The following is an excerpt from Fr. Shroeder's homily on January 10. Read the entire homily at Finding Nemo (Baptism of the Lord, Year C) To listen to this homily, click here. One of the fundamental plot lines for movies involves the painful journey of a child seeking to prove themselves to their parents and win their affection. Most sad and striking is the case of an adult child who still feels unworthy or unapproved by mom or dad. One movie that follows this theme is “Finding Nemo”, an animated Disney film about a Clownfish named Marlin and his young son, Read More

Today, January 6th, is historically the Feast of the Epiphany, a day of obligation in places where still celebrated, and the conclusion of the traditional 12 Days of Christmas. Of course, in the United States and many other countries, the feast (and the obligation to attend Mass) is officially transferred to the Sunday that falls between January 2nd-8th. As such, the obligation to attend Mass on January 6th is not binding and has not been for many years. However, in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (or Traditional Latin Mass) Epiphany is still celebrated on January 6th. One of the Read More

Fr. Tom Pastorius is pastor of Epiphany Parish in South City. He was gracious enough to share with the Virtual Vestibule an advance copy of his homily for the Feast of the Epiphany, January 3, 2016. There was a young lion who wandered from his father to test whether or not he would get the same respect from the other animals as his father did. As the young lion approached some monkeys, he roared and asked, "WHO IS THE KING OF THE JUNGLE?" The monkeys, being afraid, responded, "YOU are!" The lion replied, "And don't you forget it!" The lion Read More

The following is the prepared text of the homily delivered by Bishop Edward Rice at a Midnight Mass for the feast of Mary, Mother of God, January 1, 2016 at Holy Redeemer in Webster Groves. Another year has passed into eternity and another year is about to unfold.  This becomes a natural opportunity to look to the events of this past year and take away some lessons that can help us in the year to come.  It is often the case that people use this moment, the transition from one year to the next to make a resolution, symbolic of Read More

One of the relaxing things I enjoy most is watching movies. On my days off, I am always on the lookout for a good film. Each Friday, I look forward to reading film critic Joe Morganstern’s reviews and recommendations for various movies foreign and domestic. As a result, I have seen many, many movies. But out of all the films I have seen, one of my favorites remains one that I first saw long ago and have enjoyed many times since. This movie is near and dear to many, probably to a number of you as well and it is Read More

The following is the prepared text of a homily delivered by Bishop Rice on Sunday, December 13, 2015.  Prior to Mass, Bishop Rice opened the center doors of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis in a special ceremony to mark the beginning of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.  In 1765, members of the American colonies rejected the authority of the British government to tax them without representation.  Thus began the American Revolution, with much bloodshed to follow. In 1789, with the attack on the Bastille, the French monarchy was dismantled.  In the Read More