Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Carolyn Kannapel • July 1, 2026

Pastor’s Notes for 05 July 2026 – Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

250th Anniversary

    First Amendment to the US Constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.


   Many things make the USA an amazing country, even granting the presence of our sometimes-flawed leaders and citizenry. And I would say the first freedom of the First Amendment is among those truly great things. A federal democracy that recognizes the religious liberty of all its peoples, allows our country the prospect of authentic human liberation before God, and therefore before all mankind. We should be slow to take this natural & innate freedom for granted. It is a truly tenuous one. One not so freely shared, established, or exercised in large parts of the world. Is, and has, this freedom been misused? Certainly! Any true power & gift can be misused. But better to possess and experience its occasional misuse, than to never possess at all. Why else would our Creator God have placed that tree of knowledge of good & evil in the Garden of Eden. Truth, Goodness, Love all require freedom. Let us pray that a great number of our citizenry can come to practice publicly their innate religious freedom through worship of the One True God.


     In a 1789 Letter to the Quakers, George Washington wrote: “The liberty enjoyed by the people of these States, of worshipping Almighty God agreeably to their conscience, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights. While men perform their social duties faithfully, they do all that society or the state can with propriety demand or expect; and remain responsible to their Maker for the religion or modes of faith which they may prefer or express.” [https://www.gwirf.org/washingtons-words-and-actions]

+

     On 11 June 2026, as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. bishops consecrated the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Here is a prayer to do so with your family & neighbors, as we celebrate the Fourth!


Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart

      O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.

      I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee. I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants. Amen.          ~ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

[From the book Devotion To The Sacred Heart by Fr. John Croiset, SJ]

[https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/act-of-consecration-to-the-sacred-heart-12727]


Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God.

Holy Family, who worshiped God, Pray for us.

~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries

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.

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Carolyn Kannapel • July 22, 2026
PASTOR’S NOTES for 26 July 2026 – Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Carolyn Kannapel • July 15, 2026
Pastor’s Notes for 19 July 2026 – Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Tuesday Apologetics

By Carolyn Kannapel • July 14, 2026
As Catholics, we often get asked questions about why we believe what we believe. People are searching for the truth, and sometimes this comes out as an argumentative question. As Catholic Christians, it is important that we know our faith, not only so we can defend it but also so that we can put it into practice in our daily lives. Join us on the second Tuesday of each month after Mass for Apologetics in the Cafeteria. We will dive into a “common questions” topic, looking at Scripture and the Catechism. Join us for our first Apologetics Session on Tuesday, August 11, from 6:45 to 7:45 pm in the Cafeteria . Our topic is the Three A's: Which one's which? (the Annunciation, the Ascension, and the Assumption). No RSVP is required . Contact Kristina Seipel at the parish office or kseipel@holyfamilynewalbany.org with questions. August 11 - Three A's: Which one's which? (the Annunciation, the Ascension, and the Assumption)- presented by Ryan Albers September 8 - LGBTQIA+: What the Church Teaches - presented by Fr. Jeremy October 13 - The Lord's Messengers: The Role of Angels - presented by Julie Benning November - "Have You Been Saved?": A Catholic Response - presented by Abbi Harbeson No need to sign up; join us for the presentation and discussion!

Grow Your Appreciation of the Mass

By Carolyn Kannapel • July 14, 2026
Grow Your Appreciation of the Mass Have you ever wanted a deeper understanding of the Mass? Why do we do what we do at the Mass? Join us for a six-session exploration of the Liturgy with Bishop Robert Barron. Together we will uncover why we pray and act as we do at Mass, how the liturgy lifts us from the brokenness of the world into the worship of Heaven, and how God’s call meets our response in every moment of the celebration. Together, we will also gain a clearer understanding of the Eucharist as our intimate union with the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. This series will equip you to participate more fully, consciously, and actively in the “source and summit” of the Christian life Join us on Wednesday nights, 6:30-7:30 p.m. from August 19 through September 23, 2026 , in the Day Activity Center to fall more in love with The Mass. Sign up online by August 9 . Please complete one registration per person. There is no fee. Contact Kristina Seipel with questions at kseipel@holyfamilynewalbany.org or 812-944-8283, ext. 4.

Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Carolyn Kannapel • July 8, 2026
Pastor’s Notes for 12 July 2026 – Fift teenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Carolyn Kannapel • June 16, 2026
Pastor’s Notes for 28 June 2026 – Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time