St. Patrick Catholic Parish Podcast

In this homily, given on April 12, 2026, Dcn. Peter encourages us to celebrate the Easter season. He notes that we often remember to observe Lenten practices but forget to celebrate the Easter season. He brings up three pillars that the Early Church used to live out Easter: Eucharist, the Holy Spirit, and community. He encourages us to rely on the same three pillars to celebrate Easter. His practical for the week is to ask Jesus how He wants us to live out Easter this year so that we can walk more fully in Jesus' victory and freedom.

In this homily on Good Friday (April 3, 2026), Father Mathias breaks open the prophesy of Isaiah 53 that Jesus took upon himself the sins and guilt of the human race.  Helping us see Christ's love for us on the Cross, Father ends his homily with a prayer.

In this Easter Sunday homily on April 5th, 2026, Fr Mathias preaches on the Resurrection of Jesus.    We don't have to be afraid of death because Jesus is alive.  After sharing about how Jesus is still delivering people from evil and healing the sick today, Father exhorts us to respond to Jesus with faith, repentance and baptism, so we can be with him forever.

**Due to a technical error, the audio of this homily is poorer than normal.** On the night Jesus gave us the Priesthood (Holy Thursday, April 2, 2026), Fr. Joshua invites us to reflect on the famous phrase from St. John Vianney: "The Priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus." The priesthood reveals the heart of Christ for his Church, and it is his gift to us. Though often misunderstood, Fr. Joshua expounds on how priestly celibacy is an essential part of this vocation: that it mirrors Christ's own heart for his people.  Jesus knew what he was doing when he gave us the Priesthood. He knew that his Church needed Fathers. We need to pray for priests, and for the Lord to raise up more laborers for his vineyard

In this Easter Vigil homily, delivered on April 4, 2026, Dcn. Peter reflects on St. Paul's words that we are dead to sin and living to God in Christ Jesus. Many people might respond in two ways: wondering how being dead to sin is relevant to their life or feeling like these words don't apply to them. Dcn. Peter describes life under slavery to sin and death and proclaims that Jesus' victory changes every part of our lives. He then declares that Paul's words do apply to each one of us and that Jesus wants to bring His victory into our lives this Easter. He then leads everyone in responding to Jesus' invitation to freedom. His practical for the week is to write "I am dead to sin and living to God in Christ Jesus. I can live in freedom" on a piece of paper and put it somewhere it will be seen throughout the week.

On Palm Sunday, March 29th, 2026, Father Joshua invites us to be shaken out of our routine, just like the people of Jerusalem were shaken by Jesus' entrance. This isn't just another Sunday of another week: this is the holiest week of the year! We must give an answer to the question asked in the Gospel: "who is this?" Who is Jesus? Is he my savior and Lord? Is he the center of my life? Or he is he something else? Allow yourself to be shaken this week, by the death of God on a cross for you.

In this homily on March 22, 2026, Fr Mathias preaches on the the raising of Lazarus and reflects with us on Jesus's response to Martha and Mary's line: "Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died."  To Mary, he responds by weeping with her for Lazarus. To Martha he responds by revealing himself as the Resurrection and the Life and seeks to draw out faith. Father exhorts us to allow Jesus to weep with us when we lose a loved one and to place our faith in Jesus the Resurrection and the Life, so we might see our loved ones once more.

On this third Sunday of Lent, Fr. Joshua calls out all the grumblers: those who grumble about the state of the World, the Country, the Church, and the state of their own lives. Instead of grumbling, he invites us to hope. To hope in the Love our Father who has given us access to his heart. To hope like the women at the well who, in spite of her difficult circumstances, hoped for a Messiah. Hope is powerful! Our world desperately needs people who choose to hope rather than to grumble. This week was also the opening of the Diocesan Services Appeal: an annual appeal the funds all of the vital ministries of our Diocese, from pro-life work, to caring for the poor to providing for the education and formation of our Seminarians. If you missed it, check out Bishop Boyea's appeal here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9e0XTfDfq0), and make your contribution online below https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/appeal

In this homily on March 1st 2026, Fr Mathias preaches on the Transfiguration of the Lord as an invitation to go up the mountain with Jesus to encounter him.  Father exhorts us everyday to pray "from the heart" so God can reveal himself in our lives.  He ends the homily challenging us to understand our Lenten Penances as occasions of going up the mountain to encounter Jesus. 

