"The Well of Mercy" by Fr. Chris House
March 10, 2023
This past May I marked twenty years as a priest and half of those years were spent at our Cathedral in two different assignments. When I was there the first time around, I was serving as the diocesan Master of Ceremonies and one of the highlights of my time as the mc was being tasked with overseeing the dedication of the Cathedral after its fifteen-month renewal project.
The Well of Mercy
This past May I marked twenty years as a priest and half of those years were spent at our Cathedral in two different assignments. When I was there the first time around, I was serving as the diocesan Master of Ceremonies and one of the highlights of my time as the mc was being tasked with overseeing the dedication of the Cathedral after its fifteen-month renewal project. This was the first dedication of a church that I oversaw and the fact that it was the Cathedral made it very special and also very nerve-racking. There are wonderful prayers and ritual actions that make up the Rite of Dedication that in turn make for a beautiful celebration. The central prayer of the rite is the actual prayer of dedication. In studying the text of the prayer, I remember being struck by one specific line in it: here, may the waters of Baptism overwhelm the shame of sin.
This Third Sunday of Lent presents us with the story of the Woman at the Well as recorded in St. John’s Gospel. The story is rich in details that should not go unnoticed. The disciples have gone into the town to buy food. Jesus remains, alone, at this well to rest. It is an odd place to rest being that it is noon and the hottest time of the day, but none of this is by accident, just as Jesus’s encountering the Samaritan woman is not a matter of chance.
The woman comes to the well. No one goes to fetch water at noon; water is fetched either early in the morning or in the evening so as to avoid the sun and the heat. Yet, here this woman approached the well and encountered the Lord who was waiting for her. In the course of the conversation we come to understand that the woman is in a relationship that is contrary to God’s law. While some people today might be inclined to brush off the woman’s circumstance, 2000 years ago this woman would have been faced with shame and being ostracized from the community; thus why the woman went to the well at noon when no one is around.
Jesus meets the woman where she is. He engages her in a way that brings her sin into the light without condemning her or seeking to shame her. While He asks her for a drink of water, He is actually thirsting for her faith and an openness to His grace and mercy. He wants the same from us.
As we continue through this holy season of Lent, may we heed the Lord’s call to return to the grace of our baptism, to leave the old life of sin behind, as well as the shame and guilt that it brings. I want to invite you to take advantage of the sacrament of Reconciliation offered here daily or in another parish. I am especially inviting you if you find that you are carrying the burden of shame and don’t seem to know how to lay it down. Reconciliation is the well of mercy where the Lord Jesus is waiting for all of us. Come there and meet the Lord; allow Him to wash you clean and to remind you that you are loved, that you belong to Him, and that no sin can ever change that fact.
We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son Jesus. -Pope St. John Paul II
Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!
Father Chris House
Happy 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Thank you to everyone who helped make the Corpus Christi Procession a great success. Thank you as well to all who participated in the Corpus Christi Procession. It was a great day for our Parish Family celebrating and worshiping Jesus in the Eucharist. I greatly enjoyed interacting with everyone at the social, it was a great time of fellowship together as a family. As you can see on campus, we are seeking to live out the value of stewardship from your generosity. The value of stewardship is about using our gifts to build up the Kingdom of God and supporting our parish/school. Through your support, we are seeking to be good stewards on our resources in taking care of our buildings this summer through tuckpointing, new Pre-K HVAC, and Pre-K and K-8 playground renovations. These projections were partly funded through the School Annual Fund and School Auction. I am deeply grateful to your generosity in supporting our parish and school. Our School updated their vision and mission to more align with our Parish. You can view a sneak peek of the updated school vision and mission on the School’s Facebook page. Finally, thank you to everyone who has assisted and coordinated the PB & J ministry. If you would like to donate to this ministry, we are in need of Peanut Butter and Jelly especially. If you like to donate either of those items, just drop them off in back of Church or at the Parish Office. Save the Dates June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass Aug 23: Fr. Jayke White Welcome Party In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19
Happy Solemnity of Corpus Christi! This great Solemnity was instituted in the mid-1200s to celebrate the Institution of the Eucharist outside of Holy Week. On Holy Thursday, we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in which Jesus instituted the Eucharist, but after Holy Thursday procession we somberly recall our Lord’s betrayal in the garden. Corpus Christi celebration outside of Holy Week allows us as Catholics to celebrate Jesus’s institution of the Holy Eucharist with more festival celebrations. To honor Corpus Christi Solemnity, we will have Eucharistic Procession immediately following the 10am Mass with a social afterwards in the Parish Center. We will process around Campus to 3 altars. We will process immediately after Mass from the Church to the 1st Altar by the Parish Center. The procession will last roughly 30-40 minutes. We will conclude the Procession back in Church with Benediction. This Eucharistic Procession lines up well with our update Vision/Mission/Values. An important value of any Catholic Parish is worshipping the Holy Trinity through Sacraments and prayer. Eucharistic Procession are a unique way to worship Jesus in the Eucharist outside of Mass. You probably noticed another one of our values being lived out through some school construction. The value of stewardship is about using our gifts to build up the Kingdom of God and supporting our parish/school. Through your support, we are seeking to be good stewards on our resources in taking care of our buildings this summer through tuckpointing, new Pre-K HVAC, and Pre-K and K-8 playground renovations. These projections were partly funded through the School Annual Fund and School Auction. Finally, our School updated their vision and mission to more align with our Parish. You can view a sneak peek of the updated school vision and mission on the School’s Facebook page. Please note there will be incense at these Masses: June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am Save the Dates June 7: Corpus Christi Procession after 10am Mass with Social Afterwards June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19
