HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on October 1, 2016 at 6:00PM and October 2, 2016 at 8:00am and 10:30am Masses
There was a woman who was very open about her faith. In fact she would often stand in the front of her home and shout “Praise the Lord!” to everyone who would pass by. She lived next door to an atheist who was constantly angry about her constant talk about her faith. Every time she would shout “Praise the Lord!” to someone, he would shout back, “There is no God!”
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on August 27, 2016 at 6:00PM and August 28, 2016 at 8:00am and 10:30am Masses
NOTE: The story of my trip to Staples was modified for the Sunday Masses as a complaint was received about its content. Here I include the original version as those who attended both Saturday and Sunday thought the Saturday version was better and they did not think that it was disrespectful.
Obviously wedding receptions were much better in biblical times than they are today. Based on what Jesus says in today’s gospel there was no seating chart. You sat wherever you wanted. Wouldn’t that be nice? Today we have those place cards that let us know where and with whom we will be spending the next half dozen hours of our lives. We don’t have a choice.
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on August 6, 2016 at 6:00PM and August 7, 2016 at 8:00am and 10:30am Masses
I don’t often play the lottery, but when I do I play the same numbers. Recently reading the newspaper, there I saw all of my numbers listed in the lottery results section of the paper. I had matched every single number perfectly without missing one! I hit the lottery! Unfortunately you will notice that I said “hit” the lottery and not “win” the lottery because unfortunately the drawing was for the California Super Lotto, which I have never played, and will probably never play in my life. With the odds of winning the lottery so high my numbers will not repeat again for another 25,000 years!
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on June 11, 2016 at 6:00PM and June 12, 2016 at 8:00am and 10:30am Masses
One day I made the mistake of asking my wife why it takes her so long to get her nails done at the mall, after all you can probably trim and paint your nails yourself in a few minutes at home. What I got out of this conversation was a required trip to the salon to see exactly what goes on when you get a manicure and a pedicure. I had no idea all that was going there. I wondered why my wife took a stack of magazines with her each time, and now I know. It takes forever. The old polish is removed and then the nails on both your hands and feet get trimmed, shaped, scraped, filed, and buffed. But it is more than just the nails. Your hands and feet get washed, scrubbed, and soaked in moisturizer. Any rough skin you have is exfoliated, which I learned means that you scraped with a rough stone until your callouses disappear or you can no longer stand to be tickled any longer, whichever comes first. I know because I couldn’t stop laughing as they did my feet.
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher May 22, 2016 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized James Braden, son of Kelsey, at Holy Sepulcher.
May the almighty God bless you and your mom now and forever. Amen!
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher May 22, 2016 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Owen Thomson, daughter of Kara and Michael. I baptize Owen’s sister McKenzie Jane in 2013, my second multiple family baptism.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on April 30, 2016 at 4:00PM and May 1, 2016 at 8:00am and 10:30am Masses
I was walking through the food court at the mall one day behind a mother and her four or five year old daughter. I had not yet decided what I was going to eat, but the mother and daughter had already decided. They couldn’t wait to have a chicken sandwich and waffle fries from Chick-fil-A. Now the way they were describing how delicious and tasty the food was going to be, I couldn’t wait to have some Chick-Fil-A myself. Unfortunately, it was Sunday and as you may know Chick-Fil-A is always closed on Sundays so that their employees can observe a day of rest and spend time with God and their families. The mother and daughter were clearly disappointed when they approached the locked and darkened Chick-Fil-A. “I’m sorry, honey,” the mother said. “They’re closed today.” The little girl got real serious, folded her arms, looked up at her mother, and said, “Mommy, you know it’s the work of the devil.”
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher April 16, 2016 2:00pm
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Tyson Benjamin, son of Benjamin and Kori Szelong at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
This was the first family repeat baptism. I baptized Benjamin’s sister Zoey Grace back in January 19, 2014.
May the almighty God continue to bless you, your parents, and your family now and forever. Amen!
