God Is Love Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,             Someone recently asked me why I preach about love so much.  I was a little taken aback by the question. I thought, how could I not preach about love?  Afterall, love is a key theme of the Gospel.  English has only one word for love and it has often been sentimentalized.  But biblical love demands courage and commitment.  To love like Jesus loves remains an ongoing challenge for many, including me.  When people share ..read more

Vines and Branches Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,  On this 5th Sunday in the Easter Season, we hear the parable of the Vine and the Branches. We are all familiar with this parable of Jesus. Using the image of branches on a grape vine, Jesus reminds us that we must remain attached to Him if we want to bear lasting fruit.  The Lord tells us, “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can ..read more

So, you’re interested in getting married at Church of the Ascension? Congratulations on your engagement! To determine the next steps, please complete the following questions: Do the future bride or groom currently live within the territorial parish boundaries of Church of the Ascension? Have the future bride or the future groom been registered at Church of the Ascension for six months or more? Have the parents of the future bride or groom been registered at Church of the Ascension for six months or more? None of the above apply to us. Continue Congratulations, you qualify to have your wed ..read more

Marriage Preparation Demographic Infomation Needed Groom: Groom First Name(Required) Middle Initial(Required) Last Name(Required) Present address:(Required) How long have you lived here?(Required) Date of birth:(Required) Birth place:(Required) Religion:(Required) Present parish: Groom's Email Address:(Required) Occupation: Father's name:(Required) Father's religion:(Required) Mother's name (include maiden name):(Required) Mother's religion:(Required) Parents' address:(Required) Other parents' address (if needed): Church of baptism (if known): City/State of baptism (if known): Date of baptis ..read more

Our Relationship With Jesus Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Today we hear St. Peter say to the leaders of the people and the elders, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven”. He said, “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you”. He told His apostles, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” This past week, one of the Gospel reading in daily Mass asked the question, “W ..read more

Called To Witness Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Today’s Gospel reads, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” The Apostles were witnesses, but so are we! We, the present-day disciples of Jesus, are called to witness the joy and promise of the Resurrection to our modern world. Much of the western world is rapidly abandoning a Christian worldview and embracing a materialistic and r ..read more

Divine Mercy Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,                  Happy Easter! On this Sunday in the octave of Easter, the Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday. Our parish will have a Divine Mercy Holy Hour on Sunday April, 7th at 3pm in the church. Confessors will also be available from 2pm until the beginning of the 5pm Mass.                  St. Pope John Paul II established this feast for the whole of the Catholic Church on the o ..read more

Alleluia! He is Risen! Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,                  Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Happy Easter! He is risen! The whole Church rejoices as we celebrate the most hope-filled truth of our Christian faith. God so loved the word that he sent his only begotten Son to save us from the eternal consequence of sin. Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, through His saving sacrifice on the Cross has reconciled humanity to God. In rising from the dead, Jesus became the principle and source of our own futur ..read more

Holy Week Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,                  Today we begin the holiest week of the liturgical year; we call it “Holy Week” and its roots go back to the earliest centuries of the Church.  Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion when the Church commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.  Even to this day, Christians from around the world travel to Jerusalem to reenact, with the waving of palm branches, Christ’s jubilant procession into t ..read more

A New Covenant The Old Covenant, the covenant that God made with Moses at Mt. Sinai, involved a long list of external practices that were meant to change how people lived, to turn them from the ways of the world to God’s way.  As the “chosen people”, the Jews were supposed to give witness to the world of justice and righteousness, so that all the nations might be drawn to the God of Israel.                  St. Paul tells us that the Old Covenant Law revealed man’s sinfulness and lack of fidelity to the Lord ..read more