Introducing: Wednesday Reflections

 February 18, 2026 - Ash Wednesday

Today we begin something new. I’ve never enjoyed the so-called “Pastor’s Corner” that one often finds on the front page of a parish bulletin. Something always seemed off that you would get a reflection from the pastor on the same day that you just heard him preach at Mass. So, instead I’ve decided to take my direction from the Holy Father. 

Pope Pius XII instituted the Wednesday Audience back in the middle part of the 20th century. It was originally for newlyweds but was eventually expanded to all pilgrims. It’s remained an important tradition in Rome since the end of World War II. Since that time the Roman Pontiffs have used the Wednesday Audience to communicate simple messages, extended catecheses, or even expansive theological reflections. Our current Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, is reflecting on the documents of the Second Vatican Council at his Wednesday Audiences. I hope to do something similar.

My plan is to take this idea and expand on it to make it a true audience. Modern technology has made so much in the realm of communication possible. I hope to leverage existing technologies to reach out to you directly and to offer you greater access to me as your pastor. This is the plan as I currently conceive it. Each Wednesday I will prepare a written reflection. This will be about something of theological significance to our life as Catholics. By Easter I will start having a fixed time that this reflection will be communicated on a video call that you can join at your leisure. By the end of the Easter Season I hope to make this time interactive with a moderated Question & Answer session following the reflection.

One characteristic of the Wednesday Audience that I would like to mirror for our own reflections is their brevity. On average, they are about 15 minutes long. I would like to keep to that timetable as best as possible. This means that when we do start offering the opportunity for questions it may be necessary to defer them to a later time. Precisely how this will be moderated is still in the works and why the roll-out will happen in phases. In the meantime, I hope that you will gain something from the short reflections I will be offering you beginning next Wednesday. The topic will be on the Roman Canon. I will break it up into its major divisions, explain what each part is, and how you can more deeply engage that portion of the Eucharistic Prayer to deepen your relationship to God in the midst of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

In Our Holy Father Dominic,

Fr. Gabriel, OP

Pastor