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on March 14, 2016 at 7:00PM Penance Service
Happy first day of Lent! Today actually is the first day of Lent… for Orthodox Christians, who celebrate Easter on a different day than we do, this year May 1. They do not have Ash Wednesday, they start their Lent with what is known as Clean Monday, and it is a national holiday in Greece. This first day of Lent, this Clean Monday, is reserved for two things: 1) Clean your home, to clean your castle so to speak. The idea of spring cleaning can be traced back to this Orthodox tradition of Clean Monday. 2) Go to confession, to clean your interior castle so to speak. In this way the faithful begin their Lent renewed in Christian love, mercy, and forgiveness.
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on February 27 and 28, 2016 on the Third Sunday of Lent (Year C) at the 4:00PM (Vigil), 8:00AM, and 10:30AM Masses
A hiker was resting along a narrow and steep mountain pass when he sees a truck driving backwards up the mountain. He flags the truck down and asks the men inside, “Why are you guys driving backwards?” “Because we don’t think there’s a place to make a U-turn at the top of the mountain,” the driver replied. About an hour later the hiker sees the same truck coming back down the mountain, still driving backwards. He flags the truck down again and asks the men inside, “Why are you guys still driving backwards?” And the disgusted driver replied, “Turns out, there was a place to make a U-turn up there.”
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on January 23 and 24, 2016 on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) at the 4:00PM (Vigil), 8:00AM, and 10:30AM Masses
I found a nice leather bound edition of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table at Barnes and Noble, and after finally making it through the long line to the only open register in the store, the cashier informed me that the leather bound books were buy one, get one 50% off. “No, thanks,” I said. I have the book I want.” “Oh, no,” she said. “I don’t want you to miss out on the savings.” “That’s OK,” I replied. “The line is long and I don’t want to have to wait again,” “Go get another one,” she said. “These nice people will wait for you.” They may have been nice people, but by the looks on their faces they were not going to remain so for long. So I ran back, grabbed the first book I could find, and returned to the register. The woman looked at it as she rang it up. “Oh, how nice!” A beautiful children’s book!” Except that it really isn’t beautiful and really isn’t for children either.
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher January 24, 2016 10:22PM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Benjamin Maxwell, son of Christine and Matthew, at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
As many of you know I recently had a surgery to repair a hernia. But some complications required that I be admitted to the hospital. I was supposed to be home in time for the Price Is Right, but instead I was stuck in the hospital until I completed a checklist of requirements that would prove I was ready to go home. I wanted out fast so I ate everything they placed before me, I walked the hallway every couple of hours, and when they asked if I wanted pain medication, I replied, “Pain? What pain?” One nurse asked me, “Are you Superman?” and I replied, “I’m not Superman, but I just had a Kevlar mesh installed inside of me and I’m pretty sure that makes me Batman.”
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher November 29, 2015 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Benjamin Paul, son of Lindsey and Ronald, at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher October 25, 2015 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Glenn Benjamin, son of Kimberly and Glenn, at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher October 25, 2015 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Natalie Jane, daughter of Amanda and Nicholas, at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on September 26 and 27, 2015 at the 6:00pm (vigil), 8:00am and 10:30am Masses
There are so many groups to which we can belong. Now that the Pirates have clinched their third consecutive playoff berth and won again yesterday, the group of people that call themselves Pirates fans is growing. It used to be so much smaller. On Friday nights many of us part of the group of people that have a favorite football team and/or band that we support and root for. Some of us are an alumnus of a college or university. We also might be members of a club, support a charity or cause, and be registered as a Republican or a Democrat. We all have reasons why we chose one group over another and why it is better than another group we could have chosen. Even groups for which we belong and had no choice of whether we are members or not, like our family and our nationality, we have strong feelings about them and why they are so important to us.
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on August 9, 2015 at the 8:00am and 10:30am Masses
A magician worked for a cruise line and because each trip the ship made had a completely new audience, the magician did the same tricks over and over. Now the captain had a parrot that watched every magic show and quickly figured out how each trick was done. So during each performance the parrot would shout out how each trick was done. “The rabbit is in a different hat under the table.” “He was hiding the ace of spades up his sleeve.” Needless to say the magician was furious because every show was ruined. But it was the captain’s parrot and so he could do nothing.
