Dear parishioners & visitors,

I am pleased to announce that Brother Augustine Buckner, who is a seminarian studying at the Dominican House of Studies, is assigned to us for his pastoral assignment for the next two years. During his first year with us, he will help with liturgies and offer catechetical opportunities for adults in the parish. He will be ordained a Transitional Deacon in February 2027, so then he will help us in his Diaconate role at that point. He helped at last Sunday’s 9 am Mass and afterward commented to me about our beautiful liturgy and how “joyful” he found the people of Saint Peter’s to be. Please welcome him when you see him.

Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” Today’s Gospel is telling us that as believers of God, we are all in this together. Jesus says to his disciples, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you… If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.” Jesus is not telling us to judge another person but is telling us that it is our obligation to help lead another person that has gone astray back in line with following the Lord. In seminary, we called this fraternal correction. When we saw a brother doing something not in line with the “Rules of Life” of the seminary, we approached them out of love to lead our brother back to where the Lord wants him to be. This is what each of us here is called to do – to lovingly help each other follow the way of the Lord. Let us ask our Lord to guide each of us in how we are meant to help others, and to ask for help we need to for ourselves. We do this so that we can be the true faithful disciples God is calling each of us to be.

Yours in Christ,

Father Dan