Pastor’s Corner — May 10th, 2026
Rickett Road Closure for Railroad Repair: Starting May 11 for 7 days
We got word from Brighton City Council that CSX Rail Company needs to repair the railroad at Rickett Rd by the parish. The road should be closed around 7 days, but it could be longer. Please plan for extra time to travel an alternate route during this time.
Worshiping God at Mass and New Resource
I received some good feedback on last Sunday’s homily on how to offer pleasing worship to God. Given the topic, I personally think it was one of the more important homilies I’ve given at St Pat’s. While this was not the first time we’ve preached on this topic, I think this topic resonated because it helped people understand why understanding our role in actively worshiping God at Mass is related to our whole life. In fact, it’s not hard to see how a creeping disconnect between our ordinary life and our worship of God at Mass happens when we don’t understand what it means to offer our lives at Mass itself. And this disconnect is harmful to our souls and to our Christian witness.
I’ve always valued the hunger of parishioners who on their own time read books and listen to podcasts about their faith. If you want to understand more deeply the various aspects of the Mass so you can pray the Mass well and receive more grace from God, I heartily recommend a new podcast called Mass in a Month with Dr Ed Sri. It’s 30 days of short talks on various parts of the Mass, with biblical and spiritual commentary. Dr Sri is an excellent author and speaker, and years ago I read his book Biblical Walk Through the Mass: Understanding What We Say or Do in the Mass, which was excellent.
The Podcast looks really good and I recommend it to those who want to more actively offer pleasing worship to God and open their hearts to God’s grace in the Holy Mass. Here is a good article on this new podcast that I recommend.
Welcome Seminarian Jonathan Galvas!
I’m happy to announce that we have received a seminarian intern for the summer. Please note that this is not a year-long deacon internship that Fr Kevin, Fr Joshua, Fr Josh, and (Fr) Peter did. He’s just doing a summer internship like Fr Riley did as he’ll be ordained a deacon in 2027. He starts on Friday May 8th and he’ll be with us until mid-August. I’ll let him introduce himself below:
Hello, St. Pat’s! I’m Jonathan Galvas, a third-year theologian at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. I was born and raised in Flint and my home parish is Holy Rosary. I have one older sister, Linsdey, who is married with two boys, Henrick, going on 14, and Everett, who recently turned 12. I’m a proud uncle who loves cheering on my nephews at their baseball and wrestling tournaments. As a Northwood University Business graduate, my professional background spans roles at General Motors and small business start-ups, followed by ten years in sales leadership at Yelp. My previous career has taken me to New York for seven years, Dublin for two years, and most recently, Chicago for three. However, my most memorable “office” was a boat—I spent a college summer working as a commercial fisherman in Alaska. Any guesses as to how big the largest king Salmon was?
In my free time, I enjoy playing basketball, cycling, volunteering with Catholic Charities, and following Detroit sports. Most recently, I’ve even taken up hunting for morel mushrooms! As a cradle Catholic, I began deepening my faith in 2020 after receiving extraordinary graces on Divine Mercy Sunday. From there, Our Lady took me by the hand and led me to a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in 2021 where I received the call to priesthood. I love learning about and living the richness of our Catholic faith.
God willing, I will be ordained to the Diaconate next summer and to the priesthood in June 2028. I’m looking forward to spending my summer internship with you here in Brighton. Your parish has a distinguished reputation across the diocese for its faith and community, and I am incredibly grateful to be a part of it. I look forward to meeting you all personally in the coming weeks.
Feast of St Dymphna May 15th
People may or may not know that St. Dymphna is the patron of people suffering from mental and neurological disorders and illnesses, and mental health professionals. According to legend, she was a 7th-century Irish princess who fled from her father, who appeared to suffer from a mental illness. She is said to have settled in Geel, Belgium, where she was later found and martyred by her father. The people of Geel built a church in her honor, and many made the pilgrimage there seeking to be cured of mental illness. As the legend has it, so many pilgrims came that the people of Geel began to open their homes to these pilgrims, providing them a place to stay. People with mental illness could live and work in their community without any stigma or discrimination. Even today the town of Geel is known as a model for community acceptance of persons who live with a mental illness.
Why is this important today? Mental illness is on the rise and the story and life of St Dymphna should inspire us to care for those who struggle with mental illness and support those who care for them. This can be extremely difficult for various reasons. Nevertheless, at a recent address to the Pontifical Academy for Life, our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, emphasized our common responsibility to reach out to the vulnerable. He says, “We need to rediscover the fundamental attitude of care as support and closeness to others, not only because someone is in need or is sick, but because they experience vulnerability, the vulnerability that is common to all human beings.” Regardless of the severity of the struggle, there should be no stigma attached to seeking personal health care for those struggling with mental illness, nor in caring for those who suffer from mental illness. St Dymphna, pray for us!
Gathering in Rome: May 11-15
I’ll be gone this next week starting Monday May 11 for a special gathering in Rome around Christian Unity. I’m not speaking at the event, but I’m looking forward to seeing what the Lord is doing in promoting Christianity unity from all over the world. I’ll be back on Friday the 15th just in time for the School Play in Whitmore Lake!
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias