer.  Jesus and his disciples strived for balance in their lives; they took time to reflect on the meaning of what they were doing. May our actions always be fruits of our faith. 

7 February 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Saturday of the 5th week of Ordinary time - first Saturday devotion of our Lady of Fatima

Lord Jesus - you lead us to God’s wisdom. 

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

Lord Jesus - you accompany us through our journey through life. 

Priest:  As a community of faith, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father as we honor Mary in a special way this morning. 

1. For our Church leaders, that they may always grow in wisdom.

2. For our governmental leaders, that they work for the good of the people they serve. 

3. For our families, our children, our youth, and our college students, that the Lord will continue to bless them on their journey of faith this school year. 

4. For our modern day prophets, that they may call us to God’s truth. 

5. For healing for the sick and the afflicted. 

6. As we honor Our Lady of Fatima today on the first Saturday of the month, we unite our prayers with Mary’s prayers and intercession. 

7. For our belief in Holy Trinity, that the Lord may bless us in our greater understanding of the divine presence that accompanies us. 

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts this morning. 

Priest: With faith and hope, we present our prayers to God through his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

 

11 February 2026 - Our Lady of Lourdes - homily for Wednesday of the 5th week in Ordinary time - Mark 7:14-23

Today, we celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes. Last September, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Lourdes a second time, the first time being in 2018.  In December 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception to the world, stating that from the moment of Mary’s conception in the womb of her mother, Mary, by the grace of God, and by the merits of her yet unborn son, was kept free from the stain of original sin.Just three years later, starting on February 11, 1858, a beautiful lady appeared in apparitions to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous, a young girl from a poor family in the village of Lourdes in the mountains of France. In this series of apparitions, on March 25, the beautiful lady identified herself to Bernadette as the Immaculate Conception. At the time of the apparitions, Bernadette’s family was not fully immersed in the Catholic faith and Bernadette did not even understand the concept, so she would not have been aware of this title that had been given to Mary. In 1862, the local Bishop approved of these apparitions as truly being our Blessed Mother Mary. Pope John Paul II, very strong in his devotion to Mary, visited Lourdes in 1983 and in 2004 during his pontificate. Bernadette herself became a nun with the Sisters of Charity. She died at the age of 35 after a life of very fragile health. She was canonized a saint in 1933. 

Lourdes is one of the major Marian pilgrimage sites in the world, attracting millions of pilgrims each year.  Many miraculous cures are attributed to Our Lady of Lourdes and the blessed waters that come from a stream that was revealed to St Bernadette during one of the apparitions. In my two visits to Lourdes, I felt a strong sense holiness in both the place and in the pilgrims who go there. As we commemorate Our Lady of Lourdes today, let us present our prayers through our Blessed Mother as she approaches her son on our behalf. 

Jesus today speaks about those things that come from the human heart which defile us, things like murder, greed, malice, and deceit.  The message of Our Lady of Lourdes is a message of God’s immense love and mercy for us, It is a call of conversion through prayer, penance and humility. Like the Gospel message today, the message of Our Lady of Lourdes looks at those things that reside in our heart. 

11 February 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Wednesday of the 5th week of ordinary time - feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

Lord Jesus, you the Prince of Peace. 

Lord Jesus, you are the beloved Son of the Father and the Son of Mary. 

Lord Jesus, you are Word of God made flesh. 

Priest:  God graciously blesses us with his love and mercy. As we celebrate our Lady of Lourdes today, let us bring our needs to God with confidence:

1. That those who follow Christ may remain faithful throughout the challenges and struggles of life.

2. That God may grant wisdom to our governmental leaders in the difficult and challenging decisions they make.

3. For peace in our communities that are torn apart by violence, terrorism, anger, or conflict.

4. That we may all be peacemakers who work for reconciliation, peace, and justice in our relationships.  

5. That our Mother Mary may be an example to all of us in her patience, compassion, and love.  

6. For healing for the sick and the afflicted in body, mind, and spirit. 

7. That perpetual light may shine on all our dearly departed. For their entry into eternal life. For the souls in purgatory. 

8. For those prayers we hold in our hearts this morning. 

PRIEST: Gracious God, you bless your people in many ways. We ask that you accept our prayers and give us your help, through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. Amen. 

10 February 2026 - St Scholastica - homily for Tuesday of the 5th week in Ordinary Time - Psalm 84

St Schlastica is the twin sister of St Benedict. They were both born in the year 480 in a wealthy family. She founded a religious community near the monastery of Monte Casino in Italy that her brother founded. She and Benedict visited each other once a year in a nearby farmhouse, as she was not permitted inside the monastery as a woman. She died in the year 542. : According to Pope Gregory the Great, Scholastica prayed for a severe storm to prevent her brother, Benedict, from leaving after their final annual meeting, allowing them to continue their spiritual discussions. Three days after that last meeting, Benedict was in his monastery praying when he envisioned a white dove rising toward the heavens. Benedict saw this as a sign that she had died. Scholastica is remembered for her deep love of God and for her deep prayer life. 

 One of the verses of psalm 84 states today: “My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”  I can imagine St Scholastica, St Benedict, and many of the other members of the community of saints crying out for the Lord, yearning for him in the midst of the challenges and trials that they went through in life. May we feel that same yearning for God in the midst of our own reality. 

10 February 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Tuesday of the 5th week of ordinary time

Lord Jesus, you call us to simplicity of heart.

Christ Jesus, you call us be a light in the world.

Lord Jesus - you call us to trust you.  

Priest: As Jesus calls us to have faith, let us present our prayers to our Heavenly father:

1. We pray that in moments of fear, doubt, and despair, we will recall the words of the Lord and place our trust in his love and goodness.

2.  We pray for Pope Francis, Bishop Kopacz, and our Church leaders, that they be inspired by the Holy Spirit as they lead the people of God. 

3. For our first responders, our medical professionals, the men and women in the military, and our veterans. For their safety. 

4. For those who are still recovering from the winter storms. For the linemen and other workers who are helping in the recovery process. 

5. For our seminarians and deacon candidates. For all discerning a vocation in the Church. 

6. For the sick and the afflicted. 

7. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed.  For their entry into eternal life. 

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

Priest: Heavenly Father, we thank you for your loving help and guidance through the storms of life. We make these prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  Amen.