Like many, I was raised and educated in an essentially all “white” world. The impact of racism hit me at age 20 reading a magazine article by a black ND graduate. He described being in a downtown Atlanta hotel lobby, dressed in a business suit and tie, being harshly grilled by hotel security about his purpose for being there. The injustice of this hit me...

Check your mailboxes later this week for a letter from the parish regarding the re-opening of Masses. We will outline the various liturgical modifications and expectations of all attendees. It is important to follow it all out of respect to our authorities and out of charity to our neighbor.

Food Drive this Monday! St. Therese Martin Council 17043 invites you to help us stock the parish food pantry on Monday, May 18th.

The Christ Child Society is collecting children’s boots! Please donate your gently worn boots for the children of St. Joseph County...

Pope Francis’ groundbreaking encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’, celebrates its fifth anniversary this month. To commemorate the vision and message of this encyclical, May 16-24 has been designated as Laudato Si’ Week. 

Join us for a virtual Fraternal Benefits Night to learn about the Knights of Columbus!

In today's Gospel reading we are reminded of the promise of Pentecost. Jesus assures His disciples that the Father will send the Holy Spirit to them to continue to guide them, teach them, and remind them of everything He had taught them. This promise is still true for us, for the Church, today!

Take four statements from today’s Gospel: (1) “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” (2) “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (3) “The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.” (4) Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.” Each statement is momentous in itself, yet the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Bishop has just written a letter to the faithful of our diocese that gives us a plan for liturgies reopening this spring / summer. I highly encourage you to read this in its entirety. It will take under ten minutes and our evenings are not overbooked. A more in-depth letter for pastors, and I’m sure follow up communications, outlines things more clearly for the parishes. Here are some of the things that are worth knowing.

Bishop Rhoades lifts the suspension on public liturgies here in our diocese beginning on the weekend of May 23-24

"I am going fishing." This line of Peter's in last Friday’s Gospel reading struck me (John 21:3). Their leader had been crucified, He had already appeared to them and broken open the word, and what did Peter do? He returned to what was familiar and known. 

As COVID-19 continues to afflict our country, many of us are seeking ways to be helpful in our parish, our community, and our nation. When I think of all the needs of this new world —joblessness, hunger, loneliness — and all those that have been affected, it can be overwhelming. It’s times like these when I find that the Corporal Works of Mercy can provide direction.

I saw a parishioner in the grocery this past week, and as we talked I could see that she really missed coming to church and that some of her days have been quite hard on her. She was able to hold back her tears but only barely. When I explained that she could come to pray any day (from 8am-10pm) she seemed relieved and I think she was resolving to make a stop sometime soon. Even just that little bit meant a lot to her, and I hope that knowing that God is still here becomes a comfort for her.

In light of new information and recommendations from health officials concerning the danger of the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgency to stem the spread of the virus, the five Catholic bishops of Indiana have suspended effective March 18 and until further notice all public Sunday and weekday Masses throughout the Province of Indianapolis, which is comprised of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and the Dioceses of Gary, Evansville, Fort Wayne-South Bend, and Lafayette.

Given our circumstances this Holy Week, I was thoroughly pleased with what we were able to offer the parish through video capabilities. We seized the opportunity to do what we could to share the prayer of the Church with everyone through our YouTube channel. Also, I really loved the evenings of prayer during our “virtual mission” that allowed us to unite around our Eucharistic Lord and commune with Him in a powerful way. I received many emails, letters, or other messages of gratitude for the chance to pray at “our parish.” That made all the hard work truly worth it.

Resources for staying connected and informed.
Bulletin: Click here to sign up to get the weekly bulletin sent directly to your inbox.
Facebook: Click the link  https://bit.ly/littleflowerfacebook or search for us @littleflowersouthbend.

Join Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades starting on Friday, April 10 at 3 pm to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Bishop encourages all faithful of our diocese to begin this prayer as a novena for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. To pray with Bishop, use his chaplet video (available on @diocesefwsb on Facebook and YouTube), at 3 p.m. each day beginning on Good Friday and concluding on Divine Mercy Sunday.

The word unprecedented has lately become unpleasant to me. It now means to me: no going to see my family, no schools, no sports leagues (the high school is what matters to me), no time out with others. And worst of all, then, it means almost no one of the things that make up my priestly ministry - no people in church for Masses and other parish events. I am grateful to hear Confessions! I have missed you all dearly.

In today’s Easter Sunday Gospel, Mary of Magdala, then John and Peter, came to the tomb in which Jesus was buried and saw the stone removed and his body gone. Just as Jesus could not be contained in a tomb, neither can we be kept in our tombs – for example; sickness, fear, emptiness – if we keep our eyes on Jesus and follow him.