Happy Holy Trinity Sunday! This great Solemnity emphasizes the uniqueness of Christianity. Jesus as our Lord revealed that God is Trinity, one Godhead in three Persons. St John summed up Jesus’s revelation up beautiful when he said God is Love. God is a communion of Love between the Father, Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. We live at communion with God through Jesus in the Holy Spirit when we live in our baptismal and confirmation identity as sons/daughters of God, disciples of Jesus, and temples of the Holy Spirit. Reminder that next weekend is the great Solemnity of Corpus Christi. We will have a Eucharistic Procession immediately following the 10am Mass. Anyone is welcome to join the procession even if you attend a different Mass that weekend. We will process around Campus to 3 altars. We will process immediately after Mass from the Church to the 1st Altar by the Parish Center. The procession will last roughly 30-40 minutes. We will conclude the Procession back in Church with Benediction. A social will start at Parish Center right afterwards with light lunch. Please RSVP for food count purposes to the Parish Office. Thank you in advance to all the staff and volunteers who are making this procession and social possibly. It will great celebrating Jesus in the Eucharist and having fellowship with another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Please note that there will be incense at these Masses: May 3 0 : 10am June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am Save the Dates June 7: Corpus Christi Procession after 10am Mass with Social Afterwards June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19
Happy Pentecost Sunday! This Sunday every year, we celebrate Jesus keeping His word and sending the Holy Spirit to be with us and guide in following Him. After His Ascension, the Father with the Son sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church represented by the Apostles and our Blessed Mother. The Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church today in following Jesus as the Way, Truth, and the Life. On this Pentecost Sunday, I am excited to announce Collin Taylor has been accepted by our Diocese as a Seminarian. Collin will begin Seminary formation in August at Bishop Brute Seminary in Indianapolis. Collin became Catholic about 2 years ago at CTK and has been a parishioner since his conversion. You will see Collin around at CTK learning the ropes from Dennis Trickey, he will be wearing black cassock when he serves Mass like Dennis. Collin will be serving this summer as a missionary for Totus Tuus throughout the Diocese. I am very proud of Collin. He is a great young man who loves Jesus and we celebrate him entering seminary with sendoff on Aug 2 Mass after 10am Mass. Please keep Collin in your prayers as prepares to enter seminary and begin formation to become a priest of Jesus Christ. Please note, May 25 is Memorial Day and Daily mass will be at 8am that day. Save the Dates June 7: Corpus Christi Procession after 10am Mass with Social Afterwards June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass Please note that there will be incense at these Masses: May 23: 4:30pm May 24: 10am May 30: 10am June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19
Happy Ascension of the Lord! We are coming to the close of another Easter Season with Pentecost being celebrated next weekend. The Ascension of our Lord celebrates Jesus returning to the right hand of the Father. He brings the human nature that he assumed and joined to His Divine Nature into Heaven. From His Heavenly throne after Ascension, he leads the Church through the Holy Spirit working with the Magisterium. The Pope serves as Vicar of Christ. Vicar means representative not replacement thus the Pope represents Jesus on Earth and seeks to lead us closer to Christ Jesus the Head of Church. Jesus thus directs the operation and strategy of the Church through the Pope and the Bishops united to the Pope. This past week at our Parish Grade School, we had our 8th Grade Graduation, Baccalaureate Mass, and Awards. As they head into high school, we the pray the Holy Spirit guides to know the love of Christ and root their lives in Him as they continue through educational journey. Congrats to them and they will be missed at CTK. Finally, reminder, that our Corpus Christi Procession will be on June 7 after 10am Mass. We will have a social event afterwards in the Parish Center. More details to come closer to the date. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Please note that there will be incense at these Masses: May 23: 4:30pm May 24: 10am May 30: 10am June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am Military Schedule May 16-17 and June 12-14
Happy 6th Sunday of Easter! This weekend, I will be preaching on and announcing our new Parish Vision, Mission, and Values. This Vision and Mission builds upon our rich tradition and a lot of the values are already being lived out in our Parish. As I mentioned last week, this vision and mission will be a roadmap for us moving forward and will shape our priorities. In our society this weekend, we celebrate Mother’s Day. Mothers are a true gift from God and reveal God’s love in a unique way. My own mother has help me discover the unconditional love of God in many ways and I am truly grateful for her sacrificial love for the years. I pray you have a Blessed Mother’s Day weekend, we will offer a blessing for mothers at the end of Masses this weekend. Finally, reminder, that our Corpus Christi Procession will be on June 7 after 10am Mass. We will have a social event afterwards in the Parish Center. More details to come closer to the date. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule May 16-17 and June 12-14
