Father Forgive Them- April 3, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

Hanging in agony upon the cross, Jesus cried out, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

The story of Saint John Gualbert is a beautiful example of this. John was the founder of a monastery outside the city of Florence, Italy, in the mid eleventh century, a monastery that has been a factory of holiness ever since. His feast day is July 12^th. 

But John didn't start out as a saint. He was a young nobleman who thoroughly enjoyed all his aristocratic privileges. Besides pleasure, his main passion was revenge. His brother Hugh had been murdered, and John felt it was his duty to put the killer to death. For a long time, he searched for the culprit, becoming angrier the longer he searched.

One Good Friday as he was returning to Florence from a short journey, he was making his way through a narrow pass in the road when his prey entered the same pass from the other side. There was no escape. John drew his sword and prepared to avenge his brother's death. But the killer cast himself on his knees and begged for mercy. At that moment, his sword over his enemy's neck, the thought of Christ on the cross, forgiving his enemies, suddenly came to the future saint's mind. He couldn't bring himself to carry out his long-contemplated plan. Instead, he sheathed his sword, embraced his brother's murderer, and forgave him. After the encounter, he went to the nearest church to pray. That's when he discovered his vocation and began the adventure of becoming a saint.

Just the thought of Christ on the cross, just a quiet little thought nudging his conscience - that's the real work of the Holy Spirit. As we think of Christ on the cross today, may we become the saints He calls us to be.   

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

PS – Good Friday Liturgy at 7PM; Stations of the Cross at 3PM; Easter Masses are Saturday 8PM; Sunday 8AM; 9:30AM; 11AM

Donkey- March 27, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,  

One of my favorite movie animated characters is Donkey from the movie Shrek. He is known for his energetic (and sometimes irritating but always lovable) demeanor, his idle babble, and of course, his all-consuming love of waffles.

Holy Week begins this Sunday with Palm Sunday. We will begin the liturgy with the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey. The donkey of Palm Sunday is symbolic of two things: humility and peace.  

The donkey symbolically shows us how Christ won his victory over sin and evil: through humility. A donkey is a useful beast of burden, but not a glorious and impressive one. And that's exactly like the Christian virtue of humility, by which we lower ourselves in order to help raise up others, to serve them. And this is what Jesus did, as St. Paul tells us in today's Second Reading: "...he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness... he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” God becoming man and taking up residence in this sinful world is the ultimate act of humility. As Jesus rides the humble donkey into the city of Jerusalem, so he rides the virtue of humility through the sinful world in order to blaze a path for us into heaven.

The second symbolic meaning is more directly connected to Christ’s victory and peace. In ancient times, military commanders would ride a strong, powerful, fast warhorse but after a battle was won, the victorious general would parade into the city riding on – you guessed it – a donkey. That is why the people shouted out when they saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. It was a sign for them; it meant that Jesus had conquered and was bringing peace in the kingdom.

Now imagine an ancient chariot race between two competitors, one is a horse named ‘justice’ with the jockey named ‘pride’.  The other chariot is a horse named ‘sin’ with the jockey named ‘humility’.  If you are a betting person, who would you bet on?  St. John Chrysostom wrote, “you will see that sin outrunning justice wins not by its own strength, but by that of humility: while you will see the other pair beaten, not by the weakness of justice, but by the weight and size of pride.”

Brothers and sisters, the race is on! Holy week is upon us. If we find ourselves in the chariot of pride and pulled by our self-righteous horse named justice, we will lose the race of salvation.  However, today, if we recognize that sin is driving our life, all we need to do is climb into the chariot of humility through the sacrament of confession and the mercy of God will pull us to the victory lane of heaven!  

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

PS – Holy Week Confessions:  Tues. 6-7pm; Wed. 4:30-5:30pm; Thur. 6-7pm & 8-9pm; Fri. 3:30-4:30pm, 6-7pm & 8-9pm

Pilgrimage - March 20, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Have you ever been on a pilgrimage? Maybe you have traveled to the Holy Land, Rome, Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe or some other Catholic site to increase your faith. 

