Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Folks,

This is a picture of me offering  Mass in the tomb where Jesus  rose from the dead. Maybe my  favorite picture ever.

How did I get the shot? Well, he area where I was standing is about 3 feet by 7 feet. 7 priests were crammed into this area. I had asked one of the priests to snap a picture when Mass began, but didn’t want him to be distracted because he was concelebrating. So he holds the camera up (about 12 inches from my ear) and blindly takes pictures right after the  consecration. Yikes! I hear the camera clicking in my ear and think, “not now! Please Father!” With the very low light and his proximity to  me it was a miracle that the picture came out so well! Because of this, I have to have a little mercy on you when you take pictures at Mass… but not if you come up right behind me! 😉

I know that many folks here have made pilgrimages to the Holy Land. I believe that everyone should try to get there one day, if possible, because of how it will deepen your faith. To see where Jesus walked, prayed, was born and rose from the dead—these scriptures cease to be ‘stories’ and come alive.

I know that Fr. Hudgins has been advertising a trip in October in our bulletin, but I had also planned to accompany Fr. Jerry Wooton of St. Patrick’s on a trip this October (different dates). There is still room on this trip, if you are interested.

This trip to the Holy Land is October 3–15, 2016 and will include stops in Galilee, Nazareth, Cana, Bethlehem,  Jerusalem, and more in Israel, and stops in Jordan at the Baptism of our Lord, Petra, and Amman. Email me (frmosimann@stmaryfred.org) for more information, itinerary, and registration. Base cost is $3100 pp/do (with the caveat that flight costs could fluctuate).

Pax et Bonum,

Fr. Mosimann

Dear Folks,

Last Sunday Bishop Loverde installed me in the office of pastor of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception. A number of folks told me that it was the first time they had ever seen this rite, which is not surprising since it happens once every dozen years or so and is only at one Mass.

One of the points that the Bishop made echoed words of St. John Vianney that I learned on pilgrimage to the saint’s parish in Ars, France: “The priesthood is the love of the Sacred Heart.” That quote has often resonated through my prayers and contemplation of what it means to be a pastor. It means to let Jesus love you through me. Sometimes, we human instruments get in the way—forgive us. But frequently we see miracles of grace when we love generously. Pray for your priests, that we may become more fully what we are.

Additionally, Bishop Loverde exhorted me to pray for you. The other spiritual fruit of my pilgrimage to Ars was the conviction that God wants me to pray even more for you. One of my habits, when asked for prayers, is to immediately pray a Hail Mary for your intention and ask our Lady to remind me to pray for you. On this pilgrimage, Our Lady seemed to say, “Give me more time to remind you of who to pray for.”

Thanks for your warm and generous welcome. May the Lord bring to completion the good work he has begun in us.

Pax et Bonum,

Fr. Mosimann