On the first Sunday of Lent, February 22nd, 2026,  Father Joshua points out that while you sometimes feel like your problems are unique, or your life is singularly challenging, you actually aren't that special. This is a good thing, because t means we aren't alone. We share in the brokenness and sinfulness of our first parents, Adam and Eve. And the wounds that affect our heart today go back to that fateful day in the Garden. But, the good news is that we also share in the redemption of Christ. He put himself under that same condemnation, and redeemed us. This Lent, Christ wants to bring about that redemption in you life, in your marriage, and in your family. Let this Lent be a Lent of Restoration and Redemption.

In this homily, delivered on February 15, 2026, Dcn. Peter reflects on the truth that our origin is a gift, that we are called to make a gift of ourselves now, and that we are promised a life of self-gift in heaven. However, very often, people fall short of living out this beautiful dynamic of self-gift. Instead, they turn to lust, which grasps instead of receives, uses others instead of loving them, and ultimately turns one in on oneself in selfishness. Dcn. Peter speaks three truths of hope to those who may be struggling with lustful sins. He then invites those who have been married outside the Church to have their marriage convalidated, that is to say, to make a new consent within the Church, so that they can receive Holy Communion and live in the sacramental graces of marriage. He ends with the challenge to read Genesis 2 and ask the Father to reveal even more deeply the gift character of our existence.

We each have assumptions and ideas about what "the good life", a life of happiness looks like. In this homily, given on February 1st, 2026, Fr. Joshua Fons encourages us to consider our sources: are they reliable? What if we are wrong? What if we have been chasing the wrong things? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus starts off with the Beatitudes, the keys to happiness, and he doesn't list off any of the things we might expect. And this, in fact, is good news, because the way he shows us is the way to true happiness! But it starts with our willingness to admit we have been wrong all along.

In this homily, delivered on January 25, 2026, Dcn. Peter preaches on the power of God's Word. He begins by considering Isaiah's prophecy and stating that it doesn't seem to be true in daily living. Are we going to say that the Bible (and therefore, God) is lying? Dcn. Peter explains that Isaiah's prophecy actually is true because Jesus is Who He says He is, which means that reality is transformed. He then affirms that the Word of God has power and challenges the congregation to pick a Scripture and pray it at least once during the week when something difficult happens so that Jesus and the power of the Word of God can transform that difficult situation.

In this homily on January 18th, 2026, Fr Mathias preaches on the mystery of the Church as the light to the nations.  Each member of the Church has a unique mission to mediate the light of Jesus to the world around them. Some Christians are aware of this mission, while others not. 

On the Baptism of the Lord (January 11th, 2026), Father Joshua invites us to reflect on the moments when we feel unworthy and unqualified for the task before us. These moments can be moments of profound encounter.  Just as Jesus asked John to trust in Him and baptize Him, He invites us to trust in Him, and to respond in faith.

In part three of our Advent preaching series on December 14th, 2025, Father Joshua outlines the third and fourth thresholds of Conversion: Openness and Seeking. In the Gospel, we see Jesus questioning in the crowds, trying to help them recognize their hunger for more, and their openness to God. He does the same to us. He knows that our hearts were made for more, for the kind of love that we only find in God.

In this homily on November 30th, 2025, Fr Mathias preaches Part 1 of the Advent Preaching series on "Intentionally Following Jesus."  After defining some terms about discipleship, Father outlines two fundamental reminders about discipleship that we should never forget: 1) Discipleship is about growing in our maturity in our relationship with Jesus 2) Following Jesus doesn't happen by accident; it has to be intentional. He ends his homily outlining the five thresholds of discipleship developed by Sherry Weddell and encourages us to be honest as to where we are in our walk with Jesus. 

On the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (November 23rd, 2025), Father Joshua Fons delves into what the Kingship of Christ looks like. In the face of common misconceptions about Kingship, Fr. Joshua unpacks what Christ's kingship actually looks like. This is such a critical question, because in baptism, we were given a share of this kingship! The Lord has invited us to share in his authority, but we need to look to Christ to understand how to live that out.

In this homily on November 16th, 2025, Fr Mathias preaches on Jesus' warning to his disciples about persecution they will endure. Christian persecution is not something of the past, but is very much happening today, especially in Nigeria. Father exhorts us to persevere in our faith no matter how people around us treat us so that we can secure our lives in heaven. He closes his homily with a prayer asking God for the gift of courage and perseverance. 

On the Feast of the Dedication of Lateran Basilica (November 9th, 2025), Father Joshua Fons preaches on the great adventure God is inviting each of us into: our vocation. The example of those early Christians who witnessed in the Lateran Basilica rising in the city of so many martyrs should inspire us to give our whole lives to Christ. It is in our vocation that God invites us into holiness and happiness, and to live the life we are meant to live.