| Memorial of St. Augustine |
| Duped: In our first reading for Mass this weekend, Jeremiah tells the Lord that he duped him. He preaches the Word of the Lord and people reject him, mock him, and laugh at him. This causes him to “not mention him and not speak in his name anymore.” But he can’t hold the Word of the Lord any longer as it “becomes like fire burning in my heart…I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.” Happy Feast for our Papa: Happy Feast Day for Pope Leo XIV, who was ordained a priest in 1982 for the Order of Saint Augustine. Rest: Today is the Feast of St. Augustine. His faith journey gives us hope. He renounced Christianity. He fell in love with a woman and without marrying her, had a son. He resisted his mother’s pleadings. He searched and searched for the truth. It led him back to Christianity. In his Confessions, he wrote, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in you.” There are some great videos on Formed.org Restless Heart a full-length feature movie for the adults, and for the little ones The Confessions of St. Augustine by Littlest Saints. His Mother: Yesterday was the feast day of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine. Monica tried everything to help her son—tears, cajoling, arguments, even briefly forbidding him to visit her. But she found that prayer was her most effective recourse. After sharing the joy of Augustine’s baptism and some intimate moments talking about faith and the joys of heaven, she fell ill and died. Her last request was, “One thing only I ask you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be.” Prayer: Speaking of prayer, the USCCB committee on Pro-Life Activities has asked us to pray and take action to stop the spread of the abortion pill. This initiative is taking place August 18 – October 31. May I suggest that we each say a ‘Hail Mary’ or ‘Memorare’ every day until October 31 for this cause. There are additional resources available from the USCCB.There are several special days of prayer in September: September 1: The World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. In his book Introduction to Christianity by Joseph Ratzinger, he states that “God is not a miserly manager obsessed with strict efficiency or bare minimums. Instead, the universe reflects an immense, overflowing generosity.” May we care for our creation and use it for the benefit of all with respect and gratitude. September 9: National Day of Prayer for Peace. The USCCB called for a National Day of Prayer for Peace to be observed each year on September 9th, the Memorial of St. Peter Claver. This initiative was introduced to foster open, honest, and respectful dialogue within communities facing heightened tensions and acts of violence.Who is St. Peter Claver? He grew up in Spain and became a missionary priest who helped the slaves from Africa who were coming to the New World. As soon as the slave ship entered the port, Peter Claver moved into its infested area to treat the passengers, giving them medicine, food, bread and other necessities. He also gave basic instructions and assured his brothers and sisters of their human dignity and God’s love. During the 40 years of his ministry, he instructed and baptized an estimated 300,000 slaves. He is known as the “slave to the slaves.” September 27: World Day of Migrants and Refugees. National Migration Week is from September 21 – 27 with it culminating on September 27 with the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. This year’s theme is “Even just one of these children.” This is taken from Matthew 18:5: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Thank you for praying and caring for our Father’s children and our brothers and sisters.Other Events Happening Soon: Jr. CYO Camp: I am excited for our young people from across the diocese gathering for Jr. CYO Camp during the Labor Day weekend. It is a wonderful opportunity for them to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, spend time in prayer, meet other young Catholics from around the diocese, and worship together. Please spend some time praying for our young people and all those who will be part of the weekend. High School Campaign: I am excited to see how the Holy Spirit works through our Adoration Campaign beginning the weekend of October 10–11. It is my desire that every parish take advantage of this six-week campaign as young people share their own experiences with Adoration and invite their peers to spend time with Jesus.The goal is that by the end of the campaign, students will commit to spending one hour each week with Jesus—either in Eucharistic Adoration or in prayer before the tabernacle, depending on what is available in their parish. Why are we doing this? Because relationships grow through time spent together, and lives are changed through an encounter with Jesus. Our young people need that. Please pray for our parishes and young people as we begin this effort. Click HERE to watch the campaign introduction video. Retreat: We need spiritual retreats in our lives. There are several opportunities to attend one in our diocese:Women’s Retreat: October 2 – 3 at IHM in Hays Joyful Women’s Retreat a Reflection on the Joyful Mysteries with Noelle GarciaWomen’s Retreat: October 30 – November 1 in Victoria silent Spiritual Exercises Retreat led by members of the Cor Jesu Apostolate.Men’s Retreat: December 11 – 13 in Victoria silent Spiritual Exercises Retreat led by members of the Cor Jesu Apostolate. Anniversary Masses: Our Anniversary Masses are two of my favorite Masses each year. It is wonderful to see couples who have shared so many years of marriage, hear their stories of how they met, listen to the wisdom they have gained along the way, and pray with them in thanksgiving for the gift of their marriage. This year’s Masses will be October 11 at 2 pm at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Salina and October 25 at St. Nicholas of Myra in Hays. If you are celebrating your 1st anniversary or an anniversary ending in 5 or 0, we would love to have you join us. Click HERE to register. Some Past Events: Seminarian Dinners: We had two seminarian dinners, one in Salina and the other in Colby, in early August. They surely were a lot of fun, especially with Fr. Gale as the MC. Thank you so much for your support of our 15 seminarians. Conference: I also enjoyed our Eucharistic Conference in early August. There were people who attended from all over the diocese as well as other dioceses as one big family encountering the love of Jesus! Carthage: I joined 40,000 Vietnamese people, including many from our diocese, who attended the Marian Days in Carthage in early August. What a beautiful witness of their faith!Knights: I also attended the Supreme Knights of Columbus Convention for a couple of days. The amount of helping people that Knights do is off the charts! Schools: Blessings to our schools and campus centers throughout the diocese as they begin the new academic year. Rodeo: Well, I really enjoyed my first rodeo event ever in Abilene. I admire those who are willing to get on those horses and bulls. That takes a lot of courage! Besides that, at least now, I can say that “this isn’t my first rodeo.”With my love and prayers,Bishop Vincke |
| Inspiration from Saint Augustine:“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.””Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.” |
Bishop Vincke’s E-News to the Faithful | August 28, 2026
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