Pastor's Letter
July 12, 2026-15th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Today we celebrate the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. This week we begin a month of parables in the Gospel. Today we hear the story of the Sower and the Seed. But before we reflect on that story, I believe Isaiah today also offers an important lesson for us. Isaiah reminds the people that rain and snow are constantly coming down to water the earth. Even in seasons of drought, eventually the moisture returns. Isaiah tells us that God’s word is like that. God is constantly speaking to us, even when we don’t listen or hear. So back to today’s parable. A farmer sows seed. Forget our mechanized farming today. In Jesus time a farmer just went out and literally threw seed to the wind and let it fall where it may. The story is interesting for us whether we are farmers or not, because Jesus assigns a value or judgement to where the seed falls. God scatters wisdom, knowledge, and love the same way the Sower does. The importance for us is productivity after we have heard God’s voice. Are we open to the word of God, or does it fall on rocky, thorny, or dead hearts. At our best we will produce goodness a hundred fold if we keep our hearts open.
Today welcome back Fr. Hunter Ostapowicz back to St. Juliana. Hunter was a seminarian with us for a number of years as he studied for the Diocese of Grand Rapids in Michigan. A few weeks back Hunter was ordained a priest. Many of you here at St. Juliana had a part in his journey and his call. The seminarians bring their gifts to the parish, and the parish give the seminarians gifts in return. Hunter will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 11:00 am this morning. The Mission Spirit Team will be hosting a simple reception after the mass for Fr. Hunter in the back of the church. Please join us as we celebrate and congratulate Fr. Hunter on his ordination.
This week the parish launched its new website. Over the past several months, Barb Ernat has dedicated countless hours to bringing this project to life. While there were plenty of starts, stops, and challenges along the way, her persistence and hard work have resulted in a fresh, user-friendly website for our Saint Juliana community. You can still access the website the same way you always have at stjuliana.org. From there, you'll be welcomed by a new landing page that provides easy access to either the parish or school website. It was no small task to clean up the web site content and rebuild it for easier use. While the website will continue to grow and evolve, we are excited to share this important milestone. Thanks once again to Barb for all of her work.
Finally, I would like to invite you our newest small group faith sharing group; Discern and Decide. The program is set to kick off on Saturday, August 1st, at 9:15 am. It is a program that uses spiritual discernment to help make decisions in our daily lives. There is more information in the bulletin and our new and improved web site.
Today we celebrate the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The word meek comes up in both our first reading and the Gospel. We often associate being meek with weakness. The world tells us that we are to ready to fight at a moments notice. Meekness is actually a form of self control, self reflection, and strength. It is stepping back and reflecting on a situation before making a decision. It calls for contemplation before sometimes destructive action. My grandfather was a meek man. Though he used few words, he was probably one of the strongest and most influential people in my life. He taught me to never shy away from the unknown. He taught me to be open minded. He taught me to see everyone as equal. He taught me that everyone had a value. His meekness came from life experience and his faith in Jesus. We pray to God today for an extra portion of meekness.
This weekend we gather with family and friends to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. Independence Day is a day to reflect of the brave men and women who envisioned a new way. They took their lived experiences, and realized that there could be a better way. Together they formed a country of freedoms and rights that come from a belief that God created all of us equal. There is no distinction in the eyes of God. We are all created good and need to share that goodness and light with the world. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and I encourage all of us to rededicate ourselves to our founding principles.
This week, we are pleased to welcome Jackie Grischeau to our parish staff as our new Director of Religious Education. Jackie has a lifelong connection to the St. Juliana community and is a proud alumna of St. Juliana School. We are excited to welcome her to our team and look forward to the knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm she will bring to our Religious Education program.
Next Sunday July 12th, at the 11:00 AM mass we will welcome back Fr. Hunter Ostapowicz. Hunter was a seminary intern at St. Juliana for a number of years. He participated in our weekend liturgies, the Missionary Spirit Team, and our OCIA. Over the years he built relationships in the parish and on the staff. Two weeks ago Huner was ordained a priest for the diocese of Grand Rapids in Michigan. Next Sunday Hunter will celebrate a mass of Thanksgiving here at St. Juliana. We will have a simple reception following the mass in the back of church. Please join us for the celebration.
Next Saturday, the St. Juliana Scouts will host their summer car wash. Proceeds from the car wash help fund their activities throughout the year.