February 13, 2026

Greetings in Christ,

This weekend, we continue with our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel.  Jesus gives His six antitheses or “You have heard that it was said, but I say to you.”  Instances cause the Jewish people to struggle with Jesus.   Our Lord puts Himself on the level of the Torah and even has the audacity to change certain teachings.   In this case, He deepens or raises the bar of Moses’ teachings.  He is concerned not only with external observance, but with an interior transformation of the heart.

President’s Day:  Our parish office will be closed on Monday, Feb. 16, as we observe Presidents' Day.

Potential Capital Campaign:  As you may know, Archbishop Hebda and the archdiocese launched a capital campaign last year called Lord, Renew Your Church. This major fundraising effort will eventually include all 185 parishes in the archdiocese to strengthen all parishes.

Our parish and school leaders are exploring the likely possibility of conducting a combined campaign, in partnership with the archdiocesan effort, which could further St. Therese’s mission and strengthen our beloved parish community. Right now, we are working with potential lead donors and the city of Deephaven to firm up our proposed plans. Once they become more defined, we look forward to sharing them with the broader St. Therese community.

Before any decisions are made, all parishioners and school families will have an opportunity to share their feedback through a comprehensive planning study later this year. In the meantime, we simply ask for your prayers for the Holy Spirit's guidance as we prayerfully discern the future of St. Therese. We will be sure to provide much more information later this spring.

2026 Mardi Gras Tomorrow Night!  Our Annual Mardi Gras Event is this Saturday, February 14, immediately following the 5 pm Mass. We invite you to join us for an enjoyable evening of food, fellowship, and games.

Tickets will be available at the door for $5.  If you have any questions, please contact Pat Strandberg at 612‑916‑6017.

Sunday 5:00 pm Mass:  Our next Sunday 5:00 pm Mass is this Sunday, February 15. We are blessed to have Teresa Shackelford sharing her beautiful singing voice and musical gifts with us at this liturgy.

Ash Wednesday This Week:  We will have four Masses for you on Wednesday, February 18 - 7 am, 8 am (school Mass), noon, and 5:30 pm.

Lent Overview: Below are a couple of pieces that provide a nice overview of Lent.  The one-page Family Lenten Guide by Lorene Hanley Duquin provides some great ideas for your family to do this Lent.  Additionally, if you begin reading one chapter a day from the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Matthew, you will make it through both gospels by Easter.  Or you could read a chapter from the Book of Exodus each day, as it is 40 chapters.   Regardless, pray about your penance and do something that expands your heart for Christ and for those around you!

St. Therese’s Prayer: This year, we made prayer cards (akin to a bookmark) of St. Therese’s famous prayer Oblation to Merciful Love.  She composed the prayer on June 9, 1895.  It is an extraordinary prayer where she offers everything to Jesus.  The prayer reveals her beautiful heart.  I invite you to take a prayer card and include it every day in your personal prayers.   You could begin your prayer time by offering this prayer.  It will open your heart to God and help you!  The prayer cards will be available after Masses this weekend and in our parish office.

Christ in the Movies: Beginning in Lent, I will offer a little two-part series called Christ in the Movies.   The first movie that we will look at is Rocky (1976), including the Catholic themes.  We will look at the virtues of perseverance, resiliency, and tenacity.  We will also look at why the composer of the music in the final fight was inspired by, wait for it, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!  The talk on Rocky will be this Thursday, February 19, at 10:00 am and 7:00 pm.

The second movie we will look at is The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey (1998).  The Truman Show.  Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) is an ordinary man who gradually discovers his entire life, including his hometown of Seahaven, his friends, and his family, is a massive reality television show broadcast 24/7 to the world.   Things begin to unravel as he notices inconsistencies, and he begins a quest for the truth and freedom from the artificial world constructed around him by a visionary producer.  In short, while Truman has everything in the material realm a person could want, his heart still wants more.  The talk on The Truman Show will be on Thursday, March 5, at 10:00 am and 7:30 pm.

Stations and Soup Supper:  We will have Stations of the Cross starting on Friday, February 20 at 5:30pm followed by a soup supper. 

Archbishop Fulton Sheen: The Vatican has given the green light that the Diocese of Peoria can proceed with Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s beatification!  The announcement comes six years after the Holy See had postponed his beatification.   While we do not know the details of the date and time of the ceremony, it will soon be announced through celebratesheen.com.  Our Sunday Visitor wrote a nice article that provides a nice little history about Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

Holy Land Pilgrimage:   Dr. Tim Grey with the Augustine Institute is leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land from April 16 – 26, 2026.  I have been invited to be their chaplain for the pilgrimage.  I love the Holy Land!  They informed me that they have two rooms left for the pilgrimage.  If this is something that interests you, please email me, and I can provide you with more information about the pilgrimage.  Dr. Tim Grey is one of the best tour guides as he knows the Holy Land well! 

Join Us in Praying the Rosary:  You are warmly invited to gather with us on Thursdays at 10 am by the fireplace to pray the Rosary together. It’s a peaceful way to pause, reflect, and lift our intentions as a community.

As a reminder, we also offer the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet every Thursday at 3 pm in the Chapel for those that this time works better.

Discerning Vocation Invite:  The archdiocese warmly invites young men 16 and older to join them for dinner and conversation about the priesthood and religious life. See flyer for more details.

Adoration:   We’d love for you to join our community of scheduled adorers by committing to one hour with our Lord. If you are able, please consider signing up for our open time slots. And of course, you are always warmly invited to come, pray, and spend time in our chapel whenever you wish.

 Wednesday, 12–1 pm

Please join us as we recite the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy every Thursday at 3 pm in the Chapel.

For more information, call Geri at 952-473-4422 or Marilyn Olson at 952-474-4344.

The St. Therese Parish Meal Pack Save the Date:  Mark your calendars for March 17-18. This year, our goal is to pack more than 132,192 meals.

High Schoolers Embark Session:  Join us on February 25 from 6:30–8:00 pm in the Community Room for a meaningful Embark session on faith and mental health with Addy Diaz from the Martin Center for Integration. Addy is a Master’s-level clinician working toward licensure as a Licensed Practicing Clinical Counselor (LPCC), a former youth minister, and an active worship leader with In The Name Worship. She brings real-life experience, practical tips, and a passion for helping teens grow in both faith and emotional health.

Together, we’ll explore how our Catholic faith offers hope, healing, and practical support for the ups and downs of life. This is a welcoming space for anyone seeking encouragement and tools for the journey. Parents are also invited!

Extreme Faith Camp Prayer Team Application Now Open!  High school leaders play a vital role at Extreme Faith Camp, helping middle school youth encounter the love of Jesus Christ while also growing in their own faith. One of the most meaningful ways to serve is through the Prayer Team, which supports the spiritual heart of camp by praying and interceding throughout the week and assisting behind the scenes with set-up for Mass, evening sessions, and prayer experiences. Prayer Team leaders also receive intentional formation through talks, small groups, and mentorship, and many students share that their Prayer Team year was one of the most impactful parts of their Extreme Faith Camp experience. For students hoping to serve on the Extreme Team in the future, Prayer Team is an important first step and a foundational prerequisite for that leadership role. Students interested in serving on the Prayer Team must complete an application by March 20th. For more information, contact Chelsie Blustein at (952) 261-0566 or cblustein@st-therese.org. Apply for the team at the link below or by using the QR code.

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!

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:

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:

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