The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Carolyn Kannapel • September 11, 2025

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The teaching of the Church regarding Immigration is categorized under the explanation of the 4th Commandment to honor & obey your mother & father. It is under this commandment that our duties & responsibilities towards society are also expounded. Society is not specifically family, but it has many parallels. And made in the image & likeness of God, all humanity is part of God’s family. As such, we are taught & challenged to engage with immigrants as part of our “extended” family. And if they are Baptized, then they are spiritually our sisters & brothers in the Family of God.


From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:            <https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P7S.HTM>


2212 The fourth commandment illuminates other relationships in society. In our brothers and sisters, we see the children of our parents; in our cousins, the descendants of our ancestors; in our fellow citizens, the children of our country; in the baptized, the children of our mother the Church; in every human person, a son or daughter of the One who wants to be called "our Father." In this way our relationships with our neighbors are recognized as personal in character. the neighbor is not a "unit" in the human collective; he is "someone" who by his known origins deserves particular attention and respect.


2236 The exercise of authority is meant to give outward expression to a just hierarchy of values in order to facilitate the exercise of freedom and responsibility by all. Those in authority should practice distributive justice wisely, taking account of the needs and contribution of each, with a view to harmony and peace. They should take care that the regulations and measures they adopt are not a source of temptation by setting personal interest against that of the community.


2237 Political authorities are obliged to respect the fundamental rights of the human person. They will dispense justice humanely by respecting the rights of everyone, especially of families and the disadvantaged. The political rights attached to citizenship can and should be granted according to the requirements of the common good. They cannot be suspended by public authorities without legitimate and proportionate reasons. Political rights are meant to be exercised for the common good of the nation and the human community.


2239 It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. the love and service of one's country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity. Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community.


2240 Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one's country:

  • Pay to all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
  • [Christians] reside in their own nations, but as resident aliens. They participate in all things as citizens and endure all things as foreigners.... They obey the established laws and their way of life surpasses the laws.... So noble is the position to which God has assigned them that they are not allowed to desert it.
  • The Apostle [Paul] exhorts us to offer prayers and thanksgiving for kings and all who exercise authority, "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way."


When we think about the political issue of Immigrant, we are challenged to remember that we, Christians, are instructed by St Peter & St Paul to always consider ourselves just temporary residents (I Pt 2:13 & Heb 11:13) – to use the Catechism’s language “Resident Aliens” – even in our own native country. For while we should love our native land, it is not our final destination. We are citizens of Heaven! (Phil 3:20) And this place, whether were or others were born here, are just passing through. We should be productive & responsible in that journey, yes! Yet, we must also extend welcome, companionship, & compassion towards those who also find themselves journeying through alongside us. Such a notion, might shift our understanding of responses to the political issues of immigration.


Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God.

Holy Family, Laborers in Love, Pray for us.

~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries

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.

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By Carolyn Kannapel • August 20, 2026
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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.

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

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