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St. Patrick Catholic Parish Podcast

St. Patrick Catholic Parish

Homilies, Chapel Chats, and more from the largest Catholic parish in Brighton, Michigan.

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20 episodes
weekly
Avg 11 min
English

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August 24 · 13 min
Receiving Everything from the Father and Giving Everything Back: Stewardship Series Part I | Fr. Peter Randolph
In this homily, delivered on August 23, 2026, Fr. Peter preaches on what it means to be a good steward. Stewardship involves receiving everything from the Father then giving it all back to Him out of love and gratitude. Since this dynamic of giving and receiving is at the heart of the Trinity, being a good steward is actually a participation in divine life. This is made concrete in our daily lives by giving of our time, talent, and treasure. Fr. Peter walks through examples of what it means to give of our time, talent, and treasure. His practical for the week is to spend ten minutes praying about stewardship. In the first five minutes, reflect on the time, talent, and treasure that God has given you, and in the second five minutes, ask the Father how He wants you to give of your time, talent, and treasure to those you are called to love. This is the first part of a two-part series on stewardship.
August 3 · 13 min
Food is for Communion | Fr. Peter Randolph
In this homily, delivered on August 2, 2026, Fr. Peter preaches on the reality that food is for communion. In today's world, there is a lot of discussion and debate surrounding food, and many people wrestle with how to feed themselves and their children. In addition, many people have a broken relationship with food because of stress-eating, concern about body image, and other such things. It can be so easy to be caught up in what or what not to eat, that we often do not consider why we eat. Food is for communion, both with God and with others. God did not have to make food, but chose to create food so that we could be united with Him and others through it. In both the Old and the New Testaments, God uses food to draw His People into communion with Himself, and the ultimate expression of this is in the Eucharist. Fr. Peter invites the congregation to approach daily meals as a way to enter into communion with God and others, allowing the grace before meals to be a practical reminder that we are about to enter into a time of communion.
July 28 · 12 min
Why We Hesitate to Joyfully Sell Everything to Secure Jesus our Treasure | Fr. Mathias Thelen
In this homily given on the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (July 5, 2026), Father Mathias preaches the parable of the treasure buried in the field. He outlines three reasons why people don't joyfully sell all they have (surrender) to secure the treasure of Jesus. 1) They simply haven't found Jesus yet. 2) They have found him, but they're not convinced of his real value 3) They have found him and they're convinced of his value, but they refuse to change and repent. After relating this parable to the five thresholds of conversion and the mission of St Pat's, Father ends his homily challenging us to identify our hesitancy and resist joyfully selling all that we have to secure Jesus our treasure.
July 20 · 12 min
Transformation Over Time | Fr. Peter Randolph
In this homily, delivered on July 19, 2026, Fr. Peter preaches on the gradual nature of our transformation in holiness. It can be easy to fall into discouragement because it seems like we keep committing the same sins or getting distracted during prayer. However, our transformation is gradual, just like the rising of bread is gradual. That is why the parable of the woman with the yeast can be a great source of encouragement. Since our transformation takes time, we never need to be discouraged, and we can dream big. We can continually open our heart to Jesus each time we fall and trust that, little by little, we will be transformed.
July 13 · 11 min
Seed into Wheat, Wheat into Bread, Bread into Jesus | Fr. Peter Randolph
In this homily, delivered on July 12, 2026, Fr. Peter preaches on the way we can offer everything to Jesus in the Eucharist. He explains that Jesus is the seed that encounters the soil of our lives. If we open up to Jesus, we bear fruit, and our lives can be transformed in the Eucharist. He describes how this has been a living reality for him in a particular way over this past year as the Lord met him in his grief.
July 6 · 9 min
Why the Proud Don't Receive Much from God | Fr. Mathias Thelen
In this homily given on the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time (July 5, 2026), Father Mathias preaches on why God hides himself from the proud but reveals himself to the humble. Because the proud are self-focused and self-reliant, they are not open to reality, they are not open to change. As such they become blind to God and what he offers us. But the humble are open to reality, they know they need God and are open to receiving from God. If Jesus wants us to come to him to receive his rest, then we need to be humble enough to come to him to receive his rest. The problem is that those who are proud don't come to Jesus, they don't think they need to, they don't want to. Therefore, they don't receive much from what he offers. Father ends his homily inviting us to come to Jesus as a little child to tell him what's going on in our prayer so we can receive what he has for us.
