Athanasian Creed
The Athanasian Creed is a very ancient statement of belief that arose out of the Arian crisis. It used to be recited with Prime every Sunday in the Divine Office – this was reduced, however, to Trinity Sunday alone in the 1962 revisions to the breviary. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals
Priestly Ordinations
This year twelve priests are going to be ordained to the sacred priesthood on Thursday, May 28th, 2026 at 10 am CST (8 am, our time). The ordinations will take place in St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska. The names of the ordinandi are listed below. The first nine are members of the North American Province and will most likely be assigned to parishes here. The others belong to General House and will likely be assigned outside the province. Three of the ordinandi have assisted at our camps or in other capacities over the years. Furthermore, then Fr. Lai Nguyen will be doing a First Mass at St. Stephen’s on Sunday, June 14. Both Fr. Evaristus and I will be away for ordinations this year. Fr. Evaristus will return for next weekend; I will be covering for a priest in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and then visiting my family for my sister’s graduation from law school, so I will not be back until early June. The ordinations will sadly not be livestreamed this year. Please keep the ordinandi in your prayers!
Track Lights & Other Projects
Track Lights Restored This past week we were able to install the new track lights. The project had been unexpectedly delayed because the dimmer modules for the lights are made to order, which took about two months. The new lights make use of a new, driverless LED technology. As it is usually the driver that fails in such lights, they should remain in service for at least twenty years. When we took down the old lights, we also adjusted the locations of the tracks themselves, to give greater flexibility to light placement and also to make it easier to service the lights, if necessary. The two most apparent consequences of this are: more direct light to various places in the sanctuary, particularly the altar, and more even lighting throughout the choir loft. Other Projects
Announcements
Ascension Thursday Masses at 7 am, noon, and 6 pm. While not a Holy Day of Obligation in our Diocese, the faithful are highly encouraged to assist at Mass on this day of Our Lord’s triumph. Two New Books The very popular and well-written Religious Vocation: An Unnecessary Mystery, by Fr. Richard Butler, OP, is back in print and now available in our parish bookstore. This book clears up a lot of misconceptions about religious life that have crept into modern discernment and is an invaluable aid for young persons considering a vocation, or their parents who hope to guide them. Additionally, we also picked up Clothed with Beauty: a Catholic Philosophy of Dress, by Anna Kalinowska, which I have not read, but which seems to follow the same principles I was addressing at the Women’s Day of Recollection last year. It comes recommended by several persons whom I trust. Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom Co-op Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Co-Op is now accepting registrations and class enrollments for the 2026–2027 academic year! We invite you to visit our website for more information and to register.
Announcements
Sr. Maryann Regina Final Vows Sr. Maryann Regina, CM (i.e. Rose Brennan) is making her final vows with the Children of Mary today – Sunday, May 3. Please continue to keep her in your prayers! More information about her religious congregation can be here: https://www.childrenofmary.net Consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart The USCCB has announced its intention to consecrate our nation to the Sacred Heart on July 4, on the 250th anniver-sary of our Independence. It is a admirable project that deserves our support. In preparation for the consecration, they are asking every parish in the nation to make 250 Holy Hours before the Blessed Sacrament, and 250 works of mercy (this is aggregated among all parishioners). In order to meet these aims, I am asking each parishioner to make one such Holy Hour and perform one act of mercy during the month of June, for the purpose of this consecration. More details are available in a letter from the bishop posted in the bulletin board. Fence Repair The fence on the east side of the field is in the midst of extensive repairs. The carpentry is nearly complete, pending only the top cap
Announcements
Camps Sacred Heart & Immaculate Heart These camps are scheduled for Jun 14 to 20 (Sun to Sat), and Jun 20 to Jun 26 (Sat to Fri), respectively. Camp Sacred Heart is for the boys, whereas Camp Immaculate Heart will be for the girls. Please note the dates on your calendars. The dates are arranged such that families that have both boys and girls attending will be able to pick up the boys on Sat, Jun 20 and at the same time drop off the girls. Ages for both camps: 10 – 18. A nine year old may be considered for Camp Sacred Heart, space permitting and if accompanied by his father. Chaplains: Fr. Curtis will lead Camp Sacred Heart; Fr. Franco will lead Camp Immaculate Heart. Sisters & Seminarians: We will have three seminarians for Camp Sacred Heart and four sisters from the FLM community at Camp Immaculate Heart. Cost: The camp will be $250 for the first child in a family, $200 for the second, $150 for the third, etc. Scholarships will be available for families for whom the registration fee constitutes a financial burden. Registration: Available in the parish bookstore and
Parish Hall Restrooms Open!
I am pleased to announce that the parish hall restrooms are ready to be used. I thank everyone for their patience with the noise and limited restroom availability during construction. The restrooms have five stalls for the women, two stalls and four urinals for the men. The two areas are roughly similar in square footage. Both restrooms are equipped with baby change stations. We have run electrical in place in case HVAC proves to be necessary for temperature control, though we have held off on installation to see how the restrooms do without it. The old restrooms did not include any HVAC, nor do the classroom restrooms currently. A mop closet with a vented door and exhaust fan lies between the two restrooms. Like the classroom side, this includes a mop basin for cleaning dirty mops. In terms of function and style, the new restrooms mirror the remodel of their classroom counterparts, with the following distinctions: The code for the bathroom doors remains the same. There are still a few outstanding elements that will be completed over the upcoming days: During construction, contractors addressed many, many other issues around the campus. It would
Construction Update
While we remain ahead of the eight week projection for the new bathrooms in the parish hall, we have fallen a bit behind our hope for a completion in six weeks on account of the unseasonable humidity. This prevent the concrete from curing quickly, which pushed that part of the project by some days. Nevertheless, we are still pushing towards completion within about two weeks. The concrete has been dyed an earthy “copper” tone (this is the only major departure from the style of the classroom bathrooms) and polished. The tile work is nearly complete. Our drywallers have repaired the walls in the vestibule and prepared a smooth finish for a new coat of paint, which will match the parish hall and new bathroom hallway.
