The pilgrims arrived back this week tired but on fire with their faith a little more. We truly had an amazing trip, and we visited many incredible sites. In Istanbul, we continued to pilgrim in St. Paul’s footsteps. Istanbul, once known as Constantinople, was built by the emperor Constantine to give a notably city for…
As I am writing this eBulletin I am in Istanbul, Turkey with a group of 48 pilgrims from St. Simon and Holy Spirit Parishes and we are halfway through our pilgrimage of Walking in the Footsteps of St. Paul. It has been a lot of traveling each day and the pace has been a little…
In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges the disciples’ assumptions about greatness, turning their ideas upside down by teaching that the first must be the last and the servant of all (Mark 9:30-37). At first glance, the disciples’ reaction seems almost automatic, driven by their desire for prestige and status. This instinctual response—seeking power and recognition—is part…
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus engages in a powerful and personal dialogue with His disciples, asking them, “Who do people say that I am?” The responses vary—John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets—but it is Peter’s response, when Jesus asks, “But who do you say that I am?” that shifts the conversation. Peter,…
The beginning of the school year and the arrival of September hit me hard this week. Life just sped up radically. How are you feeling? Are you feeling the same? I found myself with very full days and I felt like I had more going on than ever and not enough time to fit it…
One of the gifts of the COVID-era lockdowns was the awareness we developed for the different “essential workers” in our communities. From store clerks to first responders to nurses and doctors, we all got a sharp reminder how important the different strata of our working population really are and how important it is for us…
It was so exciting to see all the kids come back to school on Wednesday! We welcomed over 540 children back to school and that is a huge increase over previous years. Wow! We missed seeing them and their families over the summer as they traveled on vacation to see family and friends. While it…
Last year I attended a week at a health spa where I learnt a lot about body nutrition, medical advances and how best to apply those to our modern way of life. It is a complex challenge given our processed food world! I learnt about the varied ways to lose weight and the importance of…
Over the last few weeks, I have immensely enjoyed the Olympics. While I was away on vacation, I got to watch many sports that I never watch and I have enjoyed the skills of the competitors in unpredictable ways, particularly as I knew little about the sports. Since I returned home from vacation, I have…
As I write this eBulletin article, I finished my last hike in the Utah and Colorado mountains on this 2-week vacation. I was able to hike over 130 miles of high-altitude trails and enjoy many high mountains. In particular, I got to climb to the summit of Pike’s Peak outside Colorado Springs. It was the…