2023 01-29 Catholic Schools Week and Feast of our Patron Saint Brigid
This week we celebrate “Catholic Schools Week,” with the theme of “Catholic Schools: Faith, Excellence, Service.” Catholic education has always been a priority for the Catholic bishops of our nation. For many years, Catholic schools had been staffed primarily by dedicated nuns, religious brothers, and priests. They are now staffed primarily by dedicated lay teachers…
2023 01-22 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and Mustard Seed Communities
This week we celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. With the world in great turmoil, the concern for Christian unity is something that is very important to Pope Francis. As reported in the media outlet “Vatican News”, he said, “…the path to unity is important”, and he further noted, “It is also good…
2023 01-15 Martin Luther King Jr and the Protection of the Unborn
This Monday as a nation we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In honoring his legacy, we recognize his great efforts in shedding light on the need to respect the fundamental dignity of the human person. We honor his important work in addressing and in overcoming many of the racial injustices of the…
2023 01-08 The Epiphany of the Lord
This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. On this day, we focus on the wise men, the Magi who were on a difficult journey of faith to encounter the Lord. They faced many risks and obstacles on their journey. These risks and obstacles included the danger inherent in traveling…
2023 01-01 Mary, Holy Mother of God and our New Year
This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, as we start a New Year. As reported in the media outlet, “Catholic News Agency”, our Holy Father Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to begin the New Year by placing their lives under the protection of Mary, the Mother of God. He…
2022 12-25 We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus the Light of the World
My brothers and sisters in Christ: At Christmas, Christ comes into the world and our lives as a sign of the love God has for us. The Christmas Season should be a time of prayer and reflection, wonder, and silence as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Light of the world. In a Christmas…
2022 12-18 Focus on the Coming of Christ
During this great Season of Advent, many of us may get caught up in the “busyness” of the season. With all the temptations and distractions of the season, it is very easy to lose our spiritual focus. The media does so much to commercialize the season, and all too often they influence our actions. Many…
2022 12-11 Protector of the Unborn – Our Lady of Guadalupe
This Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, we celebrate Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday. Our Holy Father Pope Francis has referred to it as “The Sunday of Joy”. He continues to call upon the faithful to strive to avoid the commercialism of the Advent Season as we wait in joyful anticipation of the coming of the Christ…
2022 12-4 “The Uncontaminated Beauty of Our Mother in Incomparable.”
Our Advent Season continues as we strive to remain watchful and alert as we prepare for the coming of the Lord. This past week we sponsored our Advent Parish Mission and it was pleasing to see so many of our parishioners and friends in attendance. The focus on our understanding of the Mass, and on…
2022 11-27 Join us for the Saint Brigid Parish Mission with Fr. Martin Connor. LLC
This Sunday begins the Season of Advent. It is a special time in the Church year as we prepare for the coming of the Lord. Advent holds out the hope and desires to see the light of Christ shine through the darkness of our world. As reported in a major Catholic publication, Our Holy Father…
2022 11-20 Give Thanks for the Many Blessing the Lord has Bestowed on Us
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe as we approach the end of the liturgical year of our Church. We remember in a special way what Christ means to us, what Christ did for us, and that we are called to serve the King of Kings….
2022 11-13 Sealed with the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Strengthened to Bear Witness to Christ in our World.”
Next Saturday Bishop Shlesinger will administer the Sacrament of Confirmation at Saint Brigid to approximately 150 of our teens. Confirmation along with Baptism and the Holy Eucharist comprise the Sacraments of Christian Initiation. Our Catechism reminds the faithful of the need for proper preparation for the Sacrament. It states, “Preparation for Confirmation should aim at…
2022 10-22 World Mission Sunday
This Sunday is World Mission Sunday. Pope Francis, in his message for this day, stated, “Christ was the first to be sent, as a ‘missionary’ of the Father, and as such, He is the Father’s ‘faithful witness. In a similar way, every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ. And the…
2022 10-30 All Saint Day and All Souls
This coming Tuesday, November 1st, we celebrate All Saints Day. The Catholic Church recognizes this day as a Holy Day of Obligation. Speaking on the significance of this day, as reported by the media outlet, “Catholic News Service”, Our Holy Father, Pope Francis reminded the faithful that Christian joy is a sign of holiness that…
2022 10-16 Interested in Becoming Catholic, or Being in Full Communion in the Church? It Is Never Too Late.
