2nd Sunday Ordinary Time

Carolyn Kannapel • January 14, 2026

Pastor’s Notes for 18 January 2026 – 2nd Sunday Ordinary Time

         Further selection from St Francis de Sales classic, An Introduction to the Devout Life. I would share some excerpts of his sage advice. Perhaps, it will be of help to you.


Part IV – Chapter XIV: Of Dryness and Spiritual Barrenness

         So much for what is to be done in times of spiritual consolations. But these bright days will not last forever, and sometimes you will be so devoid of all devout feelings, that it will seem to you that your soul is a desert land, fruitless, sterile, wherein you can find no path leading to God, no drop of the waters of Grace to soften the dryness which threatens to choke it entirely. Verily, at such a time the soul is greatly to be pitied, above all, when this trouble presses heavily, for then, like David, its meat are tears day and night, while the Enemy strives to drive it to despair, crying out, “Where is now your God? How do you think to find Him, or how will you ever find again the joy of His Holy Grace?” What will you do then, my child? Look well whence the trial comes, for we are often ourselves the cause of our own dryness and barrenness. 

       1. Humble yourself profoundly before God, acknowledging your nothingness and misery. Alas, what am I when left to myself! no better, Lord, than a parched ground, whose cracks and crevices on every side testify its need of the gracious rain of Heaven, while, nevertheless, the world’s blasts wither it more and more to dust.

       2. Call upon God, and ask for His Gladness. “O give me the comfort of Thy help again! My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” “Depart, O ye unfruitful wind, which parched up my soul, and come, O gracious south wind, blow upon my garden.” Such loving desires will fill you with the perfume of holiness.

       3. Go to your confessor, open your heart thoroughly, let him see every corner of your soul, and take all his advice with the utmost simplicity and humility, for God loves obedience, and He often makes the counsel we take, especially that of the guides of souls, to be more useful than would seem likely; just as He caused the waters of Jordan, commended by Elijah to Naaman, to cure his leprosy in spite of the improbability to human reason.

       4. But, after all, nothing is so useful, so fruitful amid this dryness and barrenness, as not to yield to a passionate desire of being delivered from it. I do not say that one may not desire to be set free, but only that one ought not to desire it over-eagerly, but to leave all to the sole Mercy of God’s special Providence, in order that, so long as He pleases, He may keep us amid these thorns and longings. Let us say to God at such seasons, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me;”—but let us add heartily, “Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done,” (Lk 22:42) and there let us abide as trustingly as we are able. When God sees us to be filled with such pious indifference, He will comfort us with His grace and favor, as when He beheld Abraham ready to offer up his son Isaac, and comforted him with His blessing. In every sort of affliction, then, whether bodily or spiritual, in every manner of distraction or loss of sensible devotion, let us say with our whole heart, and in the deepest submission, “The Lord gave me all my blessings, the Lord takes them away, blessed be the Name of the Lord.” If we persevere in this humility, He will restore to us His mercies as he did to Job.

       5. And lastly, my daughter, amid all our dryness let us never grow discouraged, but go steadily on, patiently waiting the return of better things; let us never be misled to give up any devout practices because of it, but rather if possible, let us increase our good works, and if we cannot offer liquid preserves to our Bridegroom, let us at least offer Him dried fruit—it is all one to Him, so long as the heart we offer be fully resolved to love Him….

  https://www.catholicspiritualdirection.org/devoutlife.pdf



Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God.

Holy Family, persevering in Spiritual Dryness, Pray for us.

~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries

Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Carolyn Kannapel • August 26, 2026
Pastor’s Notes for 30 August 2026 – Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

Parishioner Mary Lopp Passes Away

By Carolyn Kannapel • August 24, 2026
Mary Ann Lopp, who was born on the 11th of May, 1937 in Corydon, Indiana, gently passed away on August 22, 2026 at Harrison Healthcare, with her family by her side. She worked for several years as a cafeteria worker for South Harrison Community School Corporation at South Central School. She was a lifelong and dedicated member of St. Peter’s Buena Vista Catholic Church and, later in life, attended Holy Family Catholic Church. She enjoyed tending to her garden, traveling, and going dancing at the Wagon Wheel. Above all, she adored her family and treasured the time she spent with them. She was rarely without her camera, always ready to capture the special moments and memories she shared with those she loved. Visitation will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2026, from 9:30 AM until 11:30 AM at Gehlbach & Royse Funeral Home (318 East Chestnut Street, Corydon, Indiana, 47112). A Mass of Christian Burial will follow, starting at 1:00 PM at Holy Family Catholic Church (129 West Daisy Lane, New Albany, Indiana, 47150).

