Life's Choices

The Road Not Taken

… I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
– Robert Frost

Dear Parishioners,

Perhaps you have heard the quote, “Our lives are the sum of the choices we make.” So here is the thing about choices. Our lives turn on all of them, even the little, seemingly insignificant ones. Our choices, once made, cannot be unmade. We have to own them, take responsibility for them, perhaps even ask forgiveness for them. They are irrevocable.

But the good news is, even when we make the wrong choice, we can still make the next choice. We get to do something powerful and redemptive… make the next choice the right one. Choose this day to choose well and wise. As Robert Frost’s poem puts it, “that will make all the difference.”

- Deacon Robert

“We must honour God as he requires us to
honour him, or we shall be asked why.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Feast of St. Jane Frances de Chantal

Dear Parishioners,

Last Sunday, we had our 1st annual picnic in honor of our patron, St. Jane Frances. Her feast day is August 12th. At each Mass, I mention her in the Eucharistic Prayer. It is a reminder that we have a friend in a very high place, and we should invoke her intercession on behalf of the parish and we parishioners.

The picnic was a very nice affair with a good attendance, good food, a bouncy house, some games, snowballs, and a nice relaxing time that helped people get to know one another. I appreciate all our parishioners who worked to make the picnic such a success. It was a big hit with all who attended, and we are already making plans for next year.

- Fr. Carl

“I often think that even if there were no other
life then this one, it would be enough happiness
just to love God here and to do something for
his glory.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

When God Weeps

Dear Parishioners,

When you hold your broken heart in your hands because something or someone intentionally or unintentionally put a knife in your soul, only you as broken as you are can say, “I forgive you.” What you did hurt me more than you will ever know, but I refuse to let my pain continue to wound me and through me, you and others. I choose to let it go and pray we can find a new place to go forward in faith and love. But when we fail to practice forgiveness and seek reconciliation, God weeps with us and for us.

- Deacon Robert

“A Good Christian mounts a chariot in this world—
borne by angels and conducted by our Lord. ”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Health Food

Dear Parishioners,

A good father knows what his children need, and he provides it. Our heavenly Father is no different. He saw his children, Israel, and their hunger for food in the Sinai desert. So he sent them bread from heaven (manna) to fill their stomachs (Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15). Jesus knows that there is a more important food than material food (John 6:24-35). It is Jesus himself because, as St. Augustine wrote 1400 years ago, “You have made us for yourself O, Lord and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” So Jesus feeds us with the Eucharist, his body and blood, his soul and divinity to keep us healthy. This food is the most important health food of all because it gives us a share in God’s very own life. Let us be ever grateful to Jesus for this precious gift and faithfully partake of the Eucharist each weekend, for only with it are we fully alive.


- Fr. Carl

“The Kingdom of God is within us when we
love him and are in a state of grace. ”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Feeding the Multitudes

Dear Parishioners,

It was probably mid-day on a windy hillside in Galilee when Jesus turned to his disciple Phillip and asked, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Incredulous, Philip blurted out, “Six months wages wouldn’t buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” At that moment, the miracle starts to happen. Andrew pipes up: “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” In full control of the moment, Jesus orders the people to sit down on the grass beneath their feet. He takes the loaves and fish, gives thanks to God, and passes them out to all who are there. The food kept multiplying so much so that “all were satisfied,” and still, there were 12 baskets of leftovers… one for each of the skeptical disciples. (John 6:1-15)

The boy could have kept his lunch to himself. I have no idea how Andrew learned the boy had it, but knowing children, my guess is the boy saw the problem and in his naïveté, believed he could solve the problem. We can debate at length exactly how this miracle happened, and all roads eventually take us to Jesus… but the first factor in the formula was a boy with some loaves and fishes and childlike generosity on a hillside a long, long time ago.

- Deacon Robert

“The saints did not become saints without
many a sacrifice and many of struggle.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Change Is Inevitable

Dear Parishioners,

The summer is not only a time for vacation but also a time for changes. In the Catholic Review, new assignments for priests and deacons have been announced. Here at St. Jane’s, some changes in our staff are happening as well. Our wonderful administrative assistant, Lori Reinecke, is retiring and moving to Florida to be close to family members and friends. She has been a great help to me and a real blessing to the parish. I will miss her loyalty, dedication, efficiency, and her upbeat friendly attitude at all times. I wish her all the best.

Fortunately, we have found an able replacement in Genevieve (Gina) Bujanowski. She is no stranger to St. Jane’s having worked in the Religious Education Office for 4 years. She comes to us from St. Athanasius where her duties were much the same as Lori’s. She, too, comes with a good attitude and should readily adapt to our parish, and we are pleased to welcome her back. For the next several weeks while she and Lori hold a turnover of responsibilities, please be patient. It will be necessary to close the office on Wednesdays to facilitate the transition.

Today I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into the sacristy of the church. There I saw a dozen members of our Youth Group down on their hands and knees cleaning and scrubbing the floor, wiping the shelves of closets, and cleaning the grime from the radiator vents. We are so blessed with our youth and the leadership of Miss Claire.

I also want to thank our Sodality for their generous donation for the AED (Automated External Defibrillator). Hopefully, it won’t be needed, but it can save a life in an emergency situation. So it is good to finally get one.

- Fr. Carl

“Wherever we are, and whatever we do,
we shall always meet with spiritual difficulties. ”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Live For God’s Glory

Dear Parishioners,

In Christ, we are called to live to the praise of God’s glory, to think and act, to believe and serve, to understand and give. How do we live to the praise of God’s glory? We do so following Jesus who loved the unlovely, healed the broken, sat with sinners, and forgave those believed to be unforgivable. We all long for glory, for wonder, for that feeling deep within our souls that what we believe really matters to us, to God, and to others. When we live as God’s children, when we act as God’s people, when we take up the hard work of putting holy words into holy actions, we live for God’s glory.

- Deacon Robert

“Our Lord wishes nothing but your happiness.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars