"Avenues of Service" The Vocation that God has called us to!

This is the first in a series of Mass Homilies at Sacred Heart, Oelwein and Immaculate Conception, Fairbank on VOCATIONS.  

Check Back each week to watch the latest in the series on this very interesting topic.

Click the following link to view the video:
January 14, 2018 - 

Introduction to series and the roll of the seminarian 

( Rev. Father Jerry Kopacek )

My final prayer for Immaculate Conception and Sacred Heart as their Parish Life Coordinator

A final prayer of thanksgiving as Parish Life Coordinator for Sacred Heart

Heavenly Father, thank you for blessing me for the past nearly five years as you have allowed me to serve the good people of this wonderful parish community.  You have given me a beautiful example of love and caring in action through your sons and daughters of Sacred Heart.  It is often said that when a person serves others, they receive more than those they are serving.  That has certainly been the case for me. You have poured so many blessings on me as I have humbly tried to serve my good friends at SH. 

Gracious God, I pray that you continue to pour your blessings of love and caring on these, your loyal families, in the years to come.  I pray to your Most Blessed Sacred Heart, that You will guide them in their daily lives and lead them to imitate your love and caring by reaching out to those in need and helping them all to grow in devout faith, prayerful holiness, patient forgiveness, loving compassion and caring for each other and the families that will join this special faith family in the future.

Finally, Dear Father, I pray that you will guide me as I humbly try to serve these wonderful people in whatever way you desire for years to come, as their deacon and friend.  I ask all of this in the name of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.   AMEN

-        Deacon Jim

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A final prayer of thanksgiving as Parish Life Coordinator for Immaculate Conception.

Heavenly Father, thank you for blessing me for the past nearly five years as you have allowed me to serve the good people of this wonderful parish community.  You have given me a beautiful example of love and caring in action through your sons and daughters of Immaculate Conception.  It is often said that when a person serves others, they receive more than those they are serving.  That has certainly been the case for me. You have poured so many blessings on me as I have humbly tried to serve my good friends at IC. 

Gracious God, I pray that you continue to pour your blessings of love and caring on these, your loyal families, in the years to come.  I pray to your Blessed Mother Mary, our Immaculate Conception, that she will guide them in their daily lives and lead them to imitate her love and caring by reaching out to those in need and helping them all to grow in devout faith, prayerful holiness, patient forgiveness, loving compassion and caring for each other and the families that will join this special faith family in the future.

Finally, Dear Father, I pray that you will guide me as I humbly try to serve these wonderful people in whatever way you desire for years to come, as their deacon and friend.  I ask all of this in the name of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.   AMEN

-        Deacon Jim

Mass for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Enjoy watching the weekend Mass for Sacred Heart and Immaculate Conception. https://youtu.be/ikEF1Yita64

Do we recognize that God loves ALL of us?

July 2, 2017

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus loves His Disciples.  In today’s Gospel, we see how he is sending them out to be received and welcomed and in that way they will recognize  even more deeply the love that he sends with them. 

We are not rewarded nor do we win God’s love by doing good works alone. We are made ready to receive God’s love, by our being receptive to the “prophetic moments” of each day which Jesus calls our “daily cross” and by demonstrating our love for God as our Father and Creator.                    - Deacon Jim

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge...

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 25, 2017

As we begin our official summer months, we also come back to Ordinary Time in our liturgy of the Mass.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to, “Fear no one…”  Do you remember as a child the fear you may have had of the dark or something else that as an adult you realize is harmless?  Jesus wants us to understand that we are loved and cared for by God.  We have nothing to fear, and yet even as adults we hold on to some fears. (Fear of change could be one that we hold on to even today…) 

Jesus assures us all that He will be with us and will walk with us through every challenge that we face.  Make changes in our life not something to fear but something to embrace.  With the love and support of the Holy Spirit, there will be nothing to fear.

-       Deacon Jim

Jesus is the living bread come down from heaven

June 18, 2017

Corpus Christi

Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

How often do we consider the wonder of life?  Life itself is a great gift and yet, there is no definitive explanation of every aspect of it.  If life itself is a gift that we cannot explain, how much greater is our gift that Jesus offers us by eating his Body and drinking his Blood.  We are not able to explain it and yet by our faith we know it to be true.  Today let us thank God for this greatest of gifts, the Living Bread, the risen Christ within us. 

-       Deacon Jim

Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

June 11, 2017

Holy Trinity Sunday

I found this little note in my readings this week and had to share it with you:  “A kitten followed some children home and into the house.  When they asked their mother it they might keep it, she mirthfully answered, “Purr – haps.” 

This weekend we celebrate the gift of the Trinity.  As God’s children we might ask, if we might be saved?  We can only imagine God’s response as, “Per – haps,”  if we truly believe and we choose to honor the Most Holy Trinity in our life.  So today we pause to acknowledge this mystery and to give thanks for the God of life who has sent the Son and the Holy Spirit for our salvation.
                 Deacon Jim