The Emmaus Pastorate’s Podcast

Dubuque's Mother Church

In this bonus episode of the Emmaus Pastorate's Podcast, we are very happy to share the content of another great Catholic podcast, Catholic History Trek.  Their hosts, Kevin Schmiesing and Scott Schulze, retell parts of Catholic history that relate to current practices and issues.  One thread of their show is to showcase the Cradle of Catholicism in each of the United States.

For the last several years, the Archdiocese of Dubuque has conducted a special collection titled ArchdioceseOne for four specific purposes: seminarian education, priest retirement, legal immigration services, and cathedral church and campus repairs.  Over the last year, the Cathedral has received new grading and drainage outside the church, repairs to the roof and foundation, restored Maplewood floorings, new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units, tuckpointing work, and repairs to the building’s façade.  New flooring was added to the Cathedral Center along with plaster repairs and new paint.   Paintings in the church were restored along with the stenciling and ornamentation on the walls.  Although the church was first used again at the Chrism Mass during Holy week, this Sunday, June 29 a grand unveiling with tours receptions will be held. 

If you have the opportunity to visit the cradle of Catholicism in Iowa, the Cathedral of St. Raphael, we highly suggest spending the time!  Seated just a few blocks from the Julien Dubuque bridge in downtown Dubuque, Iowa, the Cathedral is one reason the city is nicknamed the Masterpiece on the River!  The Emmaus Pastorate appreciates Kevin and Scott for sharing their research with us, and we celebrate the newly restored seat of our Archdiocese!

Homily on 6-22-25

"Pray.  Serve.  Belong."  That's the mission of St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center in Cedar Falls, IA.  As Chaplain Fr. Mark Murphy explains, St. Stephen serves the spiritual needs of college students from the University of Northern Iowa, Hawkeye Community College, Allen College, and Wartburg College, all of which are in the Waterloo and Waverly areas of the Archdiocese of Dubuque.  Because St. Stephen is a student center instead of a parish, it receives no formal or regular source of income.  If you are in a position to help serve the needs of these students, please make a donation!  Gifts can be brought to either Emmaus Pastorate office in Elkader or Edgewood, mailed to the address below, or made online at the following link.  Thank you for your generosity!  And thanks to Fr. Mark for spreading the word about St. Stephen!

Make checks payable and send to St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center, 1019 West 23rd Street Cedar Falls, IA 50613.

Make online donations at https://bit.ly/ststephenuni.

Trinity Sunday Homily 6-15-2025

The Trinity is a hard concept to understand.  But that's alright.  We mere mortals don't need to understand it.  But as followers of Jesus, we do need to live the Trinity!

Pentecost Homily 2025

Come, Holy Spirit!  Yes, indeed we need the Holy Spirit, perhaps now more than ever!  Pentecost celebrates the birthday of the Church, the unofficial end of Christ's work on earth and the simultaneous beginning of people's work on earth.  The Archdiocese of Dubuque is also undergoing long-term pastoral planning, considering how to best be the Church in northeast Iowa in this modern era.  As we do so, it's important to remember what the Church is and what it's not.  It's more than a building.  It's really the people that gather there.  But it's also the people who gather in other churches too!  In this homily this weekend, Fr. John uses the hymn Sing a New Church to describe what the Church should be.  We include the full set of lyrics here for your reflection: 

 

Sing a New Church

NETTLETON/Delores Dufner, OSB

 

1. Summoned by the God who made us Rich in our diversity,

Gathered in the name of Jesus, Richer still in unity:

 

Refrain: Let us bring the gifts that differ And, in splendid, varied ways,

Sing a new church into being, One in faith and love and praise.

 

2. Radiant risen from the water, Robed in holiness and light,

Male and female in God’s image, Male and female, God’s delight: (refrain)

 

3. Trust the goodness of creation; Trust the Spirit strong within.

Dare to dream the vision promised, Sprung from seed of what has been. (refrain)

 

4. Bring the hopes of ev’ry nation; Bring the art of ev’ry race.

Weave a song of peace and justice; Let it sound through time and space. (refrain)

 

5. Draw together at one table All the human family;

Shape a circle ever wider And a people ever free. (refrain)

 

Text: 87 87 with refrain; Delores Dufner, OSB, © 1991, The Sisters of St. Benedict. Published by OCP. All rights reserved. Music: J. Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part II, 1813.  Permission to reprint and stream under ONE LICENSE #A-629030.

Confirmation Homily 2025

See.  Judge.  Act.  These three steps have been used by saints and martyrs for centuries to discern the will of God and the direction he desired for their lives.  On the Vigil of Pentecost, 15 students of the Emmaus Pastorate were confirmed by Archbishop Thomas Zinkula.  He reminded them and all of us that the Church, that Jesus, needs us to be active in today's world and that as Christians we are called to live the vocation God has set for us.  Using these three steps can guide our discernment now and in the future as we strive to follow God's plan.

The Emmaus Pastorate thanks Archbishop Zinkula for visiting with us and congratulates all who were confirmed this year!  We pray that the Holy Spirit enkindles in them a fire of love and service for Christ and his Church!

Homily on the Ascension of the Lord

Christian living and sacrifice go hand-in-hand.  To have one, you must have the other to be true.  One can't be a Christian and not live a life of sacrifice for God.  To live a life sacrificing for your faith is to be a Christian.  But we don't like sacrificing.  The concept is sometimes even foreign to us!  But as Jesus ascends into heaven this Sunday, we're left on earth with the question: what am I going to do for my faith?  How am I going to spread the Good News Jesus gave me?  The answer involves sacrifice!

Homily from 5-25-25

Peace!

Homily on 5-18-25

New.  Change.  We tend to dislike these words because they involve something different than our status quo.  They sometimes also require us to put down our own ideals, let go of our own desires, and allow something different to happen within us.  In today's Gospel, Jesus gives a "new" commandment - that for Jews wasn't actually new at all - which requires people wanting to follow him to do new and different things, to allow God to perform changes within them.  We don't always like these things, but if we do allow Christ to work within us, the possibilities are endless!

Good Shepherd Sunday Homily 2025

To whom do you listen?  That's the question as we mark the Fourth Sunday of Easter, which is often called Good Shepherd Sunday.  Certainly we listen to our moms - or we should anyway!  With the election of a new Holy Father, hopefully we're listening to him as well.  But Jesus is the Good Shepherd, to whom we should listen always.  In 2025, with all the news and social outlets surrounding us, to whom are you listening?

Homily for First Communion Weekend 2025

Better and better!  That's what Jesus makes us when we come to receive him in the Eucharist.  Whether it's our first time or maybe we've received him faithfully for 50+ years, every time we receive Jesus' Body and Blood, we are made better and better disciples.  

Congratulations to all of our First Communicants!  We are very proud of you and wish you many, many blessings!