A basic definition of pilgrimage is a journey to sites of particular religious significance. Pilgrimage is a part of many of the great religions of the world, for in religion humanity seeks the answers to the perennial questions of life. Pilgrimage is a common human experience in which one seeks to fulfill a ritual obligation, live an experience of spirituality or ask for particular graces or miracles. 

Vatican II’s document Lumen Gentium speaks of the pilgrim Church that journeys toward the heavenly Jerusalem. The word pilgrimage comes from the Latin word peregre, which means to journey through the land. St. Paul identifying that Christians “are pilgrims and strangers on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13). In short, a pilgrimage is an outward journey of an inward movement toward God. 

I am pleased to announce that our parish will be doing a fall pilgrimage to Italy and the French Riviera. We will get to visit the shrines like the Shroud of Turin, St. Mary Magdalene, St. John Bosco, St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and many others. You will get to experience the Alps, Mediterranean Sea, and Italian & French culture.

Please see below for more details about this wonderful opportunity to grow in your faith and fellowship with other parishioners. Space is limited so I encourage you to sign up soon. I look forward to having you join me on this spiritual journey this fall.

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

Register for the Pilgrimage Here

God Looks at the Heart - March 13, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,  

What are the deciding factors for you when you buy a car? When I was newly ordained, I needed a car and so I went to the dealer. The car salesman and I were test driving a car and he wanted to impress me with the bells and whistles of the interior. I asked him to turn off the radio because I wanted to listen to the engines RPM’s and how it shifted. And then I began to ask him about what was under the hood and he was at a loss for words.

Too often in life, we choose an item or judge something based upon appearance. But God does not judge by appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). I learned this lesson in the spring of 2005 when I was a FOCUS missionary at North Dakota State in Fargo. It was the second semester on campus and I was discerning who in my freshman bibles studies I would mentor the next year in what was called discipleship. I would spend 2-3 hours a week with the potential student to train him to be a bible study leader and evangelist on campus.  

I had a dozen men in several different bible studies and I surely thought I would mentor Garrett. Garrett had twelve years of Catholic schools and he knew the faith. He was a model of piety with all the religious medals around his neck and a rosary hanging out of his pocket. I thought, ‘Surely Lord this is the greatest candidate that you have put in my path.’

As I was praying my holy hour before Mass one Sunday in March, God told me to ask Paul Wilburn into discipleship. I was dumbfounded and doubted the Lord as I said, ‘Lord, he does not even know what the Trinity is and furthermore, he is shy and a band nerd but if you want me to, please make this more obvious.’  

The 1^st reading at Mass (similar to this Sunday) was the anointing of the young David as king of Israel.  God told Samuel, “Do not judge from his appearance… Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7).  I got it!

Paul Wilburn had a heart full of love for God. He became a great disciple of Jesus and went on to make many converts at NDSU and eventually became a FOCUS missionary. Currently he is one of the senior staff members of FOCUS in the role as Senior Director of Philanthropy Engagement.  

So, the next time you are going to buy a car, turn the noisy radio off and listen to the engine rumble.  The next time you need to hire someone or invite someone important into your life, do not judge by appearance, titles or lofty experiences… ask God to show you their heart.  

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

PS – please join us tomorrow for SENT Evangelization Training this Saturday from 9am - 1pm.

Relational Outreach - February 27, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

You don’t need to be a missionary to be a missionary. This realization hit me when I was doing missionary work in 2006. That was the year in which three households came into the Catholic faith in my little home parish of St. Patrick in McCool Jct which has100 households. Imagine if 3% of our parish converted (100 new Catholics) or the UNL Newman Center (750 new Catholics). 

These new Catholics came into the church through the relational outreach of my mom. She understood relational outreach. She entered into their lives and loved them where they were but too much to leave them there. They saw the peace and joy that she exhibited and they wanted it so they joined the Catholic faith. 