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on June 27, 2015 at the 6:00pm Mass and on June 28, 2015 and the 8:00am and 10:30am Masses
When I was young I got to see one the greatest events one of my lifetime, you might be thinking the moon landing, but I am of course talking about the day Franco Harris came to Butler. Few people probably remember that day in the early 1970’s at George Kerr’s Appliance Store on North Main Street, but one 7 year old will never forget that day because Franco was (and is) his favorite football player.
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher June 7, 2015 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Theodore Robert, son of Sarah and Michael at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher June 7, 2015 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Mason Woods, son of Lauren and Zachary at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on May 2 and 3, 2015 at the 6:00PM (Vigil) and 8:00AM and 10:30 AM Masses
Last Friday a friend of mine asked me what I had planned for the weekend and I told him that I was going on retreat with the men from my parish and as best I could I tried to describe what a retreat is to him. When I was done he said, “That sounds absolutely awful! It would be like being in jail. Trapped all weekend in a monastery with nothing to do but sit around, go to Mass, pray, and read; with no place to go and no contact with the outside world; with no computer, television, or Penguin playoff game to watch (which in hindsight was probably one of the blessings of the weekend).
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on April 12, 2015 at 3:00PM Divine Mercy Service with Adoration
Kids today face some difficult challenges from bullying, but back in the day I, and probably many of you as well, experienced some difficult bullying in school. I am speaking of wedgies, noogies, and the dreaded Indian burn. If you don’t know what they are I will just say that they are very painful.
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on March 24, 2015 at 7:00PM Penance Service
I was at the gas station one day and a man came up to me and gave me a one million dollar bill. It’s not real of course, but it looks real. It even has serial numbers and Grover Cleveland on it. I framed it not only because it looks so real, but so that I can always remember my encounter with the man who gave it to me.
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher March 22, 2015 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Brigit Kelly, daughter of Kelly and Eric at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher March 22, 2015 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Jack Anthony, daughter of Charlana and Charles at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on March 8, 2015 at the 8:00AM and 10:30AM Masses
The current federal laws fill 52 leather-bound volumes, and two new volumes have yet to be printed. There are an estimated five thousand different crimes that can be committed if these laws are broken. That doesn’t even include state or local laws. For example, I cannot own chickens because Richland Township requires you to have at least 2 acres of land to have them. There are so many laws, and yet their numbers are growing all the time. A coworker was pulled over by the police this past week because they had only cleared enough ice and snow from their windshield to make just a very small hole, but they did not receive a ticket because there is no law about requiring you to have clean windows to drive. Thankfully a couple of days ago, a bill requiring people to clear off their vehicles of ice and snow before driving them was put together. There are so many laws to make sure that we do the right thing, and so often we are not doing the right thing.
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on February 18, 2015 on Ash Wednesday at the 5:00PM Liturgy of the Word Service
After Mass this morning a woman told me that a girl from the school was in the restroom attempting to make the cross on her forehead as big as the cross her classmate had on her forehead. “Your cross is so nice and big and mine is so little,” the girl said. So she decided that the best thing to do would be to use water to help make the cross bigger, but all she succeeded to do was to wash it off.
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on January 17 and 18, 2015 on the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) at the 4:00PM (Vigil), 8:00AM, and 10:30AM Masses
Each year about half of us make New Year’s resolutions to improve our lives and ourselves, whether it’s to lose weight, exercise, quit smoking; or maybe it’s to be more happy and less stressed, or being more patient, loving, and forgiving. Each day I can see many people working on their resolutions. Despite the cold weather when I look out the window at home I can see more people walking and running. As I walk past the gym downtown the windows are all steamed up from all the weight training, treadmill running, and stationary bike work going on inside. But according to a recent news story that I read people are already breaking their resolutions, over half of them will be broken by the end of the month, and less than ten percent of them will succeed.
