January 2, 2026
Greetings in Christ,
This weekend we continue the Christmas season with our celebration of the Solemnity of Epiphany. Epiphany is in some sense a “second Christmas.” Epiphany from the Greek means “to appear, shine upon.” The light of Jesus whom we celebrate on Christmas “shines upon” or appears to the Magi, who symbolize all the nations coming to adore the Christ Child.
Epiphany Homily: Below is a nice video of Bishop Robert Barron on the Solemnity of Epiphany a couple of years ago.
Year End Giving Thank You: I am deeply grateful to everyone who has been truly generous in the ways you give of yourself! As we reflect on the past year at St. Therese, it is heartening to see how our parish community has flourished. As always, know of my gratitude and be assured of my prayers for you and your family!
Water Damage: God’s permissive will is very mysterious. On Christmas, we had a frozen pipe that caused water to back up. With the significant amount of water on the roof, the pipe could not take the pressure at the elbow joint and began leaking significantly into the sanctuary. To my knowledge, this has never happened since our sanctuary was built in 1970.
The water flooded into the sanctuary and poured over our new stenciling project. It got under the plaster and traveled under the plaster all along the bulkhead in the sanctuary. Yeesh! We had a representative from Conrad Schmitt come in and assess the damage. We submitted a claim to our insurance company and are putting together a team to develop a plan to fix the problem with the pipe (so that it never happens again) and how to fix our new project that was damaged. If you would be so kind, please say a pray for us. As always, God will help us through this!
Men’s Group Connect Meeting: The evening of Tuesday, January 6th, at 6:00 pm, the Men’s Group of St. Thérèse Parish will be having their next Men’s Connect Meeting in the Community Room. The topic for this meeting will be Trust in the Creator presented by Dr. Matt Alvord. Current Men’s Group members are encouraged to bring a guest. All men of the parish are warmly invited. Confessions and Rosary will be from 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm. A light dinner will be available at 6:30 pm. The presentation will start at 6:50 pm, and the meeting is expected to close at 7:50 pm.
Christmas Decorations: We will need some help taking down the decorations on Sunday, January 11, after the 10:00 am Mass. Many hands (and muscles) are needed to make this happen. Please consider helping us. You will make Jesus very happy!
Email Scam Reminder: It has come to our attention that some members of our parish community have recently received "phishing" emails or texts that look like they are coming from me. These messages can look very legitimate, but they are, unfortunately, scams designed to trick people into sending money or gift cards.
It is important to remain vigilant against these "phishing" attempts. Here is how you can protect yourself:
Immediate Action Steps
Do Not Respond: If you receive a suspicious message, do not reply to it or click any links within the email or text.
Report the Incident: Forward the suspicious email to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or your local authorities.
Block the Sender: Use your phone or email provider's settings to block the address or phone number immediately.
Key Warning Signs to Remember
Unusual Titles: Look for formal titles like "Reverend" that I do not typically use.
Personal Email Addresses: Official parish business will come from a specific parish domain, not a public @gmail.com or @yahoo.com account.
Financial Requests: Any request for gift cards, wire transfers, or digital currency (Bitcoin) is a guaranteed sign of a scam.
Pressure Tactics: Scammers use artificial urgency (e.g., "I'm in a meeting," "I need this now") to prevent you from double-checking the request.
How to Verify
If you are ever in doubt, contact the parish office directly using the phone number listed on your official parish bulletin or website. Never use the contact information provided in the suspicious message itself.
For more tips on identifying these tactics, you can review the FBI’s guidance on spoofing and phishing.
Vatican Unveiled: A wonderful exhibit called Vatican Unveiled is coming to the Mall of America this month! The display is the largest exhibit of Vatican memorabilia in the world outside the Vatican. The exhibit will be at the Mall of America from January 10 to February 1, 2026, and will feature more than 350 diverse items. Below is the website from the archdiocese that provides details about the exhibit that is coming soon!