How well do you know your neighbors? At our parish, we are convicted that abiding in Christ and building His Kingdom starts with relationships. One of the great ways of building trust and relationships is by inviting non-Catholics on Fridays to Stations of the Cross and a Lenten meal following. These are Encounter ministries which help us invite others to meet Jesus through sharing our lives with them.   

You don’t need to be a missionary to be a missionary. All you have to do is be relational by loving God and loving your neighbor. Some people study their way into the church but most are loved into the flock of God.

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

PS – Please join us for: Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 2:30PM or 6:00PM with Fish Fry to follow.

Going For Gold - February 27, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

Going for gold! On Sunday, we had a divided rectory. As you may know, Fr. Ryan Alemao is from Toronto, Canada and being from the north, he knows more about hockey than I so I asked him to watch the Olympic hockey gold match game between the USA and Canada. The USA won 2-1 in overtime! Their first gold in hockey in 46 years since the “Miracle on Ice” over the Soviet Union in 1980. 

One of the most moving moments after the game is when the USA team honored their late teammate John Gaudreau by bringing out his jersey and kids in the team photo. Johnny was tragically killed at age 31 (along with his brother Matthew) by a drunk driver while they were riding bicycles in New Jersey in August 2024. The brothers were home together that weekend to attend their sister’s wedding. At the time of his death, Johnny played in the NHL for Columbus, Blue Jackets. 

His wife Meredith announced at his funeral in her eulogy that she was pregnant. “In less than three years of marriage, we have created a family of five," said Meredith. "It doesn't even sound possible. But I look at it as the ultimate blessing... Our last one being a blessing and special even in these difficult circumstances.” 

Johnny grew up in a devout Catholic family and he carried a rosary ring blessed by Pope Francis on his NHL gym bag. After his death, rosary rings blessed by Pope Francis have now found themselves within nine NHL locker rooms, which means the rosary has now reached more than a quarter of the NHL due to the faith of Johnny Gaudreau. 

This weekend we hear the promise of our Lord to Abraham, “I will make you a great nation and I will bless you” (Genesis 12:2). So, how will God make the USA a great nation? Families that are open to life and families that pray the rosary together. 

Johnny Gaudreau’s faith reminds me of what St. Peter wrote, “The genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7). That is the gold that we need to go for!

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

PS – Please join us for Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 2:30PM and 6PM.     

The Freedom of Lent - February 20, 2026

Marriage Week - February 13, 2026

Click here to sign up for our Marriage Retreat

Salt of the Earth - February 6, 2026

Click here to sign up for our Marriage Retreat

Forward in Faith and Excellence - January 30, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,       

I am pleased to announce that St. Peter Catholic Church, in conjunction with Pius X High School, is launching the Forward in Faith and Excellence campaign. This collaborative effort will enable St. Peter Church to:

• Increase security and beauty to our exterior campus
• Build a proper rectory to accommodate extra priests and deacon formation
• Renovate our St. John Paul II Hall and school common spaces

Additionally, funds raised for Pius X High School will help them meet their critical need to replace and improve their aged facilities, thereby strengthening our only Catholic high school. Our children are our future parishioners!

This is a tremendous opportunity to enhance our Catholic community. Just as those who came before us had an unwavering vision and made significant sacrifices, so must we move forward in faith. Therefore, we look to the people of our parish to come together in common purpose.

Our parish target is to raise $2,500,000, of which almost $1,200,000 will stay in our parish. Each household has a pledge card and information that can be picked up after Mass. Attached are the current conceptual drawings for the items of our campaign for your review. 

Thank you for your prayerful consideration and Christ-like generosity. As St. Theresa of Calcutta once said, “Let us do something beautiful for God.” 

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

Click here to pledge to the Forward in Faith and Excellence Campaign

Click Here to View Conceptual Drawings

Light in the Darkness - January 23, 2026

Behold the Infant Lamb - January 9, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,       

A few months ago, we hung our new painting of the infants John the Baptist and Jesus. We had this commissioned because we did not have any art in our church with John the Baptist and he is a key figure to linking the Old and New Covenants and you heard a lot about him during the Advent readings at Mass. 

