News RSS Feed

Our Annual Almsgiving Fund allows our parish to continue helping the poorest of the poor and those in need in our parish and community. As of March 17, we have collected $4,423.56 towards our goal of $15,000.

Bishop Ricken is Coming to St. Raphael! He will be speaking on "The Eucharist: Jesus' Gift to Us" on Tuesday, February 4th from 6:30-7:30 pm. Doors open at 6:10 pm to allow for RE pickup that evening.

The Catholic Faith Explained is a monthly opportunity to help all people to better understand the Catholic faith and the traditions of the Catholic Church, and allow you time with parish leadership to ask faith questions in a relaxed open-conversation format, and receive spiritual support.

Spring Session Begins February 5! Are you looking to improve your relationships? Be a better coworker, a more loving husband and father, or a deepen your connection with God? Men who answered yes to those questions have high praise for our city-wide That Man is You program. Wednesday mornings from 5:30 - 7:00AM at Father Carr's Place2B (NEW LOCATION)

La Sagrada Familia “Ellos no entendieron la respuesta que les dio.” María y José acababan de experimentar la peor pesadilla de todo padre: su hijo se desapareció por TRES DÍAS, mientras lo buscaban, preguntaban por él y volvían a seguir los pasos de su viaje. Imaginen su alivio cuando regresaron al Templo y por fin lo vieron. Seguramente corrieron hacia él con alegría y exasperación, solo para escuchar su respuesta: “¿Por qué me andaban buscando?” ¿Por qué? ¡¿POR QUÉ?!

Feast of the Holy Family. Mary and Joseph have just experienced every parent's worst nightmare: their son was missing for THREE DAYS, as they searched and asked and retraced the steps of their journey. Imagine their relief when they returned to the Temple and saw him at last. Surely they ran to him with joy and exasperation, only to hear his answer, “Why were you looking for me?” Why? WHY?!

El Nacimiento del Señor Últimamente me ha llamado mucho la atención la realidad de quienes presenciaron los milagros que Jesús realizó en los Evangelios. ¡Qué sorprendidos debieron estar los discípulos al ver a Jesús resucitar a alguien de entre los muertos! ¡Qué atónitos debieron estar la muchedumbre al ver a un hombre lisiado simplemente levantarse y caminar! ¡Sin duda, no ves esas cosas todos los días!

Cuarto Domingo de Adviento Hay una canción navideña que dice de Belén: “Pero en tus calles oscuras brilla la luz eterna”. Belén es un suburbio de Jerusalén. Su principal atracción turística en la época de Jesús era que era el lugar de nacimiento de David. Aunque hoy tiene muchas casas y edificios modernos, todavía se puede ver que es “un pueblo de las montañas de Judea” (Lc 1,39). No está muy lejos de En Kerem, donde nació Juan el Bautista, y aparentemente donde toma lugar el Evangelio de hoy.

The Nativity of the Lord Christmas can be disappointing. We remember the Christmases from our childhood, all the joy, the excitement, and the fun we had. When we grow up, we have to shop for gifts, write and mail the cards, put up the decorations, and do all the preparations that seem to stress us out. We may be sad that the day did not meet our expectations. Now that most of that is done, (unless you are reading this on a break from cleaning house before the grandkids arrive) we can reflect on how the first Christmas upset all expectations.

Fourth Sunday of Advent There is a Christmas song that says of Bethlehem: “Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light.” Bethlehem is a suburb of Jerusalem. Its main tourist attraction in the time of Jesus was that it was the birthplace of David. Though today it has many modern homes and buildings, you can still see that it is part of “the hill country…of Judah.” (Lk 1:39) It is not too far from En Kerem, where John the Baptist was born, and apparently where today’s Gospel takes place.

Tercer domingo de Adviento Si bien el Adviento es un momento hermoso para prepararse para la venida del Señor, a menudo nos envolvemos tanto en todas las preparaciones para la Navidad que nos olvidamos por completo del Adviento. Las lecturas de hoy nos recuerdan que, a pesar del estrés que podamos sentir al pensar en lo cerca que está la Navidad, estamos llamados a regocijarnos porque el Señor está cerca.

Third Sunday of Advent While Advent is a beautiful time to prepare for the coming of the Lord, we often get so caught up in all the things we do to prepare for Christmas that we forget Advent all together. The readings remind us that in spite of the stress we may feel thinking about how close Christmas is, we are called to rejoice for the Lord is near.

We look forward to hosting our second Women of Faith event! Our theme for this year's events is "Welcoming Mary into Our Lives." Join us for a guest speaker and witness talks about the role Mary has in leading us into a deeper friendship with her Son, Jesus.

Inmaculada Concepción. Adán y Eva fueron creados sin pecado. Esto significa que no estaban agobiados por el egoísmo, el miedo o las necesidades insatisfechas. Dios creó todo el universo y los colocó en el hermoso Jardín y caminó con ellos en el frescor del atardecer. Les confió todo el mundo creado, y ellos a su vez, sabiendo claramente de dónde venían y hacia dónde iban (venían de Dios y regresaban a Dios y Dios se estaba encargando de todo en cada paso del camino), se encomendaron completamente a su Padre amoroso. Obedecieron porque confiaron.

Segundo Domingo de Adviento Parece que la Iglesia primitiva tenía una visión del Adviento diferente a la nuestra. La Navidad ni siquiera se celebraba en los primeros dos siglos después de Cristo. La Pascua era la gran fiesta original de la Iglesia. Después de la resurrección, los cristianos esperaban que Jesús volviera en su gloria. Esperaban que este regreso ocurriera pronto, por eso vemos referencias en las cartas de Pablo a la “venida de nuestro Señor Jesús” (1 Tes 3,13) o al “día de Cristo Jesús” (Fil 1,6). Así que, en cierto sentido, el resto de sus vidas fue un largo Adviento, un tiempo de esperar al Señor.

Immaculate Conception. Adam and Eve were created without any sin. This means that they were not burdened by selfishness or fear or unmet needs. God created the whole universe and placed them in the beautiful Garden and walked with them in the cool of the evening. He entrusted the whole created world to them, and they in turn, knowing clearly where they came from and where they were going (they came from God and were returning to God and God was taking care of everything every step of the way), entrusted themselves completely to their loving Father. They obeyed because they trusted.

Second Sunday of Advent. It seems the early Church had a different view of Advent than we do. Christmas was not even celebrated in the first two centuries after Christ. Easter was the original great feast of the Church. After the resurrection, Christians looked for Jesus to return in glory. They expected this return to happen soon, so we see references in Paul’s letters to the “coming of the Lord Jesus” (1 Thess 3:13) or to the “day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1:6) So in a sense, the rest of their lives were a long Advent, a time of waiting for the Lord.