Fr Mike's Notes

  I have heard from some people that they would like to leave a comment, but are asked to sign-up or sign-in for something else.  I am always looking for new ideas for posts too.  Please, if you have a comment or idea, I would simply recommend sending any comments to my personal email address fathermike1001@msn.com.   More soon...

I think it's time to let everyone in on something I have been reflecting on for the past week -- the death of Pope Francis and the hope we are called to have in this time of transition in the Catholic world. Like many people, I have underestimated the power of change and transition.  When I was thinking the other day, I realized just how much the world has changed in the wake of Pope Francis' passing.  Sure, it's only been a week, but the images from his funeral this past Saturday we remarkable.  The pictures were of thousands of people in Rome and at the Vatican -- in St. Peter's Square and lining the streets going to St. Mary Major church where Francis is now entombed -- were simply awe-inspiring.  It told me not only did his papacy touch the lives of European Catholics, but from all over the world.  I know that sounds corny or obvious or stereotypical, but it was really cool.  And I thought the wake and funeral for my father back in 2009 was huge (which ...

 Who, O Lord? Who can lead this vast people? Who can lead such a people, many who have turned from you?          They have forgotten the great and terrible ways that you came to their help in days of old.          They have forgotten that it was you who led them out of Egypt,                                                                                                   Babylon,                                                                                           ...

Sorry this is late being posted  Today, April 22, 2025, the leader of the Catholic Church of our time has gone before us.  Pope Francis died this morning and now takes his place among the many souls that have preceded us in death.  God rest his weary soul and may he rest in the peace of Jesus Christ, whose gospel Pope Francis spread with great love and zeal. A couple of things to note about the timing of this great pope's passing: 1. Think of all of the months Francis spent in the hospital earlier this year.  At the age of 88, he battled a major pneumonia and beat it.  Was God's reason for the Pope's survival to remind us of the gift of hope and the strength to persevere in the hope of Jesus Christ's resurrection? 2. It is fitting that he died on Earth Day.  His care and concern for the planet's natural resources came through in his encyclical Laudatio Si.  Of course, every day is Earth Day.  However, the Holy Father's humble background growing up...

 Fr. Patrick Lee, Archdiocese of Chicago ordination class of 1976, passed away this morning, April 14, 2025.  Patrick's first assignment as a priest was at my home parish of St. Christopher in Midlothian, IL.  I can still remember hearing stories of the day Patrick was moving in at the rectory.  It was/is a one-level building and right in the middle of town.  I recall the story because while Patrick was unloading his car, I hear he was listening to Led Zepplin rather loudly, and people telling me about the pastor's (George Brown, God rest his soul too) reaction as if he were saying "what have I done?"  I can picture Fr. Brown in my head, putting his face in his hands and shaking his head in disbelief.  Still, Patrick became a favorite for many of St. Chris' faithful.  He had a very deep spirituality.  He could be soft-spoken at times, but he would also be outspoken at times too. I still consider Patrick another brick in the wall I've come to ...

  Many of you know that I am applying for a sabbatical that should begin in January 2026.  Something that is part of the process is that we can apply for a grant from a company called the Lilly Foundation (not the pharmaceutical company).  Each year, they assist a great number of clergy to pay for what they call  Clergy Renewal Time.  They give out usually about $1 million all over the country. To date, I have not received any response from the company on the application I know was postmarked by the deadline date (March 12, 2025), mine was postmarked March 6, 2025.  And sent it certified through the US Post Office.  I, as the title states, have been freaking out because I had not even heard back from the post office.  So, I went to a friend for advice.  THE TRACKING NUMBER ON THE RECEIPT.  Again, I'm sure you've experienced something so simple being overlooked because your brain is not clear.  It takes an objective voice to be of as...

Today, I was thinking about my post from yesterday "am I my brother's keeper?"  I am reading Pope Francis' autobiography simply entitled HOPE .  I am not very far into the book as yet, but the question Cain poses to God in Genesis is already an important theme in the autobiography.  However, while I am aware of what i wrote yesterday, I am thinking about it in a slightly different light today. The Pope is speaking about the horrors of war.  His grandparents and great-grandparents had to deal with the ravages of war in Italy.  Still they were able to not only survive but were also able to get out of the country before WWI escalated to epic proportions, arriving and thriving in Buenos Aires.  Well maybe they didn't thrive at first, but with determination and faith, they did well.  Yet, in the grand scheme of things, thousands more were not so lucky.  Soldiers and civilians alike perished, even some while at sea trying to get to Argentina. One very w...

Am I my brother's keeper? The answer is "yes." I recently bought a new book, Pope Francis' autobiography entitled HOPE.  It's very early in the book for now, but something caught my eye last night while I was reading.  The Pope, in his first chapter, was talking about the events of days when his grandparents left Italy and went to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Before his grandparents were able to board one ship for which they had a ticket, they could not sell everything they had by the time the ship left.  That ship met practically the same fate as Titanic (no icebergs, went to the bottom of the ocean).  Its passengers were lost.  "Why them and not me?"  That question pervades his soul even to the time this book was written.  So many of us would say "Don't dwell on the past and what could have happened.  Just be grateful you are here today."  And he tells us just how grateful he is.  However, something was awakened in him -- if I hear o...

My God, How long will you allow this nonsense in the world which you created to be good?  Everything around us is good, yet your highest creation - human beings - your creation to which you gave free will - continue to mistreat not only other human beings, but your creation of the world around us.  I am not merely talking about natural resources, which is another topic for another blog, but humans CHOOSING to create viruses that kill other human beings; humans CHOOSING to oppress and put the lives of others in jeopardy; humans CHOOSING to use immoral tactics to get what they want and not what the others NEED. I have not been able to follow the logic of "leaders" of nations.  Human life is not valued by so many of those "leaders."  What happened to checks and balances?  Granted, many of the world's nations have been in the same disarrayed government situations for decades or even centuries.  Why should the people in Russia have to continue to suffer at the d...