A Note From Our Pastor: May 3, 2026

By the time you read this, it will have been two weeks ago that I was away from the parish on vacation. The purpose was to attend and concelebrate as a priest, at a wedding of a young lady whom I have known for about fifteen years, and whose family is dear to me.

When she was in college she studied in Madrid. It was there, having become involved in the young adult activities at the local parish, that she met a young man from Madrid. After college, she sought and found work in Madrid, so that they could discern marriage. They are a beautiful couple, and their shared love of their Catholic faith is a significant part of what they appreciated about each other, but further what will strengthen them in their life now as a husband and wife. I was delighted to be able to attend their wedding.

I was in Spain for eight days (although two of those were mostly consumed by traveling to Spain and back to the United States). I spent most of my time in Madrid, but made a two-day excursion to Barcelona (about 2.5 hours travel by train) and one day in Toledo (about 40 minutes travel by train). It was all wonderful, but in reflecting on the experience, there are two things that I would cite as highlights.

One highlight was the wedding. I wouldn’t regard it as extravagant, but it was beautiful, in part, because the couple are delightful and clearly recognized the power of the moment and the power of the Sacrament—that it was primarily about what Jesus was doing in that moment, and what he will do in and through them, through their married life. There were nine priests present at the wedding—all of the Archdiocese of Madrid, except for me.

The other highlight was concelebrating Mass at the Basilica of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Many (most?) of you have seen photographs of it. It’s visually alluring and looks like no other church. The story behind it, especially the architect—Antoni Gaudí—is fascinating. To put his work on this religious structure in perspective, I think of Dante Aleghieri and his writing, entitled The Divine Comedy. Dante was not formally a theologian, but his writing is so theologically informed, and endures as a powerful teaching for our faith. So it is with Gaudí. The church—both its exterior and interior—powerfully teaches the faith through his architectural and artistic expression.

I wanted to offer the Mass in that church for the parishioners of St. Thomas and St. Philomena—the people I love. It was a blessing to do so. It was a great trip, but I’m glad to be back among you.

Yours in Christ,

Father Todd O. Strange