Author: Debbie Schurko

This week’s bulletin

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In an age when nearly every aspect of life has moved onto our phones, it was perhaps inevitable that prayer would follow. Today there are numerous digital platforms offering guided meditations, reflections, and prayer routines. While technology can certainly assist our spiritual lives, a serious concern arises when the sacred is shaped by the logic of the marketplace. Prayer, at its heart, is a relationship with God, and that relationship should never be reduced to a commercial product.

One widely known example in Christian circles today is the Hallow app. The app offers guided prayers, scripture reflections, and spiritual programs designed to help people deepen their relationship with God. Many individuals have found it helpful for establishing a habit of prayer. However, it is important to understand that Hallow operates as a for-profit company. Specifically, it is structured as a Public Benefit Corporation, meaning that while it promotes a social mission—helping people grow in prayer—it also raises venture capital and offers paid subscriptions as part of its business model.

Throughout the Gospel, the relationship between God and humanity is presented as a gift of grace. Prayer is not something that can be bought, sold, or placed behind a paywall. When worship in the Temple of Jerusalem became entangled with commerce, Jesus Christ responded dramatically. The Gospels recount how He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and drove merchants from the Temple, declaring that God’s house was meant to be a house of prayer, not a marketplace. His action was a powerful reminder that the worship of God must remain free from commercial exploitation.

History also teaches us the dangers that arise when spiritual life becomes tied to money. In the late Middle Ages, the selling of indulgences created scandal and confusion among the faithful. The perception that spiritual benefits could be purchased contributed significantly to the upheaval that followed, including the actions of Martin Luther and the events that ignited the Protestant Reformation. The Church learned from that painful moment that spiritual grace must never appear to be a commodity.

The challenge today is more subtle. Digital platforms do not claim to sell grace, but subscription models can send a troubling message. When certain spiritual resources are free (like IBreviary) while others are available only to paying members (like Hallow), prayer begins to look like a tiered service. The deeper programs, extended reflections, or more structured prayer experiences may become accessible only through payment. Even if the intention is simply to sustain the platform, the structure still frames prayer within the language of a product.

For two thousand years, the Church has approached spiritual life very differently. Scripture is proclaimed freely. The sacraments are not commercial transactions. Prayer cards, devotions, and pastoral guidance are given generously to the faithful. Even when books or materials are sold to cover costs, the prayer itself remains accessible to everyone. The Church has always understood something essential: God’s grace is a gift, not a product.

Prayer is the living encounter between the human heart and God. It is personal, sacred, and freely given.

As believers navigating a digital world, we should welcome tools that help us grow closer to God—but we must also guard against the temptation to turn the life of prayer into a marketplace. The relationship between the soul and God is too sacred to be commoditized. Grace is freely given, and prayer should always remain just that: free.

God bless,

 Fr. Tom Lanza
Pastor, St. Matthias Parish & School

This week’s bulletin

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The mystery of the Shroud of Turin has fascinated Christians, scientists, and historians for centuries. This ancient linen cloth, preserved in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, bears the faint image of a man who appears to have suffered scourging, crucifixion, and burial. For many believers, it may be the very burial cloth of Jesus Christ, offering a powerful connection to the events of His Passion, death, and Resurrection.

Historically, the Shroud can be traced with certainty to the 14th century in France, though many scholars believe its history extends much further back. By the 1350s, it was publicly displayed in Lirey, France, and later transferred to the House of Savoy before eventually being moved to Turin in 1578, where it remains today. Over the centuries, the Shroud has survived fires, wars, and extensive scientific study, all while continuing to inspire devotion and curiosity.

The image on the Shroud is unlike any painting or artistic work ever discovered. It appears as a negative image—something that was not fully appreciated until the invention of photography in 1898, when photographer Secondo Pia first captured it on film. When the photographic negative was developed, a strikingly clear and detailed image of a crucified man emerged. Since then, scientists have examined the cloth using modern techniques and have confirmed that the image is not made with pigments, paint, or dyes. To this day, no one has been able to fully explain how the image was formed.

