November 9, 2025: The Sacrament of Salvation
Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes,
We remember and honor our veterans this week, who demonstrate love in a particularly poignant and powerful way. Those who sacrifice to serve their country follow Jesus’ exhortation to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. This gives us a timely opportunity to meditate on the reality that we exist in a field of battle between good and evil, and the Christian life is a life of spiritual soldiering and warfare (Cf. Job 7:1 and Ephesians 6).
I want to share a couple of practical points of information: Fr. Haft is away on a pilgrimage in Rome. So if you notice he’s missing, that’s why. And in answer to questions about Mass intentions, you can find all the relevant answers elsewhere in this bulletin or by contacting Alicia. Don’t forget that our daily Mass schedule has changed!
This weekend we celebrate the feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica. This celebration, held every year on November 9, trumps the celebration of the Sunday, when November 9 falls on a Sunday.
The Scripture readings for today’s feast encourage us to reflect upon the nature and purpose of the Church building. When we understand the cosmic and heavenly value of the church building, we can hold onto and appreciate what is truly valuable, rather than being rigidly attached to a particular brick and mortar structure or a particular clique of people. The church building symbolizes and embodies Heaven, and its value is not its particular situation and particular history, but the universal value of the salvation that it offers and embodies. The Catholic Church is the sacrament of salvation, and the church building is a consecrated symbol of that salvation. When we understand the importance of salvation, we can be free from rigid parochialism that clings to “my church” or “my people.” Every Catholic church building embodies the Gospel’s offer of salvation and is a sanctuary set aside for prayer, and all Catholics are citizens and children of Heaven. Catholics are the living stones of the new and eternal Jerusalem.
In our world today, which is far too hectic and anxious and busy, we need to follow Jesus’ exhortation to make the church building a real place of true prayer. True rest and true leisure ultimately flow from true worship. When we prioritize true prayer to the Father, we create a context in which all His children are authentically welcome and can find peace. There is an intrinsic connection between sacrifice, sacredness, and hospitality.
The Beacons of Light pastoral planning process invites us to re-examine our relationship with church buildings, so that we can learn to view them as places of sacredness, prayer, and sacrifice. This will foster true unity, authentic hospitality, and real peace. It is not an accident that communities which do not prioritize sacredness and sacrifice do not remain vibrant and hospitable, and eventually cease to flourish. These communities usually become self-referential enclaves of like-minded individuals who no longer radiate hope and gradually shrink in numbers. When we cultivate a sense of the sacred, we can reinvigorate our hospitality, which will lead to vibrancy, growth, and radiant hope.
This week I met with leaders from the Archdiocese Center for Parish Vitality, to help clarify our current situation in light of Beacons and to discern our next steps. Our family of parishes is currently solidifying and finalizing Phase 1, and simultaneously beginning Phase 4, because we realize an urgent demand to address the needs of the future, given our current financial conditions. We will be working closely with the Archdiocese to discern our Family’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (also known as a SWOT analysis). The first step will be to engage and empower the Family Pastoral Council, and to structure sub-committees at the Family level in a more effective way. This will efficiently facilitate a synodal discernment process at the family level. While it’s not ideal that we begin Phase 4 as we finish Phase 1, this is the reality in which we find ourselves. We can incorporate Phases 2 and 3 (Vision and Culture, respectively) concurrently with our planning for the future. For more information, stay tuned for the annual report which we will publish at the end of November.
May Mary, our Mother and Mother of the Church, be an icon of the true Church and the Heavenly Jerusalem for us. May we devote ourselves to her, consecrate ourselves to her Son, and experience her maternal and providential care.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Henry Hoffmann
