Morning Star Newsletter Monthly Reflection 

July 2026

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Change 

Author: Peggy Sue Mutchler, Ministry Events Program Coordinator 

Change. It is that time of year when our priests begin their new assignments, many with joy, ready to embrace the Lord’s work with renewed zeal through their obedience to Christ under Bishop Scott Bullock. This change reminds us that a priest can genuinely be excited about a new assignment while also grieving what he leaves behind. Both reactions can be deeply virtuous. Have you ever thought about that? That change itself, when embraced with faith, can become a path to holiness? 

A new assignment gives our priests the opportunity to meet new people, to serve them, and to love them with renewed zeal. It is a chance to reveal Christ anew through the sacraments, faithful preaching, and generous pastoral care. 

“The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” — John 10:11 

Have you ever desired personal growth in holiness? I know I have. Have you ever considered that our priests desire the same? After all, they are human too. A new assignment stretches a priest spiritually. It calls him to greater humility, trust, patience, and dependence on God’s grace rather than on familiar routines. We all need to trust in the Lord, his will, and the grace to recognize that he is enough. 

Until this year, I had never really considered priestly assignments from this perspective. Then I found myself facing a profound change of my own. 

Today, I am coming home from celebrating my last Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Keystone. This has been my parish family for twenty-eight years, and it will be forever changed. On July 1, Our Lady of Mount Carmel becomes an Oratory, open daily for personal prayer. Our parish family, as we have known it, will now disperse individually across the Black Hills in search of new homes of belonging. 

Change. 

I know we are not the only ones losing a parish home on July 1, and as I sit here typing, I cannot pretend that this is easy. But whether we are losing a parish home or not, we must remember that a parish is more than a building. It is where many of us have encountered Christ. 

My family, along with so many others at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated baptisms, received First Holy Communion, witnessed marriages, and said goodbye to loved ones within those walls. Countless lives have prayed through life’s greatest joys and deepest sorrows with and within this parish family. 

“There is a time to weep and a time to laugh.” — Ecclesiastes 3:4 

One of the most important truths I want to emphasize is this: even though my church building has changed, Christ has not. Christ will never abandon His people. 

Let’s take a brief walk-through salvation history. Do you remember Abraham leaving his homeland? The Israelites leaving Egypt? The apostles, leaving everything to follow Christ? Throughout salvation history, God continually asks his people to trust him. Every transition required faith before they could see God’s plan. 

Every ending can become a new beginning. Does that erase the sadness? No. But God often writes new chapters from endings we never would have chosen. 

The Cross itself appeared to be the end. Instead, it became the beginning of the Resurrection. 

This truth alone gives me hope — hope in possibilities I had never considered before. In this season of parish changes, I invite you to discover those possibilities as well. 

Change is about trusting our unchanging God even when our circumstances change. 

So how do we embrace change as Catholics? Perhaps it begins with five simple practices. 

1. Begin with trust in God’s providence.
   Every change is an invitation to deepen our trust. Even when we cannot see the purpose, God is already present in what lies ahead.

“We walk by faith, not by sight.” — 2 Corinthians 5:7 

Ask yourself: 

What is God asking me to trust today?
How can I surrender my plans to him? 

2. Remember that Christ never changes.
   Buildings, ministries, friendships, and assignments may change, but Christ does not. Our security is not in familiar surroundings, but in the one who remains faithful.
3. See change as an invitation to growth.
   God often uses transitions to stretch our faith. Throughout salvation history, each change became an opportunity for his grace to work in new ways.
4. Hold the past with gratitude, not with grasping.

It is healthy to remember to give thanks for past blessings, but we cannot live in the past. 

A simple prayer is:
“Lord, thank you for all you have done. Help me receive what you are doing now.” 

5. Look for the new mission.
   Every change asks us:

Who is God calling me to serve now?
What gifts am I being asked to share?
How can I build up the Body of Christ in this new season? 

We Catholics are a missionary people, wherever God places us. 

Let us embrace this change and bring our gifts to a new level. Let us use the Lord’s gifts to strengthen one another and help our priests unite their new parish families. Let us build stronger ministries, invite more people to volunteer, broaden our friendships, provide greater opportunities for youth and families, and share resources for mission rather than maintenance. Let us live a richer liturgical life, focusing not on what we are losing, but on what the Holy Spirit is preparing us to become. 

Lord Jesus, you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. When life changes, help me cling to you. Give me the courage to let go of what I cannot keep, the wisdom to recognize the new paths you are opening before me, and the faith to believe that you are already waiting for me there. May I carry the blessings of the past with gratitude, embrace the present with trust, and walk into the future with hope. Amen.