James (Jim) T Russell

Feast Day: Sunday, August 17 th , 2025 The apparition in County Mayo in Ireland of Our Lady of Knock is reported to have occurred on the evening of August 21, 1879, the vigil of the octave of the feast of the Assumption. Those who witnessed the miracle ranged in age from five years old to seventy-five. The apparition was described as follows: “Our Lady was wearing a large, brilliant crown and clothed in white garments. On her right was Saint Joseph, his head inclined toward her and on her left Saint John the Evangelist. To the left of Saint John was an altar on which stood a cross and a … [Read more...] about Our Lady of Knock

Friday, August 15, 2025 Celebrated every year on August 15th, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is important to many Catholics and Orthodox Christians as the day that Mary was received into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. This is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year; please stop into a Church to pray during the day to honor our Blessed Mother on this special day.  Can you imagine what a moment the Assumption must have been for Mary! In describing the scene, some Church Fathers spoke of Jesus Himself coming back to Earth to take His mother and bring … [Read more...] about THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Mary has a unique place in salvation history and in the Church.  Because she responded yes to becoming the Mother of God, she is our first model of discipleship and our model of grace and trust in God. Among Catholics, May is most well known as “Mary’s Month,” a specific month of the year when special devotions are performed in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ancient Greek and Western cultures view May as a month of life and motherhood.  This was long before “Mother’s Day” was ever conceived, though the modern celebration is closely related to honor mothers during the spring … [Read more...] about The Month of May—Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Everything we know about the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus comes from Scripture and that has seemed too little for those who made up legends about him. We know he was a carpenter, a working man, for the skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, "Is this not the carpenter's son?" (Matthew 13:55). He wasn't rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24). Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal … [Read more...] about Reflections on St. Joseph Day

St. Patrick St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints. He was born in Roman Britain and when he was fourteen or so, he was captured by Irish pirates during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. At the time, Ireland was a land of Druids and pagans but Patrick turned to God and wrote his memoir, The Confession. In The Confession, he wrote: "The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, … [Read more...] about St Patrick’s Day 2025 Reflection

In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of Jesus’s Transfiguration. During our Lenten journey, we are called to be transformed and hear God’s voice tell us, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.”  Like those first disciples, we can become afraid but we acknowledge how good it is to be here with the Lord. Do you remember a time when someone or something changed before your eyes and even though you were afraid, you saw the beauty of that moment? Jesus’s transfiguration is a glimpse of transformation to which we are all called to experience in the resurrection. However, we are … [Read more...] about Reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Lent- March 16, 2025