Dear Parishioners,

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the Easter season. I will be going on retreat April 20-24, therefore there will be no daily Masses that week. I will also be off my technology for those days, so I’ll try to catch up when I get back.

Next weekend we are hosting an engaged couple’s retreat. Thank you to all who are assisting with this event. The parish office and grounds will be in use both Saturday and Sunday, so please note the couples will be using much of the parish grounds to do their reflection meetings together, this includes the kitchen and social hall.

We also have first communion at the 10:30 Mass next Sunday the 26th. This year we have 10 students making their first communion. There will be reserved pews at the front of church for the families of the first communicants at that Mass, so be aware of that.

Saturday 10 AM May 2nd is our confirmation Mass. We have 6 students making their confirmation this year, a smaller group for us, but no less important. Bishop Daniel will be here for this special celebration. Thanks to all who have worked to support these students on this journey to confirmation.

The SJ church continues to make progress, the current work being done is interior framing, hanging interior doors, electrical, plumbing, heating, sheet-rocking and insulating. There is a video tour on the website, but already much has changed since then. Please continue praying for the project.

Sadly, last Sunday (4-12-26) the collection for the 10:30 AM Mass appears to have been stolen. Usually after the collection it goes into a safe, but the bag seems to have got caught in the drop box, and unfortunately it was taken. We are working to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I am grateful for our ushers and all who help with the collection. It is unfortunate that we have to deal with these sorts of things from time to time. However, I am grateful this is the first time.

It has been great to have Fr. Paul working with me and helping out in the parish. He and I are grateful for all the prayers and the many people who have hosted us. It is a nice time to have another priest, and I have enjoyed our fellowship. Recently I’ve been listening to the audiobook of ‘He Leadeth Me’, it’s the story of an American Jesuit Priest Fr. Walter Ciszek. He went to Russia during World War II and was imprisoned in solidary confinement for 5 years, then he was sent to the work camps in Siberia. He ended up spending 23 years there before he was freed to come back to the US. What comes across clearly in his story is the importance of priests serving together in ministry. The need for fellowship, support and the opportunity to go to confession and bear the burdens of each other. I think this is something that many priests in our diocese would benefit from. The challenge in a diocese like ours, is finding ways to arrange it so that priests aren’t isolated. There are some assignments that are just far away and isolated.

Just so you are in the loop, there have been some announcements regarding assignments. Dcn. James Clack will begin an assignment as Parish Administrator of Deer River, Ball Club, and Cass Lake on April 13, 2026. His assignment as Parish Administrator of Longville and Remer will conclude on May 1, 2026. Fr. Thomas Foster has been assigned as Sacramental Minister in Cass Lake effective May 1, 2026. Fr. Joseph Fink has been assigned as Sacramental Minister of Deer River and Ball Club effective May 1, 2026. Fr. Timothy Deutsch has been assigned Pastor of Remer and Longville beginning May 1, 2026. Fr. Jacob Toma will conclude his assignment as Parochial Vicar of St. Francis, Brainerd and All Saints, Baxter to begin advanced studies in Ecumenism in Rome effective July 1, 2026. Fr. Sekhar Dasari will conclude his assignment as Parochial Vicar of the East Duluth parishes and begin as Parochial Vicar of St. Francis, Brainerd and All Saints, Baxter effective July 1, 2026.

In Christ,

Fr. Eli