Pastor's Corner

It’s a week to remember here at Nativity as we host the Priesthood Ordinations on May 24th, the Installation Mass of Archbishop McKnight on May 27th, and the Archdiocesan 50th Wedding Anniversary Mass on June 1st. Nativity shines brightly with hospitality and Spirit-filled energy as we host these events for our Archdiocesan Church. What a privilege to welcome so many visitors to our campus and to worship in our beautiful church. Our parishioners and staff have been so generous in taking care of various details to make these events special and memorable for those being celebrated, and those who come to celebrate. Many staff and parishioners are giving up their holiday to transition from one event to the next. We are so grateful! This city set on a hill that shines so brightly will be witnessed by many this week. All for the greater honor and glory of God!

Congratulations to Fr. William Carey, Fr. Cesar Gomez, and Fr. Daniel Mauro, ordained to the priesthood through the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the laying on of hands by Archbishop Joseph Naumann. Come, Holy Spirit. Help these men to be good priests who minister to God’s people with the heart of Jesus. 

We warmly welcome our new Archbishop, Most Reverend Shawn McKnight! We are joyful to host Archbishop McKnight’s Installation Mass at Nativity (Sister Parish of the Cathedral of St. Peter). Our prayers and gratitude accompany Archbishop, as he begins his ministry as Shepherd of the Local Church of Northeast Kansas.  

Congratulations and best wishes to all the couples celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Thanks for the witness of living your promises. May God’s grace that has accompanied you these 50 years, continue to bless and keep you in the years to come!

Although most will not have the opportunity to attend these events in person, each event will be livestreamed at archkck.org. 

Easter Blessings,

Fr. Mike

This past Friday marked the conclusion of another school year at Nativity. We give praise and thanks to God for another year of personal, spiritual and academic growth that has taken place in our children. We pray for a safe and enjoyable summer for all our kids. 

The end of school gives me cause to say again, I’m so proud of our Nativity school and our students. I’m proud of our parish and the beautiful mission of Catholic Education that continues to remain such a strong and vital part of our parish community! Thanks to Mr. Luke Jennison, our teachers, and staff for their dedicated ministry to our school. Thanks Nativity parishioners for your support which makes our school possible.

I wish to express my thanks to Catie Klocke and all the dedicated teachers in our School of Religion. Our parishioners who volunteer, giving so generously of their time and talent to serve as catechists for our children in Religious Education are a blessing!

Nativity Parish School and Religious Education are part of our response to the “Great Commission” given by our Lord before he ascended into heaven. The Great Commission of handing on the faith and teaching others the Good News of Salvation in Christ is the Christian call of a lifetime. The Great Commission serves as a reminder that everything we do in our parish can be a touchpoint of evangelization; an opportunity to share the Lord with others.

This Tuesday, May 20th, we celebrate an historic event in the life of the Church. It is the 1700th anniversary of the opening of the Council of Nicaea in 325. This is the Council that gave us the Nicene Creed we pray every Sunday at Mass. The press release announcing this historic moment reminds us that this Creed became the Church’s most distinctive proclamation of our faith in Jesus Christ. Pope Francis reiterated that the proclamation of the faith is the fundamental task of the Church.

In the Vatican press release announcing this historic occasion, the International Theological Commission said this: “The faith that the Council of Nicaea witnesses to and hands on is the truth of a God who, being Love, is Trinity, and who, out of love, becomes one of us in his Son.  This truth is the authentic principle of fraternity between individuals and peoples, and of the transformation of history in accordance with the prayer that Jesus addressed to the Father on the eve of the supreme gift of his life for us, “that they may be one, as we are one” (Jn 17:22).  The Nicene Creed thus stands at the heart of the Church’s faith as a wellspring of living water to be drawn upon also today.  Through it, we can enter into Jesus’ gaze and, in him, into the gaze with which God, Abba, looks upon all his children and upon the whole of creation, starting with the least, the poor and the outcast.  For the only-begotten Son of the Father—who became the “firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Rom 8:29)—identifies with them to the point that he considers that what is done to each one of them is done to him (cf. Mt 25:40).”

If anyone should ever ask you to articulate your faith, always remember the Nicene Creed in your Catholic tool box!

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

From Mass to Mission as Pilgrims of Hope – we go!

Fr. Mike