Every January we celebrate two parish feasts. January 4 is the feast day of our patron, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. It was January, 2007, that we dedicated the new church. THIS MARKS THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEW CHURCH. We will commemorate those feasts on the weekend of January 21-22. At each Mass, the 12 Dedication Candles will be lit. We will continue our tradition of inviting everyone up to kiss the altar. After the 10:30 Mass, we will have a parish dinner in the hall.

The altar is the central focus of a Catholic church. This is where miraculous transformation takes place: the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ, and the members of the assembly are "gathered into one by the Holy Spirit" (Eucharistic Prayer II).

The altar is the place where we celebrate the timelessness of God. We evoke the past, the remembrance of the Last Supper and Calvary. We also mysteriously celebrate that future heavenly banquet when we all are one in God. Chronological time collapses so that there is no distance between Calvary and now, between the realized Kingdom and now. At this altar, all time is one moment: NOW. Christ is present and we are one with him.

Let us give thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, who has loved us unto death and who has risen and sent his Spirit to join us to him in his death and resurrection. - Fr. Frank Coady

With every new beginning we try to make changes. Reflecting on Paul's letter to the Galatians, we hear again that the world was transformed because of Jesus' coming. In the Gospel, we hear the Shepherds were in awe in their visit to the stable. They realized that the world would be radically changed by Christ. What changes will be in store for us individually or collectively to make the world a better place? What part will you play in this change? - Sr.Rose Walters

St. Thomas Aquinas said that people do not actually choose evil.  Rather, they mistake evil for good.  They “miss the mark,” in his actual words.

One of the problems in our time is that we have so many choices, and the choices get more and more nuanced.  Gone are the days (if there ever were such days—St. Thomas wrote in the 13^th Century) when the choices are black and white.  When one makes a choice, there are often both good and bad effects from that choice.

One way out of that morass is to stay constantly, daily, in conversation with God about our lives. “Wisdom” in biblical terms means sharing in the mind of God.  “Love” in biblical terms means sharing in the heart of God.  If our day-to-day choices are made in communion with God’s mind and heart, we would be more like Christ and Mary.  They both gave over their wills to the Father. This is humanity fully alive and functioning properly.  Their decisions were costly, but that did not mean that they were wrong.

Both Christ and Mary experienced and acted on Free Will.  Still, there was “prevenient” grace, as today’s Collect suggests. Mary’s fiat was made possible by a prior grace.  God willed her fiat before she was asked to make it.  Is that predestination? Paul, in the second reading, suggests that we were predestined to love God before the foundation of the world.  Is that predestination?  The line between God’s will and ours is a thin one.  Thank God.  We love God because he has first loved us.  We do God’s will because he planted that will in us.  - Fr. Frank Coady

• In the weeks ahead, our parish representative from Solutio, Inc., will be setting up the advertising for our website for the year.

• Please consider participating in this effort since the revenue from the ads is what makes the website possible at no cost to the parish.

• It’s a great way to get your name in front of the families in the parish.  Advertisements may be purchased for a business, family memorial, or you can sponsor an ad supporting Catholic Charities, Knights of Columbus, Vocations, etc.

• Please give these ideas some thought. We need and appreciate your help!  If you are interested or just curious as to prices and want more information, please contact 785.246.5424 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Catholics Come Home, Inc. is an independent non-profit Catholic apostolate that creates effective and compassionate media messages and broadcasts them nationally and internationally, in order to inspire, educate and evangelize inactive Catholics and others, and invite them to live a deeper faith in Jesus Christ, in accord with the magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. Visit the website at http://www.catholicscomehome.org.