The Crux of the Matter - August 2026

Mark Rehagen
Jul 29
15 min read

Men, who is this saint, St. Peter Chrysologus?

I’ve decided to send out this newsletter a little earlier than usual this month so I can spend some time reflecting on this saint on the day of his memorial, and I will follow up with a few thoughts regarding the challenge given to us by our July 15 presenter, Adam Wright, at our gathering of the Men of Signum Crucis.

Back to St. Peter Chrysologus. The word Chrysologus is actually a nickname for this St. Peter. You might note a similarity between this nickname, and the nickname given to St. John Chrysostom. These are ancient Greek nicknames, and the root Chryso- means “golden.” We know that Jesus is often referred to as “Logos,” which means “word.” So, Chrysologus means “gold-worded” (and Chrysostom means “gold-tongued”). Both of these men were known to be very good homilists, and both of them were Bishops and are Doctors of the Church. St. Peter Chrysologus, who lived in the 5th century, delivered homilies that were typically “short and sweet,” and many are still in existence today.

You can read more about St. Peter Chrysologus by clicking here.

I wanted to deliver this newsletter today to emphasize how necessary it is for us to delve deeper into our faith everyday, and then in some way live and share that faith with others we encounter everyday. St. Peter had a way of teaching through very effective homilies, and we also have an obligation to teach the faith to our families and friends, in both word and through our actions. But, we can’t teach what we don’t know. Neither could St. Peter Chrysologus. He had to equip himself with knowledge before he could teach–and he did that so thoroughly that today he is known as one of the 38 Doctors of the Church. While we likely will never be considered a Doctor of the Church, our natural, human curiosity should prompt us to search for Truth. As for me, at times when I might have been initially confused or frustrated by the depth of some Church teaching, it was by benefit of laying the study aside for a time, then hearing it said or reading it again at a later time that helped me understand better that doctrine or dogma with which I had previously struggled. I encourage you to be persistent when something seems confusing, or irrelevant, or “beyond my ability,” because God created us to search deeper for Truth.

Part of the Truth that we have been exposed to recently was delivered to us in our recent two gatherings-by Adam Wright at our July gathering, and by Abbot James Albers, O.S.B, at our June gathering. I hope you benefited from them as much as I did. Both hit me squarely between the eyes–both were a message that I needed to hear.

In particular, I want to go back to the conclusion of Adam’s presentation–after his message on the topic of “Redemptive Suffering,” he looked at us and simply said, “Men, be holy.”

Those words really struck me, and I have to say that I have been wrestling with them ever since. Why?

Because I am not sure what is meant by, “Be holy.”

Now, this is not the first time that I have heard the phrase, but as I began to reflect on it again, I once again realized that there are many, many definitions of the word, “holy.” And also, the word, “be,” also is more of a chore than we might first think.

So, what is holiness? How do we know when or if we are “holy”? Is holiness something that we are, or is it something we are given? Is it something we are shown? Is it something that we live? How do we know if we are “living it”? Who says we are on the right path?

Can someone actually tell us if our efforts are “measuring up” to a certain level of holiness that we are expected to exhibit? As a high school Latin teacher, I was required to assess the knowledge of my students’ knowledge. I was easily able to determine which students earned an “A,” or a “B,” or some other grade. Can I earn an “A+” in holiness? Should I strive for more than a “C” in holiness? What are the expectations? Who sets the bar?

I believe that holiness is more than living the Precepts of the Church, or conforming ourselves to the Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy or the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy. But, then, how can we know if we “measure up”?

Then the word, “be,” in the phrase, “Be holy.”

When I trained grade school children years ago how to be an Altar Server, I emphasized the need to not act reverent at the Altar, but to be reverent at the Altar. I have continued that theme as I facilitate my Discipleship Group at Helias–I ask them to not act like a man, but to be a man. When I taught Theology at Helias, I told my students it is not enough to act holy, or to act like an adult, or to act like a student–it is essential that we be holy, be an adult, or be a student.

So, to my point, Adam was not encouraging us to “Act holy,” but rather to immerse ourselves in holiness.

Men, if I haven’t confused you too much, my prayer for you on this Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus is that each of us will meditate on our journey toward heaven and take the necessary steps to attain the facets of holiness that we are lacking or we know we are called to better live. By doing this, we will become an even better husband, father, son, or friend for the others who are entrusted to us. We will be that holy man who will be the reason those others will join us in heaven one day. Perhaps we then will have attained holiness.

Happy Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus, men!

Amen.

Adam Wright’s Presentation on July 15

First, I want to thank Adam for driving in from St. Louis on July 15 to be with us for our gathering that evening. I believe that Adam is a holy man (whatever that might mean–see above…) who takes his faith very seriously. Let us pray for Adam, his family, and that God will heal him of his physical ailments.