Parishioner Janet Krininger Passes Away

By Carolyn Kannapel • August 21, 2026
Janet Therese (Dallmann) "Noni" Krininger passed on August 18, 2026, at the age of 91. She was born September 2, 1934, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the late Arthur and Rose Schelp Dallmann. She was in the graduating class of 1952 of the old Holy Rosary High School in Louisville with classmates still meeting monthly. Janet was a longtime resident of New Albany, a member of Holy Family Catholic Church.  Visitation will be held at Kraft Funeral Service, 2776 Charlestown Rd, New Albany, Indiana 47150, on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at Holy Family Catholic Church, 129 W Daisy Ln, New Albany, Indiana 47150, on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at 11:00 am. Final resting place will be at Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery in New Albany.

Parishioner John "Lester" Clemons Passes Away

By Carolyn Kannapel • August 21, 2026
John “Lester” Clemons, 90, passed away on Tuesday, August 18th, 2026. John found joy in the simple things in life. He enjoyed fishing, playing cards, gardening, antiques, and collectibles. He would never miss a good yard sale and was also an avid Kentucky Wildcat fan. Above all, he cherished the time he spent with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:30 a.m., on Tuesday, August 25th, at Holy Family Catholic Church- New Albany, 129 W Daisy Lane, New Albany, IN 47150 with burial to follow in Louisville Memorial Gardens West Cemetery. His visitation will be from 2- 7 p.m. on Monday, August 24th, Ratterman Southwest, 4832 Cane Run Rd., Louisville, KY, 40216. There will also be a viewing from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday before procession to Holy Family Catholic Church.

We Are Hiring!! - Director of Campus & Youth Ministry

By Carolyn Kannapel • August 20, 2026
Director of Campus & Youth Ministry

Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Carolyn Kannapel • August 19, 2026
Pastor’s Notes for 23 August 2026 – Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time

Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Carolyn Kannapel • August 12, 2026
Pastor’s Notes for 16 August 2026 – Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Magdalenes Fall 2026 Registration

By Carolyn Kannapel • August 10, 2026

18th Sunday In Ordinary Time- Letter from Abbi Harbeson, DMO

By Carolyn Kannapel • July 29, 2026
How Do You Share the Gospel? This weekend, the Holy Family Evangelization Team hosted an Evangelization Crash Course for the leaders of the ministries of our parish. This morning of training and learning was an awesome opportunity to remind our leaders of the Gospel mandate: “Go and make disciples of all nations…” And that mandate is not just for those who lead or volunteer for our ministries here at Holy Family. The Great Commission applies to each of us. As baptized Christians, we have taken on the role of sharing the Gospel with the world, just as Jesus commanded His disciples in Matthew 28 before He ascended into Heaven. For many of us, that command is overwhelming. Our minds may jump to the fear of what it means to share the Gospel with another. Perhaps we think that we must memorize Scripture or understand the Catechism and all of the Church’s teachings before we can evangelize. Allow me to remind you that is not the case. While we must immerse ourselves in Scripture and Tradition, these are meant to aid us in our discipleship, not to be prerequisites for it. The simplest way to evangelize? Live! The Catechism of the Catholic Church sheds light on this reality: “Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, ‘that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life .’ For lay people, ‘this evangelization…assumes a specific character and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world’” (CCC 905.) The Church herself tells us that while the mandate to share the Gospel is an incredible and necessary responsibility, its efficacy is dependent on the ordinary. This makes the task much less daunting! How do you live the “ordinary”? How do your day-to-day activities and responsibilities represent the Gospel? How can you make the Gospel more present in your daily life? This week I hope you will think of each moment–your drive to work, your grocery store run, your office, your coffee date with a friend, dinner with your family–as an opportunity to share the Gospel. No quotations of Scripture or a lesson on morality needed. Instead, LIVE the Gospel. Mother Mary, the first evangelist, pray for us. In His Joy, Abbi Harbeson, Director of Mission and Outreach

Parishioner Joseph Marguet Passes Away

By Carolyn Kannapel • July 29, 2026
Joseph Isadore Marguet, 94, passed away peacefully on July 2, 2026, at The Villages at Silvercrest in New Albany, Indiana . Born February of 1932, in New Albany, Indiana , Joe was the eldest child of Joseph and Esther Marguet, followed by his beloved siblings, Frank ("Frankie") Marguet and Miriam (Mimi) Paris. New Albany was home for most of his life and remained the community he loved deeply. Please join us at 11 a.m. on August 8, 2026, to celebrate Joe's long and full life with a Catholic mass at Holy Family Church, 129 W Daisy Ln, New Albany, IN 47150. Doors open at 10 a.m.