Happy 5th Sunday of Easter Sunday! Reminder that next weekend, I will be preaching on our new Vision, Mission, and Values on the Weekend of May 9-10. This new Vision, Mission, and Values was one of my goals during my first year as Pastor built on orienting, observing, and then acting. I mentioned in October during the state of the parish homily that I was going to review the Parish/School Vision and Mission plus Values with staff and councils. This new Vision, Mission, and Value will provide a roadmap for our Parish moving forward and we will focus our energies and priorities as a staff around forming disciples of Jesus our King through Worship, Formation, Fellowship, Stewardship, and Evangelization. One new Worship and Fellowship opportunity that we will do this year at CTK is Corpus Christi Procession. Our Corpus Christi Procession will be on June 7 after 10am Mass. We will have a social event afterwards in the Parish Center. More details to come closer to the date. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy
Happy 4th Sunday of Easter and Good Shepherd Sunday! It is good to be back. Military training overall went very well. I had some individual chaplain training and training with my unit. Both training courses were informative and useful. Now looking forward to enjoying the rest of the Easter Season in the Parish and finishing out the school year strong. In our Gospel this Sunday, we hear the famous Good Shepherd passage from John 10. This shepherd image has builds on many themes from the Old Testament. King David was a shepherd before he was King of Israel. Ancient Kingship was tied to shepherding because the king was to guide, provide, and protect his people. Jesus fulfills this theme of ancient kingship by providing, protecting, and guiding his people. This Sunday is also called Good Shepherd Sunday, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, especially Priesthood. Let us lift up in prayer our Seminarians and ask Jesus to send us more seminarians to walk in His path of Priesthood. Let us especially pray for Dennis Trickey this Sunday. He has been a tremendous blessing to our Parish and School. He will be with us through July. In August, he will reply to seminary for 2 more years before becoming a priest. Finally, I mentioned when I first arrived at CTK that the goal my first year was orient, observe, and then act. I mentioned in October during the state of the parish homily that I was going to review the Parish/School Vision and Mission plus Values with staff and councils. Through a review process, we have updated our Parish/School Vision and Mission. We will release them soon and I will be preaching on them the Weekend of May 9-10. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule May 16-17 and June 12-14
Happy 3rd Sunday of Easter! I pray that you are having a blessed Easter Season. Reminder, I am on military obligations for Annual Training, which is required each year for anyone in the Reserves. Typically, the Annual Training is during the summer, but my unit this year is attending in April. Know of my continued prayers while I am away and look forward to returning April 26. In our Gospel this weekend, we have the famous Road to Emmaus Passage. It is a particularly powerful passage only found in St. Luke’s Gospel. The two disciples in the passage are going the opposite direction of Galilee, where Jesus told his disciples to meet Him after His Resurrection. They are going the wrong way, and the Risen Christ interprets their journey. Through the Passage, we also see 4 parts of Mass, especially the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of Eucharist. We see the Liturgy of the Word clearly in the passage when Jesus beginning with Moses and all the prophets interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. At Mass, we have readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel with a homily. We see the Liturgy of the Eucharist present in the passage right after the disciples ask Jesus to stay with him. He then sat at table with them, took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them and they recognized Him in the breaking of the bread. At Mass, we do the same actions with the Priest representing Jesus celebrates the Mass. Please know of my continued prayers while I am away and look forward to seeing you next weekend at Masses. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule April 12-25 and May 16-17
Happy Divine Mercy Sunday! This Sunday concludes our Easter Octave celebrating Jesus’s victory over sin and death. Below is some information on Divine Mercy Sunday. We continue to celebrate Easter Season through Pentecost. Reminder, I am on military obligations for Annual Training, which is required each year for anyone in the Reserves. Typically, the Annual Training is during the summer, but my unit this year is attending in April. Know of my continued prayers while I am away and look forward to returning April 26. The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us – all of us. And, He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy. The Divine Mercy message is one we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC: A - Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world. B - Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us. C - Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that all the graces of His mercy can only be received by our trust. The more we open the door of our hearts and lives to Him with trust, the more we can receive. This message and devotion to Jesus as The Divine Mercy is based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, an uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God's mercy. Even before her death in 1938, the devotion to The Divine Mercy had begun to spread. F.I.N.C.H. Jesus told St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy” (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 300; see also 699). The five elements of the devotion (represented by the acronym F.I.N.C.H., for Feast, Image, Novena, Chaplet, Hour ) have attached to them some of the most powerful and extraordinary promises of any devotion. Spend time to learn more about the mercy of God, learn to trust in Jesus, and live your life as merciful to others, as Christ is merciful to you. For a full understanding of Divine Mercy, we recommend Divine Mercy Message and Devotion , by Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC. Hear a 30-minute crash course by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC. https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message