For Christians, the Shroud is compelling because of how closely it corresponds with the Gospel accounts of Christ’s Passion. The Gospels tell us that Jesus was scourged, crowned with thorns, nailed through His wrists and feet, and pierced in the side. The figure on the Shroud shows marks consistent with Roman scourging, puncture wounds around the head suggesting a crown of thorns, wounds in the wrists and feet, and a large wound in the side—remarkably similar to the description found in Gospel of John (19:34). Scripture also tells us that after His death, Jesus’ body was wrapped in linen cloths and laid in the tomb, as described in Gospel of Matthew (27:59–60).

Theologically, the Shroud invites believers to reflect more deeply on the suffering and love of Christ. It is not an object of worship, nor does the Church require Catholics to believe it is authentic. However, many see it as a powerful sign that points toward the reality of the Passion. The wounds visible on the cloth remind us that Christ’s suffering was not symbolic—it was real, physical, and endured out of love for humanity. In this way, the Shroud can serve as a visual meditation on the mystery of redemption and the sacrifice that lies at the heart of the Christian faith.

In recent decades, renewed scientific study and historical analysis have only deepened the fascination surrounding the Shroud. Researchers continue to examine its fibers, pollen traces, blood patterns, and image characteristics. While debates continue, the Shroud remains one of the most studied religious artifacts in the world.

Our parish has a unique opportunity to explore this extraordinary mystery more deeply. On Saturday, March 28, immediately following the 5:00 PM Mass, we will host a special presentation by Fr. Andrew Dalton, an internationally respected scholar and one of the world’s leading experts on the Shroud of Turin. Father Dalton has lectured widely on the historical, biblical, and scientific dimensions of the Shroud and has helped countless people appreciate its significance for faith and reflection.

God bless,

Fr. Tom Lanza
Pastor, St. Matthias Parish & School

This week’s bulletin

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On March 3, the Church celebrates St. Katherine Drexel, a woman whose life offers a clear and challenging vision for parish vitality, Catholic education, and service to the poor. Born in 1858 into a wealthy Philadelphia banking family, Katherine inherited immense financial resources. Yet she understood wealth not as personal security, but as stewardship under divine providence. Her vocation was not simply philanthropy; it was ecclesial and missionary.

From a young age, Katherine witnessed her parents open their home to the poor, distributing food, clothing, and financial assistance. Charity for her was never abstract. It was personal, concrete, and rooted in the Gospel. As she matured in faith, she became increasingly aware of the grave injustices faced by Native Americans and African Americans in the United States—especially their lack of access to quality education and stable sacramental life.

During a visit to Rome, she asked Pope Leo XIII to send more missionaries to serve these marginalized communities. His response was direct: “Why not become a missionary yourself?” That question altered the course of her life. In 1891, she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, dedicating her fortune and her future to building schools, missions, and parish communities for those who had been excluded socially and economically.

St. Katherine Drexel went on to establish more than 60 schools and mission centers across the country. Most notably, she founded Xavier University of Louisiana in 1925, the only historically Black Catholic university in the United States. Her vision of education was comprehensive. She did not see schooling merely as academic instruction, but as integral formation—intellectual, spiritual, moral, and communal. For her, Catholic education was an instrument of evangelization and a work of justice.

Her work was not without opposition. She faced racism, threats, and even violent hostility. Yet she persevered with disciplined resolve. She understood that every human person bears the image of God and is entitled to dignity and opportunity. Her schools were places where faith and reason met, where students were taught both the truths of the Church and the skills necessary to flourish in society.

Later in life, St. Katherine suffered a severe heart attack that forced her into a hidden life of prayer for nearly twenty years. This period of contemplative withdrawal reveals another essential dimension of her spirituality: all effective ministry flows from union with Christ. Her activism was sustained by Eucharistic devotion and disciplined prayer. Without that interior foundation, her external works would have collapsed under pressure.

St. Katherine Drexel was canonized in 2000, but her relevance is immediate. She demonstrates that resources—whether financial, institutional, or personal—must be placed at the service of the Gospel. She shows that Catholic education is a powerful instrument of evangelization and justice. She proves that service to the marginalized strengthens, rather than weakens, parish life.

As we reflect on her witness, we might ask: How are we stewarding what has been entrusted to us? Are our parishes forming disciples with intellectual depth and charitable conviction? Are we attentive to those on the margins?

May St. Katherine Drexel intercede for our parish community, that we may be bold in faith, disciplined in charity, and unwavering in our commitment to Catholic education and the poor.

God bless,

Fr. Tom Lanza
Pastor, St. Matthias Parish & School