6th Sunday of Easter

Christ has Risen, as He said He would, Alleluia!!! “Many Catholics underestimate the power of hell and the possibility they may end up there", says pastor and author Msgr. Charles Pope. He said 21 of the 38 parables in the Gospels are about hell (often referred to as Gehenna)... “Nobody loves you and me more than Jesus, and yet nobody spoke of hell more than Jesus,” he told Raymond Arroyo on his EWTN television show The World Over on Thursday… “Jesus warns that many are on the wrong path. And we’ve got to stop and make a decision and be more urgent about this thing in our life,” he said. “And if I can say one thing about the Church today, we don’t have any sense of urgency. Everyone [assumes] ‘The deal is done; who needs to be saved? We’re already — it’s already taken care of.’ And that’s not true.” Even many daily Mass-goers reject hell, he said which he chalked up to what he called “a cultural trend where I think we’ve reduced love to mere kindness.” It’s possible for people to go to hell because people are free to choose God or to reject God, he said. “You can’t force someone to love you. And that’s why there’s a hell,” said Msgr. Pope, “It’s not about an angry God trying to keep people out of heaven, but rather a deeply loving God who is very reverential of our freedom, and He stands at the door and knocks. He doesn’t barge in.” “And we have to recover a sense that we have a decision to make, whether we really want to be with God in heaven one day — the real heaven, not a made-up one”… “But the ones I’m worried about,” he continued, “are the defiant, who shake their fist against the Church and the teachings of Scripture and say, ‘Look, I will not be told what to do. I’m going to celebrate my lifestyle, celebrate my abortion, celebrate a lifestyle that God calls an abomination,’ whatever, or celebrate greed or violence. ‘And I don’t think there’s anything wrong. I don’t need forgiveness.’” Msgr. Pope said a lack of urgency about salvation afflicts not only laypeople but is “among the clergy and bishops,” too. “We’re all distracted by minor worldly things and souls are being lost. And it’s like, ‘You need to make everybody feel nice and feel included.’ But what if they’re going to hell?” Msgr. Pope said. A second reason to emphasize what’s at stake in the spiritual battle for heaven and against hell, he said, is that without the battle for heaven, “there’s also no joy.” “If you don’t know the bad news,” he said, “the Good News is no news.” [Msgr. Charles Pope is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington and the author of a new book called The Hell There Is: An Exploration of an Often-Rejected Doctrine of the Church, published by TAN Books and available at EWTN Religious Catalogue. < https://www.ncregister.com/news/msgr-charles-pope-new-book-on-the-doctrine-of-hell >] The quoted article excerpts above may seem like a very strange topic for a Pastoral Notes in the wonderful & glorious season of Easter! We are supposed to be rejoicing in Christ’s Victory. His vanquishing of death itself. Why speak of hell now in the season of Easter? Precisely because Christ’s suffering, death & resurrection was to open up the “narrow way” that leads to heaven (Mt 7:14). His victory & resurrection makes Heaven possible. Yet, this possibility requires more than His promise. It requires our purpose & choice. It requires us choosing the narrow way in our life. We indeed rejoice in Christ’s Resurrection, but we must see in that Resurrection also the call to make needed & necessary changes & choices in our life in the present, today, Now! It is said, “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” Our journey to heaven started with Christ’s first step on the Road to Calvary. Will you take up your cross and follow Him? This is the only way that leads to heaven. Jesus is the only ‘Way, Truth & Life” (Jn 14:6). Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God. Holy Family, Living Resurrection Glory on the Path to Heaven, Pray for us. ~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries

