May 27, 2026

By Father William Muench
NCC columnist

The last few months of our Church experience, for us, Catholics, has been celebrating the most important time in our Church year. Ash Wednesday began the several weeks of Lent. Then we celebrated Holy Week – remembering the Lord’s Passion and Death. Then Easter arrived, and we celebrated the Lord’s Resurrection. The weeks of the Easter Season brought us to the Pentecost – the coming of the Holy Spirit. We remembered those first apostles preparing to form our Catholic Church. They reached out to all who would listen to join in the Christian community. This Catholic Church lasts until our time, now.

The Catholic Church is about all of us, people. We believe that God called our Church into existence, sending Jesus to us. After the Pentecost his apostles became true missionaries, proclaiming the Gospel message of Jesus. Men and women embraced God’s gift of faith and through baptism became members of this Christian community, members of the Church. This is our story still today.

Now, I know that we use the word, “Church” about buildings. You are aware of many Catholic Church buildings. There, the faithful gather for the sacraments, especially for the Eucharist.

However, when we think about our Catholic Church, we are referring to the people, the members of the Church, the People of God. Our Catholic Church is about the “living stones,” the lay men and women, spiritually guided by our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, the bishops, the priests and deacons, as well as the many religious sisters throughout the world. This Catholic Church of ours is divided into diocese throughout the world; there are now 2,900 Catholic diocese throughout the world. Each diocese is spiritually led and guided by a bishop. Our bishop in the Diocese of Ogdensburg is Bishop Terry LaValley. He has been our bishop since 2010. As members of his diocese, we pray for him each day.

All Catholic dioceses are divided into parishes. Each parish is the place where Catholic families and individuals live out their Catholic life – praying, working together, helping each other – following the leadership of their pastor. The life of a parish involves worshipping together and developing programs to draw all closer in their relationship with God.

Parishioners today join together as a family, living life as a Catholic family led by various parish groups and councils and the pastor. However, each parishioner must become a part and involved in the life of the parish, participating as fully as they are able. As a parish we, parishioners, join at Mass and pray with our needs and petitions, but we also pray for each other and help each other and each family as well as we can.

Each time we pray, each time we participate at Mass, in gratitude we should remember and celebrate those first disciples of Jesus who formed our Church in the power of the Holy Spirit -and truly continue to bring us to new life in that Holy Spirit. May God the Father, and the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit enrich each parish in our diocese.

Thank you, Lord. Make my parish filled with your love and peace and help me to find my way to become a saint with you.