Year: 2023

Can you believe that Ordinary Time is almost over?!? It seems like summer was just a few days ago – but recent rain & cold weather has certainly confirmed that fall is here, with winter not too far off! And there’s certainly plenty to enjoy of the season: the bright colors of leaves on trees, the taste of fall flavors (why yes, I will have a pumpkin spice latte, thank you!), and the contrast of crispy air outside with warm fires indoors.

Fall also means fall reading, and recently I had the opportunity to visit a used bookstore for just that purpose. I hadn’t dug into a good series in a while and I was well overdue for a good story. I was delighted to find all three books of a trilogy by one of my favorite authors, Mercedes Lackey. The stories – the Owl Mage trilogy – is set in her world of Valdemar, though later in the chronology. I finished it this last weekend and am greatly anticipating delving into the world she (and her co-authors) have created.

One of the things I especially appreciate about reading is how it introduces me to the interior life of others. How characters process their thoughts & feelings, interact with each other, and grow in the face of various challenges or struggles is often a source of inspiration for consider how I could do so better. Of the authors I enjoy, Lackey’s writing consistently offers this opportunity. One of my favorite series of hers is The Obsidian Mountain trilogy, which I heartily recommend!

Back out here in the exterior world, we’re coming up on a week full of wonderful celebrations. Along with my neighbors, I’ll be be ready for trick or treaters this Tuesday – it is always neat to see the various costumes of enthusiastic children (and their patient parents!). Wednesday has us celebrating All Saints day (from which Halloween – ‘All Hallows Eve’ – gets its name), but it is the celebration of All Souls on Thursday that has a particularly special place in my heart. The candlelight service at 6:30 pm is a high point at the tail end of the liturgical year, when we will gather together in the flickering light to pray for our beloved dead. Though a sober celebration, it is one full of hope, as we commemorate those whom the Lord has called to Himself.

As we come to the close of the liturgical year, may we together consider both our interior lives and join together in exterior prayer & worship! Know that you are in my thoughts and among my prayers daily.

yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

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November 1 – The Solemnity of All Saints, a holy day of obligation, marks the beginning of the end of the liturgical year. Our attention is (rightly!) drawn to our eternal reward: union with the Lord and His saints in heaven. Though we know the names of many of them, we don’t know all of them – thus we have a day dedicated to honoring everyone in heaven (all saints!). At Saint Mark parish, we’ll be celebrating Mass at 9:30 am and at 6:30 pm – come join us as we praise and ask for the intercession of all the saints!

November 2 – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) is a specially venerated day in the liturgical year. So highly does the Church value prayer for the dead that She gives all priests special permission to exceed the normal limit of two Masses per day, allowing for three Masses. All Catholics are not only invited to pray for the dead but have the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence on behalf of themselves or the souls in purgatory. Read more about it at Relevant Radio.

November 3 – Today is the memorial of Saint Martin de Porres, the first black saint of the Americas. He is the patron saint of social justice and race relations – virtues we certainly need more of in our modern time & society! Read more about him at the Vatican News website.

November 4 – Today we celebrate Saint Charles Borromeo, archbishop of Milan and a cardinal. Highly intelligent, he became a doctor of both civil and canon law at the age of 21 and was ordained a bishop at the age of 27. But his greatest asset was his dedication to the interior life – and his desire for the reformation of the Church and her clergy. Read more at Franciscan Media.

This coming week sees the launch of our Confirmation and adult catechesis (OCIA) classes, on Wednesday and Thursday night (respectively). By the way, if you or your child(ren) are planning on attending, please be sure to register – you can use the links above to find the online registration forms. For everyone, please pray for our students. We are excited to meet the youth and adults who come to discover and explore the faith with us. It’s going to be a blast!

Over the last week I’ve found myself in various conversations involving plans for various gatherings of friends. One group of parishioners shared with me that they are starting a D&D campaign (I’m quite jealous!), another shared about their hosting of family over the holidays, and so on. All of these reminded me of how we must actually make time for and actively pursue opportunities like these! And its got me thinking about how we might do that at Saint Mark parish. Expect more on this front soon!

But if you’re looking for a bit of light-hearted fellowship, you don’t have to wait! This week Saint Mark Catholic Classical School is partnering with Domino’s Pizza. From 4pm to 7pm this Tuesday (October 24) 30% of all sales will go to our school. If you’re looking for an excuse to buy pizza, this is it! And what better way to kick-start a gathering of friends and/or family than with a pizza (or two) that you don’t have to cook yourself! I’ll be stopping by the Domino’s pizza at Ballinger Way myself to do just that 😏

Whether you indulge in pizza (or other food that Domino’s offers!), I hope you have a week filled with many blessings & graces. Rest assured of my prayers for you.

yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

P.S. If you’re on Facebook, you may have heard about an accident involving one of our archdiocesan priests, Father Thomas Tran. Happily, he has returned home and is doing the work of recovery. In your kindness, please continue to pray for him and his parish community.

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October 22 – Though Sunday celebrations generally trump lower ranked feasts, today’s memorial of Pope Saint John Paul II is one that I can’t fail to acknowledge. As with so many others of my generation, he was the pope for a significant portion of my life.

This photo of him in his papal cassock while making finger glasses encapsulates the impression he made on so many of us. Contrary to the assertions of the world, Pope John Paul II demonstrated how faithfulness to Christ and His Church went hand-in-hand with joyfully living in the world with Christians & non-Christians alike. Father Billy Swan over at Word on Fire has a lovely reflection on this theme.

October 23 – Today is the memorial of Saint John of Capistrano, a Franciscan friar of the fourteenth century, he turned from secular power struggles and dedicated his life to Franciscan spirituality. As a Franciscan, he worked to return the community to strict observance of the Rule of Saint Francis. Read more about him at Loyola Press.

October 24 – Saint Anthony Claret, whose memorial we celebrate today, was a young man when he turned away from his father’s manufacturing trade to pursue religious life. Though he initially wanted to be a Carthusian hermit, he realized that the Lord was calling him to priesthood – first as parish priest and later as a missionary, work that proved to be specially blessed and fruitful Read more about him and his life at Franciscan Media.

October 28 – Apart from what little is mentioned in the New Testament about them, little is known about Saints Simon & Jude, whose feast day is today. Simon the Zealot (or ‘the Cananean’, which is a translation of the Aramaic word meaning ‘zealot’) would have been one deeply committed to his Jewish identity – even to the point of deep opposition of the Romans, who greatly oppressed his people. Jude – who the scriptures are careful to distinguish from Judas Iscariot – is perhaps best known for his question to Jesus about His revelation of Himself to the world (John 14:22).

Despite what little we know of them now, the Lord nonetheless chose them to be among those He would entrust to proclaim the Gospel to the world! A helpful reminder to each of us that there each of us is chosen deliberately and for a purpose in God’s grand plan! Read a little more about Saints Simon & Jude at the Vatican News website.