Christ has Risen, as He said He would, Alleluia!!! Nearly every year during Lent, someone will tell me, “I don’t fast from anything during Lent. I just add something extra!” Certainly, I highly encourage the addition of an extra devotional, Holy Hour, Stations of the Cross, Rosary, daily Mass attendances during the week, etc. It is a great means to increase the time spent focusing on God amid the many distractions of the world. Of course, adding in that extra devotion during the 40-days of Lent, might lead to it becoming a holy habit in the Easter season & beyond. Typically, I’ve always thought about fasting as an essential step to the adding new. We fast to make room in our lives & then infill that space with the new holy habit. Even now in the Easter season, we can still think about Prayer + Fasting + Almsgiving. They are not set aside for another year, even while they are less of a focus in the writing & preaching of the Church now. But the real reason, I bring up the practice of adding versus fasting is because of the world around us. It is interesting how much Catholic Christians struggle with, resist, & fully ignore the importance of Fasting as a spiritual practice. There can be this sort of unspoken & unrecognized subconscious thought that “we’ve out grown those ‘medieval practices’, like Fasting.” We haven’t. The struggles against sinful flesh, while conquered by Christ’s victory upon the Cross precisely by the sacrifice of His human flesh, are still present. What is new, is His Victory has unleashed grace to make our victory possible in our personal struggles with our flesh, whether sexual, stomach, sleepiness & the like. But what I also find even more strange is that, just when we Catholic Christians seem to be fasting from Fasting, the world is promoting it. Many in the world are embracing it whole heartedly, even spreading the word of its value as if it were the Gospel Good News. In fact, just talk to someone who has recently discovered the value of “intermittent fasting” and they do their best to encourage, cajole, convince you that you should try it too! A search of the web of ‘benefits of the intermittent fasting’ will provide you a whole string of websites extolling its physical, mental, & emotional benefits. From the Mayo Clinic’s website: “Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating based on time limits. For a set time of hours or days, you eat a typical diet. At the end of the set time, you switch to very few or no calories, called fasting… The idea is that intermittent fasting causes the body's cells to change how they work. Timed eating may push cells to focus on repair, energy use, and balancing body-wide functions. Research shows that intermittent fasting may improve some signs of health in the short term. These include: blood sugar, weight, blood cholesterol, blood pressure & chronic inflammation.” Now in full disclosure, on the same Mayo Clinic webpage, they also caution that such fasting may or may not have long term benefits. There is a lack of long-term studies & data from which to draw conclusive conclusions. < mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/intermittent-fasting/faq-20441303 > We Catholics should know (& promote!?!) the value of Fasting. But not for its physical, mental & emotional benefits (although those too are good!!!), but because of its spiritual benefits. Its aid in self-mastery. Its contributions to conquering sin in our lives. Yet, rarely have I heard a lay Catholic try to encourage, cajole, or convince their non-Catholic or especially a non-Christian friend of the importance of such a practice in their lives. Why is it the secular world has no difficulty taking a perfectly sound religious practice (not just Catholic) and promoting it; yet, we faithful cannot do the same for specifically religious reasons?!? Fasting is just one such area which the Church has promoted that has since been adopted & expounded by the secular world, but stripped of its religious significance. Did you know that Natural Family Planning (the only approved method of regulating births & stewarding a couple’s fecundity) is more readily preached & promoted & implemented by the all-natural secular crowd than talked about or practiced by the Catholic Christians who did much of the work to develop the medical science behind it. Women who want organic, non-hormone infused foods, more readily adopt the non-hormonal NFP than Catholic Christian women whom God has instructed!?! Similarly, someone sent me an online article expounding the value of ‘resting one day a week’, from a completely secular perspective. Go figure?! God rested on the seventh day, but that’s not a good enough reason?!?! There are many articles touting the transformative power of daily meditation… but when Holy Mother Church reminds us its necessary to pray every day, we’re too busy. It’s interesting that the world is re-discovering the value of practices that used to be common place practice among Christians? Yet, how is it that the Christianity has nothing to offer, when the world is going the long way round just to arrive at what we already know – lives directed & shaped by Faith in Jesus Christ?!? Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God. Holy Family, Living Resurrection Glory through our daily practices, Pray for us. ~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries

Cain, James (Jim) age 84, entered his heavenly rest after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease on May 13th, 2025. The son of the late Marie and Bill Cain, Jim was born January 15th, 1941 in Louisville, Kentucky. The oldest of three children, he attended St. Helen’s grade school and graduated Flaget High class of 1959. Jim met the love of his life, Juanita, when they both attended the same kindergarten. Reconnecting in 8th grade, Jim followed her to Butler High School before transferring to Flaget. They were married the year following graduation. In the late 1960s, Jim accepted a position in Civil Service for the United States Navy on the island of Guam. Jim and Juanita packed up their young family and moved across the world, living the island life for 10 years. Jim felt called to serve and joined the Naval Reserves, then active duty aboard the U.S.S. Iowa. A true patriot, Jim was immensely proud of his years of service. He returned to work in Civil Service, retiring from Naval Ordinance in 1993 to pursue his dream. Jim developed an early love of all things automotive and enjoyed working with his hands. When the opportunity presented itself, Jim purchased an old lumber yard on Dixie Highway and converted it into “Antique Car Company”. Jim spent countless hours restoring and repairing old cars, especially Studebakers. In his later years, he found great comfort in his time spent with his Saturday shop crew; Alan, Steve, Kenny and Ronnie. Jim had a love for his cigars, Milwaukee’s Best, and bourbon. He was proud to be a South Louisville resident, active in Shively Area Ministries and in his parish. Jim was proud of many things, but nothing brought him more joy than his family. He is preceded in death by his parents, brother Dickie, son Danny, and grandsons Mikey and Jacob. He is survived by so many who love him, including his wife of 65 years Juanita, children Willy (Leilani) and Melissa (Jeff), grandchildren and great grandchildren: Shaun (April), Kyle (Maria), James (Ashley), Daniel, Sara (Ryan), Erin (Kevin), Amanda (Scott), Jonathan, Kevin, Mikey and Joey(Maria), Luana, Jacob, Lanea, Lilli, Gracelyn, Brennan, Bradley, Sawyer, Jackson, Emma, Madison, Abigail, Sedona, Lanie, Henry, James, Marc, Joelle, Teddi, Finley and Scarlett. 