The painting done by Neilson Carlin is the same artist who painted Our Lady Protector of Life in our narthex is entitled Behold the Infant Lamb. The style is a Renaissance revival influenced by Luini’s Virgin and Child with Infant John the Baptist and Christ Child with Infant St. John the Baptist by Peter Paul Rubens. 

The boys are about two years old. John the Baptist has a camel skin hair tunic with a sea shell in his hand as symbols of his asceticism and mission to baptize. John the Baptist gives us a model as he gazes upon Jesus. And the loving gaze of Jesus looks out to you with childlike wonder. Jesus has a red loin cloth and small cross in his right hand as symbols of our salvation. The lamb is also a central focal point because it was the mission of John the Baptist to point out the Jesus is the lamb of God. The setting is on a sand bar of the Platte River in Nebraska with three sandhills cranes flying overhead.

The importance of Renaissance art emphasizes Emmanuel, God is with us. God does not just come two thousand years ago but enters into our setting today and meets us where we are at but loves us too much to leave us there. 

As we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus this weekend, may we be mindful of the gift of our eternal life at baptism. And who wouldn’t rejoice about receiving this greatest gift from God? Through our baptism, God is near us. He is part of our story, and we are part of his. We are given new life. May we always rejoice in it!

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

PS Please join us tomorrow night for our country hoedown

Epiphany - January 2, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,     

A few years ago, someone asked me about the “graffiti” above my door. Maybe you have also wondered who has been writing in chalk above the doors to our church or homes of parishioners. 

This is actually the Epiphany blessing which is done at the beginning of the year. This Christian custom of chalking the door has a biblical root as the Israelites in the Old Testament marked their doors with the lamb’s blood on the night of the Passover. “And they shall take of the blood thereof, and put it upon both the side posts, and on the upper door posts of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.” (Exodus 12:7)

Using blessed chalk, the head of the household or a priest will mark the main door of the house with the initials of the Magi, the legendary names of the three kings: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, and a code of the current year (2026) connected with crosses: 20 ✞ C ✞ M ✞ B ✞ 26.  Another explanation of the initials (C ✞ M ✞ B) are the first letters of the blessing: “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” (Latin: “May Christ Bless this house”). The crosses (✞) represent the protection of the Christ. This short liturgy is a way of marking our homes with sacred signs and symbols as we ask God’s blessing upon those who live, work, or visit throughout the coming year.

The final prayer of the blessing is, “Lord God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only-begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star.  Bless this house and all who inhabit it. Fill us with the light of Christ, that their our concern for others may reflect your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.” (USCCB).

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

PS – please feel free to take some blessed chalk home with you after Mass this weekend. The Epiphany blessing can be found in the bulletin and on our website. 

Pointsettias - December 26, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

Merry Christmas!  Yes, it is still Christmas and I hope that you still have that tree up.

One of the Christmas decorations that I love the most is poinsettias. These lush red flowers originally come from Mexico and Central America. Actually, botanist label these plants as bushes and not flowers. They were introduced to the United States by Joel Poinsett (and named after), the U.S. ambassador to Mexico in 1828. 

The Aztecs named these bushes cuetlaxochitl, which means a flower that withers. The Aztecs used the red and white for dyes and the sap from the stem as medicine. The Franciscan friars who brought Christianity to Mexico renamed them to Holy Night flowers because they would bloom at Christmas time and the leaves are shaped like a star which signifies the star that led the Magi to find the Lord in a manger. 

A Mexican legend tells the story of the use of poinsettias at Christmas. One little poor girl named Maria could not afford to purchase a gift for Christmas. As she was distraught by this, an angel of the Lord appeared to her and instructed her to go into the valley and gather weeds as gifts to the Lord and bring them to the Nativity scene at her parish church. When Maria placed the plants down, they transformed into bright red poinsettias. Since then, these plants have been associated with Christmas. 

Like the Star of Bethlehem, may these beautiful red bushes lead you to place your life at the crib of Christ this weekend.  O come, let us adore Him!

