Browsing Reflections from Fr. Jasper
Survey Says …
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
December 10, 2023
This second Sunday of Advent finds us heeding the call of John the Baptist in our own lives and hearts: Prepare the way of the Lord.
As you know, our Diocese has begun a period of selfstudy in which each deanery (grouping of regional parishes) ... Read More »
We’ve Only Just Begun
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
December 3, 2023
One question that I often ask engaged couples who come seeking marriage preparation is this: What scares you most about beginning this new journey together?
The replies are interesting, to say the least, but often quite honest: “I’m scared I will mess-up this love ... Read More »
O Come Let Us Adore Him
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
November 26, 2023
During my time in seminary formation, I had the privilege of serving with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Baltimore. Their dedication to serving the poorest of the poor always moved me deeply, and I remember asking them how they found the strength to give of ... Read More »
Bookmarks of Hope and Joy
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
November 19, 2023
I was in the midst of a not-so-good day last Thursday. We all have them, I suspect. I can’t say it was anything in particular that had me down, but I couldn’t seem to shake the blues I was feeling that overcast November afternoon.
... Read More »
How Bazaar
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
November 12, 2023
I’m not kidding when I tell you that one of my favorite memories as a child growing up in my home parish was the annual Christmas Bazaar. Each year in November -- almost like magic (so it seemed at the time) -- the very same ... Read More »
A November of Thanksgiving
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
November 5, 2023
On the morning of Thanksgiving 1984, I threw a Matchbox toy car in anger at my younger brother, hitting him directly in the forehead. There was blood (lots of it); tears (lots of them, too); angry parents and a punishment somewhere thrown into the mix. ... Read More »
Nearly Everybody Reads the Bulletin
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
October 22, 2023
Long before cell phones and social media provided us with much-too-much instantaneous information, there was the parish bulletin as the source of all news and local happenings. My Mom read it religiously each week, no pun intended. Sometimes, it was chock-full of interesting parish updates ... Read More »
Survey Says
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
10/15/2023
The words ‘synod’ and ‘deanery’ have been thrown around quite often lately in our Church, and I am sure that some confusion continues to remain around the purposes of each. What is the ultimate goal of the Synod on Synodality happening right now in Rome (and what ... Read More »
The Most Powerful Weapon
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
October 8, 2023
I wasn’t always the best-behaved child in Church. Once, in the few minutes before Mass began, I thought it would be “fun” to jump on and off the kneeler before my Mom could catch me; I ended-up busting my lip on the pew in front of ... Read More »
Another “Holy Week”
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
October 1, 2023
I am like a kid in a candy store this coming week, and I dare say that it might actually be my favorite Church week of the entire year. (Don’t tell Holy Week or Christmas that I told you.) Think about it: we have angels, ... Read More »