Fr. Riccardo discusses the reality of evil in this homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. Fr. John looks at: who is the devil, what his names mean, his mode of operation, his goal, his relationship to Jesus, why it may look like he is winning, and what this has to do with us as a parish right now.
On Friday, November 1st, and Saturday, November 2nd, Our Lady of Good Counsel Church hosted retreat sessions for participants in the parish's Alpha course. The retreat sessions focused on the Holy Spirit, and included some personal testimonies. This is Fr. Riccardo's testimony from the Friday session.
Fr. Riccardo discusses the importance of knowing Jesus, encountering Him, and making Him known in this homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel. Fr. John reflects on his own life-changing encounter with Jesus, and the profound way that his life was changed by that encounter. (LK 19:1-10)
Fr. Riccardo discusses the ways in which God guides us in this homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. Fr. John reviews the Alpha topic from week six that seeks to answer the question "How does God guide us?" Fr. John takes a closer look at guidance through the counsel of the saints and reflects on the ways he was guided by the examples of his parents and siblings as an adolescent and young adult.
Fr. Riccardo reflects on the parable of Lazarus and the rich man from today's gospel reading (LK 19:19-31) in this homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. Fr. John tells that congregation that while there are numerous proclamations in scripture that deal with the requirement that people of means share their wealth with those less fortunate, the true message in Luke's gospel today deals with our resistance to fully following Christ.
Fr. Riccardo discusses the recent interview of Pope Francis by Fr. Antonio Spadaro, S.J., for La Civiltà Cattolica , the Italian Jesuit journal, in this homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel. Fr. John explains how the Holy Father's words connect with his goals for the Alpha program currently underway at OLGC. While discussing the proclaimation of the kerygma , Fr. John remarks, "The first experience that we should have in our spiritual life should be the overwhelming experience of knowing God's l...
Fr. Riccardo discusses the parable of the prodigal son (LK 15:1-32) in this homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. Fr. John tells the congregation that Jesus is trying to tell us what the Father is like, and encourages the congregants to live their lives with, "an attitude of graditude for all that God has done for us." Fr. John looks at this parable in greater depth in these podcasts ( Father or Adversary , The Father )....
While considering the gospel reading from St. Luke (LK 14:25-33), Fr. Riccardo tells the congregation that Jesus is begging us to trust Him, and to surrender our lives to Him. Fr. John reminds the congregation that, "Jesus is the only one who can show us the path that leads to life."
This is Fr. Riccardo's homily from the Mass of the Holy Spirit celebrated at the start of the new school year.
On the weekend of August 17 and 18, Our Lady of Good Counsel Church welcomed Fr. Tom Hagan, O.S.F.S of Hands Together . Fr. Hagan preached at all Masses about his missionary work with the poor in the Cite Soleil slum in Haiti. You can learn more about Fr. Tom and Hands Together by visiting the website for the organization.
In this homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Fr. John looks at Mary as mother.
On March 9th, Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish hosted a men's event for the Archdiocese of Detroit Office of Evangelization and Catechesis. Following the opening Mass celebrated by Archbishop Vigneron, Fr. Riccardo delivered the opening talk titled Tirelessly Running the Race .
On March 9th, Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish hosted a men's event for the Archdiocese of Detroit Office of Evangelization and Catechesis. This is Archbishop Allen Vigneron's homily from the opening Mass.
Fr. Riccardo discusses the Alpha program in this homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. The Alpha program begins at OLGC in September.
Deacon Don Leach returns to Our Lady of Good Counsel this weekend to update the parish on the bridging relationship between OLGC and St. Aloysius parish in Detroit.
In this homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Fr. Riccardo discusses all of the methods the parish is using to communicate with parishioners. In addition to the parish website , the parish maintains a Facebook page, a YouTube page, a blog page, a Twitter page, and an Instagram page. The parish also has smartphone applications (apps) for both the iOS and Android platforms....
While discussing the recent Life Teen pilgrimage to Italy and on the readings of this day (GN 18:1-10A, COL 1:24-28, and LK 10:38-42), Fr. Riccardo notes the importance of listening. Fr. John encourages the congregation to bring their apprehensions and concerns to God in silent prayer.
Fr. Riccardo discusses the upcoming youth pilgrimage to Italy in this homily from the noon Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. Fr. John details the importance of coming to know the saints and their credible witness to the faith. He reminds the congregation that life makes no sense apart from Christ.
While reflecting on the readings for this day (1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21; Gal 5:1, 13-15; and Lk 9:51-62), Fr. Riccardo reminds the congregation that God made each of us to be happy, and that we must be obedient to God to find true happiness.
While considering Jesus' question from the gospel (Who do you say that I am?), Fr. Riccardo shares an excerpt from the book At the Origin of the Christian Claim by Fr. Luigi Giussani. Fr. Giussani was an Italian Catholic priest, educator, and founder of the international Catholic movement Communion and Liberation .
Fr. Riccardo reflects on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which was celebrated this past Friday. Fr. John describes the apparitions received by Sr. Margaret Mary in the 1670s, and asks the congregation, "How are we loving God as a parish and as an individual?"
On the Feast of Corpus Christi , Fr. Riccardo preached at the 10 AM Mass honoring parish members completing their high school or college studies. Fr. John asked the graduates and all congregants whether they have come to know Jesus. For those students about to depart for college in the fall, Fr. John encouraged them to pray daily, to stay close to Mass, to read His word, and to find some way to serve. Fr. John remarked that true greatness comes from knowing the Lord, from loving Him, and from ma...
Fr. Riccardo concludes his series on the teachings of Jesus with regard to sexual morality. Fr. John discusses homosexuality in this homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel Church.
Fr. Riccardo continues to preach on the teaching of Jesus with regard to sexual morality in this homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. Fr. John discusses the importance of living a virtuous life, with particular emphasis on the virtue of temperance. At the end of the Mass, Fr. John recommended the book Back to Virtue by Peter Kreeft .
Fr. Riccardo continues to preach on the teaching of Jesus with regard to sexual morality in this homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. Fr. John discusses sobering statistics regarding pornography, the ways this industry is harmful to families, and offers pastoral help for those dealing with addictions to pornography. Support groups at Our Lady of Good Counsel include the My House women's group (a confidential group dedicated to help women grieve the losses associated with their spouse's p...
Each year Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish School celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel with a Streamer Day Mass to recognize the eighth grade students who will soon complete their final studies at the elementary school. Fr. Riccardo's homily from this year's Mass is presented here.
Fr. Riccardo details his plan to spend the next several weeks preaching on the Church's teaching with regard to sexuality. Fr. John reminds the congregation that the Church's moral teaching is based on reason.
Fr. Riccardo contrasts the recent NCAA basketball championship weekend with John's glimpse of heaven from today's second reading (Rev. 5:11-14). Fr. John asks the congregation to consider what is the appropriate response to a God who has become man and destroyed death?
In this homily from the Easter Vigil Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel, Fr. Riccardo remarks that, "The crisis in the church today is a lack of knowledge of the risen, living Jesus." While addressing the congregation, including a group of 56 people about to enter the church, Fr. John reminds them that they must be conformed to Jesus and that all are sent out to evangelize by telling others about Him.
Fr. Riccardo offers advice to the congregants on preparing for Holy Week in this Palm Sunday homily from Our Lady of Good Counsel.