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

Dilemmas in Life - December 19, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

You probably have heard the figure of speech, “take the bull by the horns.” This adage comes from the Greek word, lemma, which means horn and two horns is a dilemma. 

In the Gospel this weekend, Joseph has a dilemma. He learns his betrothed, Mary, is with child.  Betrothal meant they were legally married but had not lived together. 

What was St. Joseph to do? He said, “Let me sleep on it” and took a nap. This was not the sleep of laziness or of indifference. It was the sleep of contemplation, resting with the Lord that comes on sweetly as a result of faithful, arduous labor. It was in this contemplation that the Archangel Gabriel gave him the answer to not only his dilemma but the dilemma of humanity. 

Why does St. Joseph’s dilemma matter to you and me? If he carried out the Law of Moses, Mary and Jesus would have died by being stoned. If he divorced her quietly, Mary and Jesus would have no protection, both physical and social, from the world and no one would believe Jesus is Messiah. Since Joseph was a righteous man, God became one with us and Joseph had the privilege of naming Him Jesus. 

What can we learn from St. Joseph? As Winston Churchill did each day, take a nap. But on a serious note, often we fail to invite God into the dilemmas of our life. When we have a dilemma, we need to seek wisdom through prayer. I invite you to “take the bull by the horns” and spend an hour in adoration this week.

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

Our Lady of Guadalupe - December 12, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

Did you ever see the 2006 movie Apocalypto? It is not for the faint of heart nor children but it accurately depicts the horrors of an indigenous family in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico being hunted by the Mayans who wanted to capture their child and offer the innocent baby up to be sacrificed to their gods. 

In his book, “Our Lady of Guadalupe and Conquest of Darkness,” historian Warren Carroll pointed out the apparition of Mary to an indigenous peasant named St. Juan Diego sparked a revolution from darkness to light, from death to life. Prior to the Blessed Mother Mary appearing in Mexico in 1531 there were about 50,000 human sacrifices a year to the Aztec god Huitzilophtili. A conservative estimate is that one out of every five children in Mexico was sacrificed. 

December 12^th is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. After the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, nine million Native Americans converted to Christianity and the human sacrifices stopped. Instead of sacrificing their babies, they began to worship the author of life and sacrificing the Lamb of God at the true altar of sacrifice.   

In 2007, Jesus showed us that He is the light of the world again. On April 24 of that year, Mexico City legalized abortion. At Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, an intense light emanated from Our Lady’s abdomen, forming a brilliant halo in the shape of an embryo. Jesus is indeed the light of the world!

May the light of Christ, through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe shine through the darkness of our culture of death so that not a single more innocent baby has to be sacrificed on the altar of convenience.

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

St. Nicholas - December 5, 2025

There is a King- November 28, 2025

There is a King- November 21, 2025

Never Give Up- November 14, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

You have probably seen that famous painting of a stork swallowing a frog and the frog has its hands around the stork’s neck with the headline, “Never Give Up.” This well-known sketch, whose author is unknown, has been used to motive people who are going through hard times. In difficult moments of life, we feel as though the world is swallowing us but we should never give up. 

In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus warns us that our lives won’t be easy. The Lord encourages us to persevere in our journey with Him. He says: “By your perseverance, you will secure your lives.”

Why does perseverance matter to us? There can be no greatness; no holiness; no sainthood… without perseverance. We all have storms to face. Sometimes they can be external. We could lose our jobs, we could fail epically in a relationship, someone we love could get cancer. Sometimes these storms will be internal. We could be tormented by anxiety or self-doubt. Maybe there’s an intense loneliness. Christ wants us to recognize that these weaknesses aren’t an obstacle to our holiness, as long as we keep trying to walk with Him. God is walking with us, and He asks us not to run from Him.

We’re all called to holiness. And God, through our readings this weekend, reminds us that our part is to keep trying to love. A saint, after all, is simply a sinner who keeps on trying and never gives up. 

In His Mercy,

Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor

PS – click here to sign up for our fall retreat this Sunday at 3PM.