Dear Parishioners,

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed.

We are basking in the joy of the Easter Season, which began here at St. Joan of Arc with one of the loveliest and most prayerful Paschal Triduums I have ever been privileged to be a part of.

The Paschal Triduum is a sequence of three days, each of which begins the evening before:

Dear Parishioners,

Life is filled with surprises! We all recognize this because we have all experienced this. There are those who live for such surprises – those for whom things like unexpected parties, unannounced guests, sudden good news and unimagined changes become exhilarating and life-giving. There are others who dread surprises. They prefer life to be organized and predictable because this guarantees them the security, safety and comfort which makes the world manageable.

Dear Parishioners,

Today we begin Holy Week – that sequence of days which we observe each year that are marked by ancient and solemn rituals, lengthy but profound readings from Scripture and a rich variety of domestic and church related activities that give this week a uniqueness above all others. Within Holy Week, the days of Thursday, Friday and Saturday/Sunday have a distinct prominence because of the historical events that they commemorate in the life of Jesus. Even the way we name these days reveals their significance, i.e., Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

Dear Parishioners,

By now most of you have learned that I will be leaving the position as pastor of St. Joan of Arc at the end of this coming June. As of July 1, a diocesan priest(s) of Joliet will assume this role. As with any transition of this sort, there is a good deal of curiosity and speculation regarding the rationale behind the decision for such a change. While I believe this is a normal, even healthy reaction, in the end most people look for clarity to help assimilate the change. To this end, I hope to offer some clarity by means of the following explanation. I also hope to dispel some of the rumors that have been circulating since the announcement of my departure was made.

Dear Parishioners,

The word "Lent" is thought to have come from an old Germanic word that means "to lengthen." Fittingly, it was also used as the word for "spring" since during this time of year the days lengthen visibly as the sunlight increases. Typically Lent begins while winter lingers on tenaciously perhaps hoping to immobilize us with one last blast of snow and ice.

One Last Column, Ever Grateful

For more than five years, I have been blessed to share my thoughts with you in this monthly column. When I first began writing, it took me a very long time to craft each reflection. I often wondered if anyone was reading them or if they would make any difference at all.

Dear Parishioners,

With today's feast of the Lord's Baptism we commemorate another "Epiphany" or manifestation of Jesus. This manifestation is not of the child Jesus lying in a manger but of the adult Christ who comes to the river Jordan to be baptized by John. Although Jesus is sinless and has no need of a ritual purification, he nonetheless steps into a river to demonstrate his solidarity with sinful humanity whom he has come to save. As he emerges from the waters of chaos Jesus is revealed as God's Beloved Son chosen to reveal God's love to the world.

Dear Parishioners,

On this great feast of the Lord's Epiphany we are blessed to be given a second blast of Christmas joy as we recall the exotic visitors - these Magi from the east who traveled by night in search of a newborn king. They are only mentioned in Matthew's gospel with very little information as to their whereabouts, their number and their ultimate purpose in searching for this king. In Christian imagination and artwork there are three Magi depicted, frequently portrayed as royal figures.

Dear Parishioners,

In his poem, "The Silent Seers," J. Barrie Shepherd reflects on the stable of Bethlehem and who, among those present there, really knew what's going on.

Of all the witnesses around the holy manger perhaps it was the animals saw best what lay ahead for they had paced the aching roads slept in the wet and hungry fields known the sharp sting of sticks and thorns and curses endured the constant bruise of burdens not their own the tendency of men to use and then discard rather than meet and pay the debt of gratitude. For them the future also held the knacker's rope, the flayer's blade the tearing of the bodies for the spring of a race. In the shadows of that stable might it be his warmest welcome lay within their quiet comprehending gaze?

Dear Parishioners,

About this time of year, many people including myself, can feel overwhelmed and frazzled by what I refer to as, "the dynamics of the holiday season." These include all sorts of details, great and small, that demand our attention to various degrees. We've almost come to expect this frazzled feeling as an inevitable feature that permeates the days leading up to Christmas. Many of us exclaim that it seems to be getting more intense each year and we wonder why that is.