If you or someone you know has experienced the loss of a child, we invite you to join us for a Memorial Mass for the Loss of a Child on Thursday, May 15 at 6:00 PM at Holy Family Catholic Church. This Mass is offered for parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends who mourn the loss of a child through: Miscarriage or stillbirth Early infant death Abortion Illness, accident, or suicide Any reason or circumstance No matter how long ago the loss occurred, you are not alone . We gather in prayer to remember, to grieve, and to lift our hearts to the healing love of Christ.  All are welcome to this sacred and compassionate time of remembrance and hope.

You're invited to a special outdoor celebration of the Eucharist at our annual Mass on the Grass on Wednesday, May 21 at 8:30 AM . This joyful Mass will be celebrated on the Holy Family soccer field , followed by our student Field Day festivities. Bring your lawn chair or blanket , and join our school and parish community in giving thanks to God under the open sky. All are welcome—come be part of this beloved end-of-year tradition!

Get your team together for the 5th Annual Holy Family School Golf Scramble on Monday, July 28, 2025 at Champions Pointe Golf Club ! This fun-filled day supports our 8th grade students’ Washington, D.C. trip and includes: 🕐 12:15 PM – Registration ⛳ 1:00 PM – Shotgun Start 🍽️ 5:00 PM – Dinner & Awards Enjoy 18 holes of golf , lunch , dinner , contests, prizes, and fellowship — all while helping create lasting memories for our students. 🌧️ If weather cancels the event, a free round voucher will be provided. 💼 Sponsorship opportunities are available! Let’s tee off for a great cause!

Join us on Friday, May 9 at 8:00 AM for a beautiful tradition in the Catholic Church: our May Crowning Mass at Holy Family. Each year, we honor Mary, our Blessed Mother , as Queen of Heaven and Earth, entrusting ourselves and our school community to her loving intercession. Our students will help lead this special liturgy, offering flowers and prayers in her honor. This joyful celebration is a reminder of Mary’s faithful "yes" to God and a call for each of us to imitate her trust and love. All are welcome to attend this special moment in our parish and school life. Come, pray with us, and celebrate the gift of our spiritual Mother.

Christ has Risen, as He said He would, Alleluia!!! 

Christ has Risen, as He said He would, Alleluia!!! The theological experience of Divine Mercy was at the core of Jesus’ Passion, Death, & Resurrection. Yet, in more recent years, Christ’s Message of Mercy has in a particular way been conveyed through the mystical visitations of our Lord to St Faustina Kowalska recorded in her Diary. Below are some excerpts worth praying with collated by Sara & Justin Kraft . “Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.” (No. 301) “Have fear of nothing; I am always with you” (No. 431) “The Lord said to me, ‘The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.’” (No. 1397) “Jesus: ‘My child, life on earth is a struggle indeed; a great struggle for my kingdom. But fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing. Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of life – for yourself, but also for other souls, especially such as are distrustful of My goodness.’” (No. 1488) “All grace flows from mercy, and the last hour abounds with mercy for us. Let no one doubt concerning the goodness of God; even if a person’s sins were as dark as night, God’s mercy is stronger than our misery. One thing alone is necessary; that the sinner set ajar the door of his heart, be it ever so little, to let in a ray of God’s merciful grace, and then God will do the rest.” (No. 1507) “Today the Lord said to me, ‘Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.’” (No. 1602) “Oh how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils believe in My Justice, but do not glorify My Goodness. My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.'” (No. 300) “I realize more and more how much every soul needs God’s mercy throughout life and particularly at the hour of death. This chaplet [of Divine Mercy] mitigates God’s anger, as He Himself told me.” (No. 1036) “Then I heard the words, ‘I am glad you behaved like My true [child]. Be always merciful as I am merciful. Love everyone out of love for Me, even your greatest enemies, so that My mercy may be fully reflected in your heart.’” (No. 1695) “When once I asked the Lord Jesus how He could tolerate so many sins and crimes and not punish them, the Lord answered me, ‘I have an eternity for punishing [these], and so I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]. But woe to them if they do not recognize the time of My visitation.’” (No. 1160) This Sunday, April 27, the entire New Albany Deanery will have a joint Divine Mercy Service . There will be several priests hearing confessions (including me) starting at 2p. At 3p there will be a Holy Hour with recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. This will fulfill the plenary indulgence requirements. Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God. Holy Family, Living Resurrection Mercy, Pray for us. ~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries