Diocese of Belleville Bishop Michael McGovern greets parishioners as they exit the church following the 200th Anniversary Mass and celebration at St. Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Church on Oct. 19 in Hecker (Tim Vizer photo). We’re part of a story That’s over a century old, A tale of Catholic settlers […]
Fr. Pat McDevitt couldn’t say no to Bishop Michael McGovern or the Diocese of Belleville. A Vincentian priest for 38 years, Fr. Pat recently concluded a four-year term as provincial superior of the Congregation of the Mission Western Province. The Chicago native, who already was living in St. Louis, didn’t […]
Bishop Michael McGovern talks with attendees at the Blessing of the Harvest on Sept. 24 at Four Beck Dairy (David Wilhelm photo). Clouds yielded to sunshine just in time for the start of the annual Blessing of the Harvest, held Sept. 24 at Four Beck Dairy in Bartelso. Rain from […]
Some of the more than 500 people who celebrated the 150th anniversary Mass on Sept. 29 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Radom (David Wilhelm photo). The 150th anniversary at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Radom stirred up memories and stories for one of the parish’s […]
When I was a child, we generally “asked Santa” for a pony. The closest we ever came was a burro named Rosita, but since we had no transportation for the four-legged girl then living in St. Louis, my father breathed a sigh of relief and said he was sorry we just couldn’t get her to Illinois.
The Fourth Sunday of Advent, we experience the first of two “Birth Stories” in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, on the feast of the birth of the Messiah and Lord, (titles bestowed on him by the angel of the shepherds), we experience a very different story of the birth of Jesus.
Characteristic of Matthew’s Gospel is a two-pronged approach. What led him in that direction? To call his Gospel a compromise document is not off the wall. A valid hypothesis is this: Matthew writes for the Christian Community of Antioch in Syria about 85 A.D.