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on December 20 and 21, 2014 on the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year B) at the 4:00PM (Vigil), 8:00AM, and 10:30AM Masses
I work at PNC and we have to use up all of our vacation days before the end of the year and so I took a day off his past week to go to the movies. I liked two choices: a movie based on my favorite book growing up (The Hobbit) and a movie based on my favorite book as an adult (The Bible). I chose to go the spiritual route and so I and a mostly empty bus from a local Baptist church watched the movie Exodus: Gods and Kings, a modern retelling of the story of Moses. It’s a good movie, but because of the special effects and the battle scenes, the movie is closer to The Hobbit than it is to The Ten Commandments, and so I really got to see both movies at the same time.
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher December 14, 2014 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Ethan Scott, son of Christine and Scott at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher December 14, 2014 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Leah Renee, daughter of Emily and James at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
HOMILY
Preached at Holy Sepulcher Parish on November 1 and 2, 2014 on the Feast of the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls) at the 4:00PM (Vigil), 8:00AM, and 10:30AM Masses
Heaven Is For Real is the story of a young boy named Colton who has a near death experience during an emergency operation on his appendix. It was written by Colton’s father and it became a number one bestselling book and a hit movie. It describes Colton’s visit to heaven and everything he saw and did while he was there. For example:
BAPTISM
St. Teresa of Avila November 1, 2014 12:00PM
I baptized Anna Ruth, daughter of Amanda and Colin at St. Teresa of Avila Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher October 26, 2014 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Logan Thomas, son of Anna and Samuel at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
REFLECTION
The Our Lady of Lourdes rosary that led to my becoming Catholic
Reflection posted on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary October 7, 2014
On Saturday, September 6, 2014, I was privileged to speak before the Apostolate of Fatima after the First Saturday Mass about my conversion to Catholicism. Because I was giving my story to an organization devoted to Our Lady and because I became Catholic through a rosary, I focused my talk on my conversion through the rosary and my relationship with Our Lady. But because I wanted those in attendance to get more out of my talk than listening to me talk about myself, I also applied the talk to how a relationship with our lady helps us to get through life and to grow in spirituality. We are all on our own personal journey and the Blessed Mother helps us along the way. Pope Francis has said, “If any Christian does not think of Mary as his or her own mother, then they are an orphan.” The Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary, draws everyone to the family of God. What follows is a very short summary of the points I made (or was going to make because time was short).
The Annunciation
Mary is a perfect example of doing God’s will. She received her mission from the angel at the Annunciation, she first asked, “How?” and after being told, simply said, “Let it be done to me according to your word.” Each of us has our own annunciation, our mission from God, and while ours probably will not be delivered by an angel, unlike Mary who was on a spiritual level that allowed her to readily receive angels into her life (we would probably be terrified!), we are being called for a specific mission and role that involves our own individual talents and abilities in a way that no one else can. She can help us to discern God’s will for our lives, to listen to that voice inside our hearts, so that we can find out what our mission is and how we are to lead it out.
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher October 5, 2014 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Peter Donald, son of Donald and Helen, at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
REFLECTION
Reflection during Diocese of Pittsburgh Deacon and Spouse Retreat September 12, 2014
Tonight I went alone to the chapel to pray before Night Prayer was scheduled to begin. As I entered it was very dark, only two faint lights in the rear of the chapel and the sanctuary candle in front near the tabernacle were the only lights available. I had come from the evening social in the bright dining room to the chapel where I found myself stumbling to find a pew in the dark. But I did settle in place for what I thought would be thirty minutes or so of me feeling uncomfortable and alone in the dark.
However, as I began to pray I noticed that I was not alone, there were other human forms around me!
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher August 17, 2014 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Carregan Emily, daughter of Cassandra and Joshua, at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher August 16, 2014 7:15PM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Anoushka Jane, daughter of Kimberly and Matthew, at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher August 9, 2014 7:15PM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Rowan Joseph, son of Shannon and Lawrence at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
Christ the Savior by Deacon David Miller
Pictured here is an icon of Christ the Savior that somehow through the grace of God came from my very hands (and the help of Sister Rosaire!). This is the story of my brush with God, how I came to paint an image of Jesus and how the process deepened my relationship with our Lord.