As we know, various surveys have shown that many Catholics, unfortunately, do not practice their faith on a regular basis. They appear to take their faith for granted. However, the Catholic Church is blessed to have many converts who have embraced the faith and truly appreciate it. They go through a process of inquiry, understanding,…
2022 10-09 “The Rosary is a long chain that links heaven and earth.” St. Therese of Lisieux
The month of October, in our faith tradition, is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. During this month, on October 7th, we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and we honored our Mother Mary who has encouraged the faithful to pray the Rosary. Pope Benedict XVI has a great appreciation for Mary…
2022 10-02 Respect Life Sunday – National Life Chain
This Sunday we celebrate Respect Life Sunday. As Catholics, we are encouraged to promote the dignity of all human life from conception until natural death. Archbishop Hartmayer has encouraged us to promote the Gospel of Life, and protect and cherish the lives of the elderly, the physically and mentally challenged, and the unborn. He recently…
2022 09-25 Priesthood Sunday
This Sunday in the United States we celebrate Priesthood Sunday. It is a special day set aside to honor the priesthood and is traditionally celebrated on the last Sunday in September. The day is coordinated by the USA Council of Serra International. It is a day to reflect upon and affirm the role of the…
2022 09-17 Catechetical Sunday 2022 , “This is My Body Given For You”
This Sunday, the Catholic Church celebrates Catechetical Sunday. The theme this year is: “This is My Body Given for You.” The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops stated, “Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a…
2022 09-11 Remember Those who Suffered on that Fateful Day of September 11, 2001,
This Sunday marks the twenty-first anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Many paused recently to focus on the events of that day. We as a nation recall the tragic deaths and injuries that occurred at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on the fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We also acknowledge the…
2022 09-04 The Dignity of the Human Remembered On Labor Day
As a nation, we celebrate Labor Day. On this day we honor all those who labor for a living. We are encouraged to thank them for their service to their families, and for their service to all those who benefit from their efforts. In addition, we can remember and pray for all those who are…
2022 08-28 Communal Anointing of the Sick
One of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church is the Anointing of the Sick. As reported by the media outlet, The National Catholic Register, Pope Francis indicated that the purpose of the sacrament is to bring Christ close to the recipient. He stated, “Every time we celebrate this sacrament, the Lord Jesus, in the…
2022 08-21 “Announce with Joy the Beauty of Being a Family”
Many families in our Saint Brigid faith community, in recent weeks, have returned from summer vacations. Many of their children have enjoyed summer camps and other leisure activities, and have started another school year. As families settle into a routine, this may be a good time to remind families of the need for daily prayer…
2022 08-14 The Assumption of the Blessed Mary – August 15th
This Monday, August 15th, we celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary. It is not a holy day of obligation this year in the United States, but it still provides us with an opportunity to honor the Virgin Mary. Mary is the mother of Jesus, the mother of our Church, and our…
2022 08-07 Honoring Couples for their Endearing and Steadfast Love
Next Saturday, Archbishop Hartmayer will celebrate a special Mass at Saint Brigid honoring those couples in the Archdiocese of Atlanta celebrating the 50th or 60th anniversary of their marriage. The goals of a Catholic marriage are the procreation and education of children, and the mutual love of a couple, in a union that is permanent…
2022 07-31 We Thank the Many Faithful, Dedicated, and Holy Deacons Serving Us at Saint Brigid.
The Catholic Church is blessed to have men serve as Permanent Deacons. Those men who are called to the Permanent Deaconate can be married, and they are ordained usually after a rigorous period of five years of training and formation. Many Permanent Deacons have secular jobs to support their families and strive to balance family,…
2022 07-22 Our Contributions Support the Spiritual, Educational, and Temporal Needs of our Parishes and Our People.
At this time, we are in the midst of the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal for 2022. The theme of the Appeal is “Transformed in Christ.” The Archdiocese has recently sent reminder notices urging parishioners to support the Appeal. Catholics are invited to make a significant pledge so we can meet the spiritual, educational, and temporal needs…
2022 07-17 Synod on Synodality Meetings. Enhancing the Spiritual Vitality of our Faith Community at Saint Brigid.
We are currently in the midst of a process called a synod. Archbishop Hartmayer has encouraged us to actively participate in this process. As previously noted, he stated in a pastoral letter, “Pope Francis opened a two-year process called the Synod on Synodality (For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission) that will uniquely engage…
2022 07-10 Let us Welcome and Pray for Seminarian Bryan Roberts
Our Holy Father Pope Francis has called on the Church community to foster and nurture vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and religious life. He noted that vocations grow within the Church, and stated, “Candidates gratefully contemplate the mediation of the community as an essential element for their future. They learn to know and to love…
2022 07-03 God Bless America
This Monday we celebrate the Fourth of July, Independence Day. On this day, we celebrate the birth of our nation, and we are encouraged to cherish in a very special way the many freedoms we enjoy in this country. These freedoms should never be taken for granted. As we know, we live in difficult and…