Pastor’s Corner — August 17th, 2025
Thank You From Deacon Peter
Dear St. Pat’s Family,
Thank you for all of your prayers for Xavier, my family, and myself. My family and I are so grateful for the spiritual bouquet and all the other prayers that you have offered for us. We have been blown away by the support that has come our way. It truly has been a time of the Cross: a time of suffering and evil but also of tremendous grace and glory. God’s Presence to us in prayer and the support of the Body of Christ have been sustaining us during this time of grief. Please continue to pray for us, since we continue to walk the journey of grief with the Lord and still need the prayers of the Body of Christ.
The Most Beautiful Church in the County? You Bet!
I’m sure that many of you have seen this but according to readers of Livingston Daily, St Patrick’s has been voted the most beautiful Church in Livingston County. I’m not sure how these votes are tabulated, but I’m grateful for the good press of the beautiful sanctuary we have here. God be praised!
What would interest me more is a headline like this: “St Pat’s, Brighton: The Church in Livingston County Most Alive with the Love of God.” Even though there is really no competition among us churches, being known as the “most alive with the love of God” would be a more compelling witness of our parish in Livingston County than having the most beautiful Church.
Triumph of the Heart: A Special Film Screening in Brighton
A powerful film about St. Maximilian Kolbe, Triumph of the Heart, (Directed by one of the men who created our parish branding) will be shown in Brighton the weekend of September 12.
Set in the harrowing confines of Auschwitz, the film tells the true story of Catholic priest St. Maximilian Kolbe, who volunteers to die in place of another prisoner. As ten men face death in a starvation cell, tensions rise from fear, ideological divides, and despair. Yet Kolbe’s unwavering faith and appeal to their shared humanity and Polish identity forge a profound brotherhood—culminating in a selfless act of sacrifice that shines as a beacon of hope in one of history’s darkest chapters.
Tickets must be funded in advance before the theater can be officially booked. Visit www.triumphoftheheart.com to learn more and to search for local showings in the Brighton area. If you have any questions, email Grace Hass at graceahass@gmail.com
Trail Life USA: Open House September 14th
A couple years ago, through the leadership of parishioner Heather Thompson, we decided to charter a troop of American Heritage Girls (AHG) that meets at Holy Spirit Parish on Mondays. According to their website, AHG is a “Christ-centered character and leadership development program for girls 5 to 18 years of age. AHG is dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community, and country.” From what I understand our St Pat’s troop is thriving. For more information on our American Heritage Girls troop email parishioner Ali Dorchak at ali.e.dorchak@gmail.com
Through leadership of parishioner Jeremy Kelly, we have decided to charter a troop for boys called Trail Life USA: Here is some information about it from its website:
“Today 63% of dads feel they don’t get enough time with their kids, and a mere 39% believe they are doing an excellent job raising them. Boys in particular are struggling. The blurring of gender lines, the cultural labeling of masculinity as “toxic”, and the watering down or extinction of programs that train and equip boys to become men have left boys fearful and floundering as they seek to define what it means to be a man. A recent survey shows only 36% of parents believe churches are serving their sons well.” (Trail Life Website)
“Trail Life USA is a Church-Based, Christ-Centered, Boy-Focused mentoring and discipleship journey that speaks to the heart of a boy. Established on timeless values derived from the Bible and set in the context of outdoor adventure, boys from age 5 to 17 are engaged in a Troop setting by male mentors where they are challenged to grow in character, understand their purpose, serve their community, and develop practical leadership skills to carry out the mission for which they were created.” (Trail Life Website)
I also found this intro video of Trail Life quite compelling.
In my opinion, Trail Life and American Heritage Girls are the great alternatives to Scouts of America (formerly Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts) that we want to actually partner with. What makes this even more compelling for me as a Pastor is the existence of Troops Fully Alive, which is the national association of Catholic troops of Trail Life USA.
I’m happy to announce Our Trail Life Open House on September 14th at 6:30pm at Holy Spirit Church in Hamburg. For more information on Trail Life, please contact Jeremy Kelly at jeremy1758@gmail.com.
Parish Raffle Tickets and Save the Date
This week we are mailing out the tickets for our parish Shamrock Raffle, which will be drawn on our Oktoberfest Parish Festival on October 5th.
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias