From the Pastor's Desk - May 17, 2026

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

We’ve just celebrated nine (yes, nine) sacramental Masses for children and teens over the past two weeks. All told, about three hundred children received sacraments, which is about ten percent of our weekly Sunday Mass count. We pray that these children continue in the practice of the faith, especially the celebration of Sunday Mass. One of the reasons that Sunday Mass is so important is that it reminds us that the goal of life is heaven. If Sunday becomes just a day of rest, or time for family get-togethers, or just to “get stuff done,” how easy it is to lose sight of the goal. A famous author once said, “man has always lost his way, but now he has lost his address.” That is, every generation tends towards sin because of our fallen nature, but modern man doesn’t even know where he is heading. This Sunday’s celebration of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven is just that reminder for us. If our greatest desire is eternal union with God, our lives will reflect that in concrete ways—foremost among them the celebration of Sunday Mass.

I am extremely grateful for your generous response to our second collection last week for the sound and music equipment that the parish recently bought. We collected over $8,000, which more than doubles the amount we needed to cover the cost of the equipment!

Next Sunday, about twelve of our parishioners will receive the sacrament of Confirmation at a special Pentecost Mass celebrated by Cardinal McElroy at the Cathedral. Please pray for a generous outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all of them.

Sunday, May 31, we celebrate our annual trilingual Field Mass and parish picnic. Join us for the 12:00pm Mass on Fr. Meyer Field, followed by music, delicious food, and games for the kids. Over the next two Sundays, we will sell food tickets after every Sunday Mass. Please note that there will be no 1:30pm Spanish Mass on Sunday, May 31.

In Christ,

Fr. Dave