Adam was kind enough to send me an audio of his presentation that evening–so whether you were there and would like to hear it again, or weren’t there and wished you had been there, it is available to you by clicking here:

https://adamwrightstl.substack.com/p/be-holy?r=5v72f5&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action

May we all understand the purpose of the suffering that we are given, so that we and others may be purified.

Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in September

Men, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have encouraged all Catholics of the United States to enthone the Sacred Heart of Jesus in their homes during the Semiquincentennial celebration of the founding of our country.

Lay Spiritual Director Dave Lankford and I have been working on an Enthronement format for the Men of Signum Crucis, and I am very excited to announce that we will use the Triduum format prepared by Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, but we will expand it to be a seven-day Vigil that will include preparatory readings from Cardinal Burke.

This Enthronement Vigil will not be easy–it will require up to 20-30 minutes per day. But, it is so important to have an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus enthroned in our homes, and to consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, especially in this important period of our country’s history, when the Evil One is waging a war with the soul of this nation. Strong families thwart the work of the Evil One, so let’s band together to this Enthronement Vigil that will begin on Thursday, September 10, and will conclude on the day of our September gathering, September 16.

I also encourage you to include your family members in this Enthronement Vigil. I plan to join with my wife in doing this Vigil. I also plan to encourage my four sons who are out of the house to also do the Vigil. I hope you will think beyond yourself and have your family members at home join you, and also any children outside of the home to also participate. It will be legendary for you to do this.

Click here to complete a survey regarding your level of interest in the Enthronement Vigil. I assume that many of you may need some time to consider this since it will take some planning to set aside time for it, so the survey will be left open all the way up to September 10. However, because we are seeking to find out how many might need printed materials rather than using the website that we will provide, if you think you will need printed materials, it would be best for us to know that prior to our gathering on August 19 so we can give the printed materials to you that evening. Therefore, please give this Enthronement Vigil your most prudent consideration, and reply to the survey if this is something that you can do (hopefully with your family).

May the United States be made strong by the deep faith of its people!

Reasons for Hope (Part VIII)

Men, it’s hard not to be hopeful, isn’t it?

Have you heard about all the young people who are attending Diocesan camps this summer? Summer is a time of renewal and deepening the faith for so many of our youth. More and more weeks of diocesan camps are being offered each summer.

This is a sign of growth and flourishing.

I hope you will join me in thanking the Diocese’s Director of Youth Ministry, Mrs. Maureen Quinn, who has her hands full as she continually is recruiting young people to lead these camps to lead younger people to Christ. I am convinced that these camps are changing the culture of our Diocese.

Another reason for hope is the number of youth and chaperones from our diocese who attended the Steubenville Youth Conference at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri in July. These are very popular offerings by Franciscan University in Steubenville–countrywide, over 50,000 young people attend these conferences every year. And, Franciscan Media reports that of the priests newly ordained in 2026, 18 percent of them had attended a Steubenville Youth Conference as a young person. That’s an amazing statistic that points to hopeful trends in our Church.

Let us all pray for our youth.

“Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5).

August 28 Fundraiser for the Sisters of the Poor

Men, it’s possible that some of you have attended this annual fundraiser in the past, or wanted to, but Kevin Perry, the provider of some of the bourbon we had at the Cigar and Bourbon Reception at the 2026 Men’s Conference, is again hosting a whiskey tasting fundraiser to benefit the Sisters of the Poor. The fundraiser will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, August 28, at the Wardsville Knights of Columbus hall.

The Sisters of the Poor is a religious order that provides outreach to the hungry, sick, and destitute of Nigeria. Sr. Ursula Anunoby, the founder of the order, visits relatives in Jefferson City frequently, and she will be here from Africa at that time.

This fundraiser will feature eight premier whiskeys. All beverages are donated. This is a “donation only” event with no prescribed ticket price. 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the Sisters of the Poor.

If you plan to attend, you must RSVP. That is done by texting Kevin Perry at 573-680-5069 and leaving your name and cell phone number. As the day of the fundraiser approaches, Kevin will provide more details. I hope you can attend to make this fundraiser a huge success for Sr. Ursula.

For more information regarding the Sisters of the Poor, click here.

Set your calendars now for the 4^th Annual “Heart of a Hero”

Men’s Conference–April 2-3, 2027

New Weekly Mass Schedule at the Jefferson City Parishes

It is the Eucharist that brings us the joy that we should long for. Consider inserting one or two of these daily Mass options into your schedule:

Monday: 6:30a at Immaculate Conception