Dinner Invitation for Those Discerning Religious and Consecrated Life: The Archdiocese warmly invites you to join them for a special dinner and evening of fellowship. This gathering is a wonderful opportunity to share a meal, connect with others who are discerning, and learn more about the beauty of religious and consecrated vocations. See the Archdiocesan website for more details.
Sunday Evening 5:00 pm Mass: With the busyness of the Christmas season and the New Year, our Sunday evening 5:00 pm Mass will resume on Sunday, January 18.
Calling all high schoolers! In our ever-changing world, Jesus is the answer to the longing of our hearts for meaning, fulfillment, security, and love. Join hundreds of Catholic teens at Steubenville St. Paul at the University of St. Thomas on July 24-26, 2026 to be transformed by the love of Christ.
All current 8th-12th students are invited to attend this retreat with our group.
Contact Chelsie Blustein at cblustein@st-therese.org for more information.
Extreme Faith Camp: Registration Now Open!
Registration is now open for Extreme Faith Camp, our middle-school summer camp, which will be held from July 13-17, 2026. EFC is a high-adventure summer camp for middle schoolers. It is packed with incredible activities, including high ropes, zip lines, tubing, laser tag, climbing walls, archery, water activities, and more! It is also a wonderful opportunity for middle schoolers to grow in community and fall in love with Jesus and our Catholic faith.
For a taste of what EFC is like, you can check out this video of past camps!
Registration is open now at this link. For more questions or information about our scholarships, you can email Joe at jschiltz@st-therese.org. Space is limited, so sign up now!
St. Therese 10th Annual Women’s Retreat, January 30-31, 2026: Wife, mother of six, and evangelist, Jessica Chastek, will be with us for our Women's Retreat, Friendship with Jesus. Jessica has a PhD in Politics. She has been teaching with the St. Paul Seminary Catechetical Institute for the past three years, and she has been a speaker for WINE: Women in the New Evangelization. Using her gift for making seemingly complex theological ideas understandable, Jessica also helps women with very busy lives understand how they can implement devotions and disciplines into their everyday lives. Come to meet Jessica, and you will leave with a boost for your spiritual life.
Online registration is available here:
Registration forms are also available in the church Gathering Space and in the parish office.
Greece Pilgrimage: Registration is open for the Greece Pilgrimage in 2026! We will be taking a pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul on a 9-night Cruise plus 4 nights in Athens. The pilgrimage that will take place from September 14 to 28, 2026, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
We will follow in the footsteps of Saint Paul through Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Thessaloniki, and Philippi! The 9-night cruise will sail through the breathtaking Greek Isles, giving you the opportunity to visit ancient temples and idyllic seaside villages in six ports of call: Rhodes, Ephesus, Santorini, Mykonos, Philippi, and Thessaloniki. Check out this updated link:
Job Openings at St. Therese School:
- Pre-School After-School/Evening Aides (10-15 hrs./wk)
More information on our school website or the Archdiocesan careers page.
Estate Planning: A reminder that we have a Little Flower Legacy Society at St. Therese to encourage planned and estate gifts to our parish, our school, or one of our endowment funds. Please include St. Therese as a beneficiary in your estate planning! It is an opportunity to give back to our beloved parish and ensure that our parish remains financially viable for generations to come!
Flocknote:You can receive my daily Mass reflections sent right to your
phone! To sign up, just text the word “ANDRIE” to 84-576 to follow the link.
Stewardship:Thank you to everyone who continues to support St. Therese! I invite you to continue supporting our beloved parish as it helps us to serve you and remain connected with you! This can be done in the following ways:
- Click the donation button on our main parish website. You can contribute as a guest or log in if you have previously created a profile. You can choose the frequency of your gift (one-time, weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually).
- Bring or mail your stewardship envelope to our parish office.
- Consider transferring a stock “gift” to St. Therese. It’s a tax-free donation.
As always, be assured of my gratitude for your generosity and prayers to St. Therese. Be assured of my prayers for you as well!
Blessings,
Fr. Andrie
Goldy bringing his gift for baby Jesus on Epiphany