June 29 · 10 min
Why You Should Love Jesus More Than Your Family (And How to Do It) | Fr. Mathias Thelen
In this homily given on the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time (June 28, 2026), Father Mathias preaches on one of the most difficult teachings of Jesus: whoever loves parents or children more than him is not worthy of him. The human race is divided on its response to Jesus. Some accept him and follow him, others do not. That creates tension in families and causes temptations to compromise and love family members more than Jesus. Father Mathias offers two reminders to help renew our minds that can help us love Jesus more than our children and parents. 1) Remember that your love for your children/parents is merely a faith echo of how much God loves them. 2) Your children/parents do not belong to you; they are gifts of God entrusted to you for a short time. He ends the homily exhorting us to renew our faith in Jesus as our first love when we receive him in Communion.
June 22 · 14 min
What a Father Does | Fr. Joshua Fons
On Father's Day, June 21st, 2026, Fr. Joshua Fons gave his last homily at St. Patrick's. (He will be moving to East Lansing to serve the student parish for Michigan State) In this powerful homily, he unpacks the mission and vocation of every father, and what makes fatherhood so essential. Fathers teach us our place in the great story, they show us how to live in this world, how to love, and what to fear. They invite us to step into our own role in the story. Especially in a culture that is struggling for lack of fatherhood, fathers need renewal and strength to live out their mission.
June 16 · 11 min
Why We Should Sing At Mass No Matter How We Feel | Fr. Mathias Thelen
In this homily given on the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time (June 14 , 2026), Father Mathias preaches on Psalm 100 and why we are to sing a joyful song of praise to the Lord at Mass. After outlining why singing at Mass is one way we actively participate in divine worship of God at Mass, Fr Mathias outlines several common reasons why we might resist singing to the Lord at Mass: we mistakenly believe singing is optional, we might not know or like the music, the music might not be good, we're not certain about who God is, we simply don't feel like it. But the Mass is not about us; it's the worship of God, giving him what's his due. Therefore, we need to resist the temptation to not sing to God because we don't feel like or we don't want to. Since God is Good, no matter how we feel, Father challenges us to sing his praises at Mass precisely when we don't feel like it. Doing so opens our hearts to the God who loves us and wants to bless us in whatever we're going through in our lives.
June 8 · 12 min
What the Lord is Doing in the Desert | Fr. Joshua Fons
On the Feast of Corpus Christi, June 7th, 2026, Fr. Joshua Fons invites us to walk with the Israelites in the Desert. What seemed like a time of hardship, was actually a training ground in trust, a time when they had to learn that they had a God who cared for them and provided for them. The Lord does the same with us, he allows us to wander in the desert so that we can encounter his provision, particularly through the Holy Eucharist. We have to come to realize that we cannot live on bread alone, so that our hearts can hunger for the true food, the bread of life.
June 1 · 12 min
That Voice of Condemnation in Your Head is Not From God | Fr. Mathias Thelen
In this homily given on Trinity Sunday May 31st, 2026, Father Mathias preaches on the fact that God, who is Father Son and Holy Spirit is love itself. Drawing from the Gospel, Father reminds us that God is for us and not against us; he has come to save us from our sins, not to condemn us. Father challenges to avoid a false spirituality of fear that has crept back into the Church masquerading as a traditional Catholic spirituality. He ends his homily offering a few reminders of how God relates to us in our sin for those struggling with a voice of condemnation in their hearts.
May 26 · 12 min
What Pentecost Can Teach the Church Today | Fr. Joshua Fons
On the Feast of Pentecost, May 24th, 2026 Fr. Joshua Fons challenges us to look to Pentecost for the source of the Church's renewal. Pentecost is part of our tradition, in fact, it is the very start of our Church. To ignore Pentecost is to ignore what Christ has given to us: the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit who gives us the courage and strength to live out the Church's mission: making disciples of all nations.
May 18 · 12 min
The Holy Spirit Is Not a Side-Issue for Jesus (or For Us) | Fr. Mathias Thelen
