From the Pastor's Desk - January 11, 2026

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

Happy Feast of the Baptism of the Lord! A couple months after I was ordained a priest, my mom called me and with excitement in her voice asked, “Dave do you remember the day of your baptism?” “Of course not,” I responded. “I was a baby!” “Well,” my mom said, “you were baptized on June 19 , 1983!” My parents kept a Bible that had a section in it where you could record the sacraments of your children. As she was filling in my priesthood ordination date—June 19 , 2010—she noticed it was the same date as my baptism. I was floored by the two dates coinciding and filled with gratitude to God for that sign. The first thing I thought was it was all the work of Mary. She had walked beside me as a perfect mother over the winding course of my life to that point, always correcting my path and leading me to say yes to the Lord. Now every June 19 I celebrate the two great gifts of my baptism and priestly ordination.

I encourage you as families to celebrate the anniversaries of your children’s baptisms (and your own!) just as you celebrate their birthdays. Pull out the baptismal candle, light it once again, and celebrate with a cake and presents. Baptism is a rebirth which even supersedes in importance the day of our birth. Take the time to thank our Blessed Mother as well. You are aware of the pains that mothers go through in bringing their babies to birth. How much more painstakingly does our Blessed Mother work to bring us to rebirth in Christ.

In Christ,

Fr. Dave