From the Pastor's Desk - October 19, 2025

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

As I was doing some research on Marian apparitions this past week, I was struck by the descriptions of various visionaries on seeing the Blessed Mother. All of them were awestruck by her beauty. They give effusive descriptions of her clothing, her facial expressions, her movements, and the aura that enshrouds her. For some of these visionaries, it is too much for their human senses to take in.

Beauty is one of the underrated means of evangelization. St. Padre Pio once said “If the world could see the beauty of a soul without sin, all sinners, all non-believers would instantly convert.” Pope Benedict XVI argued that that the two most convincing proofs of the Catholic faith are the lives of the saints and the beauty of her art. The great Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky famously wrote that “Beauty will save the world.” Now the danger in beauty is that we tend to remain stuck on its material aspect, its mere physical appearance. But the beauty of the Church’s art, for example, points us toward a deeper spiritual beauty. This is expressed well by one of the prayers of the Mass prayed at Christmas: “For in the mystery of the Word made flesh a new light of your glory has shone upon the eyes of our mind, so that, as we recognize in him God made visible, we may be caught up through him in love of things invisible.” We pray to be led from the beauty of the visible manifestation of Christ to the love of invisible spiritual realities.

I look forward to seeing you this weekend at our annual Ministry Fair. I hope that you get the chance to see the many spiritual, educational, and charitable works within our parish. I encourage you to get involved in one or more of them, because not only will you benefit, but you will add to the vitality of our parish. In the famous prayer of St. Charles de Foucald, he says “I love you Lord, and so need to give myself . . .” May the love that God has planted in your heart lead you to same desire to give of yourself for the building up of the church.

In Christ,

Fr. Dave