In this homily given on Ascension Sunday (May 17, 2025), Fr Mathias preaches on one of the reasons why Jesus ascends into heaven: to obtain the promise of the Father and baptize us in the Holy Spirit. This is what he died to do: to immerse us into the very life of God and to bear witness to him. Essentially, Jesus wants everyone to be baptized in the Holy Spirit As Catholics we believe we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. But we also believe that the sacraments are not magic and require proper interior dispositions for the graces of the sacraments to be released into our lives. Theologians call this release of the graces of sacraments of initiation as the "the baptism in the Holy Spirit" After outlining key signs that one is baptized in the Holy Spirit, Fr Mathias encourages us to ask the Lord to baptize us in the Holy Spirit.
May 11 · 10 min
Motherhood is a Gift | Fr. Joshua Fons
On Mother's Day, May 10th, 2026, Fr. Joshua speaks to the moms of the parish, inviting them to reflect on the gift of their Vocation. In particular, the ways we are tempted to not see our Vocation as a gift from God, but rather as a burden, a reward, or a waste. From that place, Christ wants to bring renewal. The key to that renewal lies in the words of St. Peter "Beloved, sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts." A fruitful vocation starts with knowing that we are beloved of God, and then response, to put him first in our hearts.
May 4 · 13 min
How to Offer Pleasing Worship to God | Fr. Mathias Thelen
In this homily given on Sunday May 3, 2025, Fr Mathias preaches on the common priesthood that belongs to all baptized Christians and applies it to the lay faithful. Indeed, exercising our common priesthood is central to how we worship God. Father offers two tips on how to do this well: 1) Do everything in your life as an offering of love to God. 2) Unite your offerings of the week to the offering of Christ at Sunday Mass
April 27 · 13 min
Resisting the Psyops Campaign of the Devil | Fr. Mathias Thelen
In this homily on April 26, 2026 (Good Shepherd Sunday), Fr Mathias preaches on Psalm 23 and applies it to Jesus being our Good Shepherd. We really can trust in Jesus as our Good Shepherd to give us peace, rest, refreshment, protection, and guidance. Father then outlines various aspects of the Devil's psyops campaign to get us to not follow Jesus the Good Shepherd. To access the presentations on prayer referenced at end of Mass on how to hear God's voice spoken of in the homily please go here (and scroll down to 2024). https://www.stpatrickcatholicparish.org/parish-mission-2024
April 20 · 12 min
Where You See Defeat, God Sees Victory | Fr. Joshua Fons
On the Third Sunday of Easter, April 19th 2026, Fr. Joshua breaks open the story of the Road to Emmaus, challenging us to put ourselves in the shoes of those disciples. They were downcast, because they had their own plan for how the Messiah was going to do his thing, and it seems like it failed. But they didn't plan for the Cross. We do the same: we have a plan for our life, a plan for what it means to follow God, but we also forget about the Cross. And what we see as a problem, might actually be the solution. What looks like defeat, might actually be the path to victory. The Lord wants to renew our minds, to see His plan, the big picture, the story of our Salvation in a new way!
April 13 · 15 min
Celebrating Easter | Dcn. Peter Randolph
In this homily, given on April 12, 2026, Dcn. Peter encourages us to celebrate the Easter season. He notes that we often remember to observe Lenten practices but forget to celebrate the Easter season. He brings up three pillars that the Early Church used to live out Easter: Eucharist, the Holy Spirit, and community. He encourages us to rely on the same three pillars to celebrate Easter. His practical for the week is to ask Jesus how He wants us to live out Easter this year so that we can walk more fully in Jesus' victory and freedom.
April 7 · 7 min
We Hope for Better Things; It Will Arise From the Ashes | Fr Joshua Fons
On Easter Sunday (April 5, 2026), Father Joshua invites us to take St. Paul's words as our personal motto: "If you have been raised with Christ, seek what is above." These words were lived out by one of the founders of the University of Michigan: Father Gabriel Richard. After the city of Detroit was destroyed by a fire, he rallied the rebuilding, penning Detroit's motto: we hope for better things; it will arise from the ashes." These words capture the hope of the Resurrection. A hope that can face even the greatest hardships. A hope that our world needs today.
April 7 · 8 min
Jesus is Alive: We No Longer Need To Be Afraid | Fr Mathias Thelen
In this Easter Sunday homily on April 5th, 2026, Fr Mathias preaches on the Resurrection of Jesus. We don't have to be afraid of death because Jesus is alive. After sharing about how Jesus is still delivering people from evil and healing the sick today, Father exhorts us to respond to Jesus with faith, repentance and baptism, so we can be with him forever.

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