Where the Church should be;
The inspiration for this website; an appeal for your help
About five years ago I noticed something unusual at my parish. The pastor was new, and the congregation listened politely, as they usually do to a homily. But this priest was different. There was a palpable truth in what he said. Heads tilted this way and that, showing that people were truly moved — sometimes, perhaps, in indignation, sometimes in agreement — but always in a way that seemed to move hearts, like leaves shaking silently in a gentle breeze.
 Preaching heaven, hell, death and judgment |
 First Holy Communicants in a Marian procession |
 Blessed Sacrament Altar on Holy Thursday |
The priest was Fr. Anthony Brankin, newly assigned to St. Odilo parish in the blue-collar city of Berwyn, just outside of Chicago. His words that day had an impact, as they would for the years that came after. The ingredients of his homilies have been a loving admiration about how the Church points us toward heaven, how we need to turn from sin and from the allurements of the world, how the saints lived heroically, even to the point of offering their lives rather than deny their Catholic faith.
But there’s more —
This letter has a purpose — I’ll cut to the chase — I want you to give money. But not to this website. We at Great Catholic Homilies don’t want it. And we receive no funds from the parish for what we do here. You donation is for Fr. Brankin and the work that he’s doing.
The donation page says St. Odilo School, but it all goes into one pot — the church and school.
You see, St. Odilo is reaching out to the world in a way that a Catholic parish should — a parish that preaches Christ crucified, without compromise. I’m sure you’ve read Fr. Brankin’s homilies and listened to the MP3s on this website. He talks about the beautiful traditions of our faith — novenas, quinceaneras, Latin Masses, and so on. He praises the courage of the Cristeros, who stood up to the anti-religious persecution in Mexico in the 1920s. He stands strongly against abortion, “gay” marriage, as well as a materialistic society where politicians, Hollywood, and big business try to buy our souls with passing pleasures.
And there’s been a change at the parish — first of all tremendous growth since that first Sunday when he arrived. Sunday Masses have increased in size; school has several hundred children, and how many catechism and youth programs do you know that approach five hundred in number? And this spring nearly four hundred children and adults will be confirmed.
I’ve seen other changes in subtle ways — a young mother asking a scout leader if the leadership promotes Catholic values. When a young teenager speaks after Mass about the youth group, called the Armory of Christ — you know she’s got the faith. And I know at least one nine-year-old boy who began thinking seriously about becoming a priest when he started his training this fall as an altar boy under Fr. Brankin.
Picking up the pieces
Our society is reaching more than the edge of a fiscal cliff — it’s racing toward a moral and cultural cliff as well. And if and when we plunge over it, the Catholic Church — strong in its clear understanding of human nature, its teaching on right and wrong, and on the need for a Catholic presence in society — will be here to pick up the pieces and start all over again. And it will be in no small part due to parishes around the world like St. Odilo. This is the New Evangelization that Pope Benedict XVI has been urging us toward.
Now, in case you’re wondering — Fr. Brankin never asked me to write this letter. If you told him about all of these accomplishments, he would just respond with an “Aw, shucks” reply— that he was only doing his duty as a priest.
Give to put the Church where it should be
Why do we ask that you give to his parish? Once again, it’s not for this website, but to Fr. Brankin and his ever-expanding efforts. You know from this website of the good material that’s been coming from his pulpit, and what you see supplies most of the homilies here.
This website in fact was begun as an inspiration upon hearing Fr. Brankin’s homilies. When my family first attended Mass here years ago, I felt that his preaching just had to be proclaimed beyond the parish walls. Today, after nearly no publicity, more than two thousand people visit this site every month, from countries as far away as mainland China. I can image some faithful Catholic family, just on the outskirts of Beijing, huddled around their Lenovo laptop, out of the earshot of government agents, listening to Fr. Brankin’s clear teaching.
And some of these readers around the world no doubt are priests looking for good homily material. Countless others have certainly been helped through it.
I could talk a lot, too, about the parish’s running in the red this year. That’s no surprise with a school and four huge buildings to run. But the work of shepherding God’s people must go on.
Beyond leaky radiators
If you can give $10, $20, or more, that’s great. But I know that some of you reading this are capable of giving more — $1,000 or $5,000, or even more. Just do it. You are likely thinking that your own parish is worthy of support. I’m sure that’s true, and there are other good causes as well. But this cause is quite unique. No matter what your income, if God has been generous to you over this past year, show your generosity in return.
Why give? Not just to pay for the parish’s leaky radiators or altar boy surpluses — do it to show your vote of confidence in Fr. Brankin and the message and spirit that needs to be taken to all nations. This is the way to put our Catholic faith as a light on a lampstand for the world to see. You need to be a part of it, now.
Sincerely in Christ,
Kevin Banet
Editor, Great Catholic Homilies
CEO and President, TreeFrogClick PR services, sponsor of GreatCatholicHomilies.com
Donate to Fr. Brankin and his parish today.