After Mass one weekend Gerogette Belobrajdic, a parishioner of Holy Sepulcher Parish, asked me to bless some icons that she had brought with her. I love icons and after blessing them I complimented her on their beauty and asked where she had purchased them so that I might get one for myself. She informed me that she had painted them herself at an icon class she had taken with Sister Rosaire Kopczenski at the Sisters of St. Francis in Millvale, just outside of Pittsburgh.
BULLETIN
Published as a column in the Holy Sepulcher Bulletin for July 27, 2014
Just like last week, today’s gospel includes three parables about the kingdom of heaven. But today’s parables differ because each of them are told from the viewpoint of individuals who recognize that they have found or collected something that is worth far more than they could have ever imagined or hoped for. So they will spend the time, cost, and effort necessary to secure it for themselves.
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher July 27, 2014 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Lucy Claire, daughter of Emma and Cory at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
The Journey Home set with Karen and host Marcus Grodi
The Journey Home is a program on the Catholic network EWTN that each week features a guest who tells their journey of faith into the Catholic Church. This coming Monday, July 28 at 8 pm ET I will be appearing on the show to tell my story of entering the Catholic Church after growing up a Protestant Lutheran. The story involves a rosary, a robbery, and a number of important people, most of whom I forget to mention, and just about everyone I actually do mention, I forget to mention by name (including my wife Karen!).
NEWS
Dianne Machesney is the chair of the St. Teresa of Avila Parish (Pittsburgh, PA) Pro-Life Committee and about 12 years ago she started doing a monthly newsletter of pro-life issues for the parish bulletin. The newsletter has expanded to include other Catholic parishes and non-Catholic churches to educate and keep life issues on people’s radar.
If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter for yourself, your parish, or your church you can contact Dianne at diannem15237@aol.com.
Here are the most recent editions in PDF Format:
BULLETIN
Published as a column in the Holy Sepulcher Bulletin for July 20, 2014
We all have ideas of what heaven is going to be like for us one day. An avid reader might picture heaven to be a library or bookstore with every available title. A golfer might picture heaven as endless rounds of golf on perfectly manicured fairways and greens. Someone who likes to travel or someone who spends a great deal of their life working probably pictures heaven as an endless vacation resting on a sunny beach or hiking, biking, or camping among gorgeous mountains or other beautiful scenery. Certainly each one of us looks forward to meeting our Lord, getting reacquainted with our loved ones, and spending eternity without pain, suffering, illness, or loss at the banquet of heaven. We each have thoughts about heaven and our visions reflect a hope that we are one day going to spend eternity enjoying ourselves in a most wonderful place.
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher July 20, 2014 11:45AM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Valentina Gabriella, daughter of Laura and Justinian at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
BAPTISM
Holy Sepulcher July 19, 2014 7:15PM
Baptism Holy Sepulcher
I baptized Benjamin Nicholas, daughter of Elizabeth and Aaron at Holy Sepulcher Parish.
May the almighty God bless you and your parents now and forever. Amen!
BULLETIN
Published as a column in the Holy Sepulcher Bulletin for July 13, 2014
Anyone that has ever tried to get grass to grow on a bare spot in their lawn knows how difficult and what a time consuming process this can be. You have to make sure that before you plant any seed that the area is well prepared. You have to rake to remove rocks and loosen the soil to the proper depth and put extra nutrients into the ground with compost or fertilizer. After scattering seed over the area you must keep the area moist by watering it at least once a day for a couple of weeks, keep the area clear of foot traffic and birds, and remove any weeds that sprout up that will take moisture and nutrients from the seedlings. You have to nurture the grass for it to grow properly. It is a lot of work, but your results depend on how much work you are willing to put into it.
Deacon DSM 