Father-Son Events

     I'm sure that some of you know that Fr. Abbott and I have been hosting a night called "Hang out with the Priests" for around 8 months now, and I am excited to announce that this will continue to happen. The night usually includes a dinner (which is provided by Jayne Taylor, and always is delicious), a short talk by Fr. Abbott, and a chance to just hang out with other male youth and their fathers. The night wraps up with the whole group praying night prayer together. It really has been nice getting to know some of the youth and their fathers better, and it is Fr. Abbott's and my hope that the youth enjoy it as well. Just to let you know the night always happens on Friday nights and is for male youth going into 9th grade and above, and their Father's are welcome to come along. The dates for the night so far are August 19, September 16, October 20, November 18, and December 30. For more information please keep your eye on the bulletin, or just ask Fr. Abbott or me about it.

     Talking about fathers and sons there is an event that is only a week away, and that is the Feast of Saint John Vianney, and as many of you know Saint John Vianney is my patron Saint and because of that we have to celebrate.So, Fathers and their sons are invited to spend an evening together in honor of St. John Vianney on Thursday, August 4, beginning with Mass at 6:00, followed by dinner in the meeting rooms, a very short talk about this great saint, and then an opportunity to participate in some fun activities. The point of this night is to have fathers and sons spend time together, and to learn about Saint John Vianney and why he is the patron saint of priests. This event is for male youth of all ages and here is the flyer below:

CELEBRATE SAINT JOHN VIANNEY

Patron Saint of Priests

What: Celebration honoring St. John Vianney patron saint of Priests.

Come and enjoy Free Pizza and Pop, fun activities, and a short talk from Fr. Carlson on this great saint.

Who: All male youth of the parish and their Fathers.

When: On the Memorial of St. John Vianney, Thursday August 4^th, following the 6:00 PM Mass until 8:00 PM (or there about).

Why: Because St. John Vianney should be celebrated.

Where: Dinner and talk in the Meeting rooms, followed by activities in the Gym or Outside depending on the weather.

If you have any questions please call Fr. Carlson at 763-862-4357.

Pearl of Great Price

As mentioned in the video this week is Natural Family Planning Awarness Week, and because of this Fr. Abbott preached all of the Masses about NFP. Here is the website for the USCCB on Natural Family Planning. You should be able to find some resources on NFP here.
All right, wish me luck, I have a 13 mile run in the morning.

Thank you YouTube

Pick a Team

I hope that you all enjoyed your weekend. I know that it was hot and humid outside, but we are lucky enough here at Epiphany to have air conditioning. Of course my homily is below, but I just want to throw out a quick thank you to the soundboard operators who do such a good job of recording these homilies. Also, thank you to those who actually listen to the homilies online, one of these Sunday's I am going to mention you in the homily, so make sure to keep on listening. Finally, I am hoping to dive deeper into using "social media" soon, so make sure to keep checking back to see where this leads me.

Here is my homily from Sunday:

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Skiing (Not Walking) on Water

This past Saturday night I had the opportunity to go to St. Francis Xavier in Buffalo, Minnesota to hear confessions and celebrate Mass that evening. It is a beautiful Church and a very prayerful community. It also happens to be close to my Uncle Brad’s cabin in Maple Lake. So, after Mass (which plenty of my family was at) I was able to go to “the cabin” and relax. Now ever since I was a little kid I have always wanted to water ski, but for some reason have never been able to get up on water skis. When I told my Uncle that I was coming, I mentioned that I wanted to try to water ski again, even though I thought that I would have no chance of getting up.

So, when I arrived at the cabin, essentially the first thing that we did was hop in the boat and head out on the lake (which was clear as glass). Also, my cousin Bradley was very generous and headed up to Maple Lake to spot for me, and also offer encouragement. After Bradley was done skiing, it was my turn to give it a shot. The first three times that I yelled “hit it” I was able to almost get up, but would always fall. However, it seemed like my Uncle and Cousin would not let me give up, and after my Uncle offered one simple tip (putting the ski tips higher out of the water) I was finally able to get up water skiing!!! Of course that lasted for about 10 yards before I yelled out in excitement, and then fell face forward into the water. So, I tried again, and made it a little farther, but Bradley was not able to get a picture, so I said I would go one more time (I was a little tired by this time). The third time that I got up I was able to make a longer run (about a minute) before I was exhausted, and let go of the rope. 

 I am now proud to say that I can join my two brothers in saying that I can water ski (it may have been a little pride thing) and cannot wait to go out again and give it a try. So, if any of you have a big boat and some water skis, don’t be afraid to give me a call and invite me out. 

Do you have a Relationship with God?

Take some time this week to evaluate your relationship with God and figure out not only where you need to improve it, but also give thanks to God that you do have a relationship with Him.



Below is my homily for the week:

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"You are Really Sweaty"

A priest usually gets one day off a week, and the day that I take off is Tuesday. I usually try to do my errands that day, and also try to partake in one of my hobbies. The hobby that has been dominating my off day this summer has been running, because every Tuesday is the day that I do my “long run” for the training of the marathon (more on the marathon later). This past Tuesday I was 7.5 miles into my 10 mile run when I spotted the children from our Extended Day Program down by the Coon Rapids Dam. Needless to say they were surprised to see me, and one of the kids even said “you must have ran a long way, because you are really sweaty.” After I spent about a minute of talking to them, I took off to finish the rest of my run (which was all uphill) during which I got to thinking about all of our school children who are gone for the summer, and how nice it is to have a school here. So, for Mass that day I made the Mass intention for all of the school children as well as the children who go to Faith Formation here that they may have a safe and enjoyable summer.  

Now talking about running and school children, once again I would like to remind people that I am running the Twin Cities Marathon and am trying to raise $4,000 for the school. So, far I have either been given or pledged right around $600. If you want to help out with my goal you can simply send a check to me and write it out to Epiphany School, or you can send cash (however just specify in the note that it is for the marathon). Also, some companies have matching gift programs for the marathon, to see if your company matches gifts check out this website here. Every little bit donated will help out for me not only to reach my goal but hopefully even exceed it. Over the past couple of weeks I have learned that there is a difference between running as a hobby and training for a marathon, and I think that in the future it is only going to get harder. In all honesty the only thing that has made me continue to get out and run is because I am doing this for a purpose, which is to provide a great education to those in need, so if the Spirit moves you please make a donation.

Talking about the Spirit moving you, this is exactly how I ended my recent bulletin article. I talked about social media and technology and how they can be used as a tool for the Universal Church. If you want to take a look at the article you can find it here.
I hope that you all have an enjoyable weekend, I know that mine will be busy, but at the same time very enjoyable.

My Yoke is Easy, and my Burden Light.

I'm off to Wisconsin to visit a friend and his family, I hope that you all have a safe holiday and know of my prayers.

Below is my homily:

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Quick Update

Here is the information for our Second Friday Young Adult Series on Friday night, I hope you can make it: