Stephen Yusko's Blog

  In times of pain and struggle, we all seek the road to restoration. In hindsight, if my pain leads me to greater joy, and a greater capacity to love and be present at the moment to others, I may become a better man. It is a slippery road as my Creator, the Divine Source of Love, totally respects my free will, to suffer the consequences or victories of my actions.   However, I have a choice to ask for His guidance or go about it solo. Considering my risky behavior, thin-skinned temperament and lack of patience, I don’t take solo runs down the slope of life so much anymore.  Still, at fifty-eight years old, I still find myself taking risks.  Last year I was on a “Boy’s Weekend” out West skiing in Bozeman, Montana. I consider myself a cautious intermediate skier and yet I ventured out to the highest peak of the Mountaintop.  There stood before me a small ski lift with the huge caution sign, “This lift is for experts only, do not attempt going on this lift unless you are an exper

Homily for my mother, Florence Yusko-Church of St. Joseph, Babylon, NY -  11/15/2018 Fr. Seth, Fr. Jason, Fr. Francis, Fr. Joe, Fr. Ethel, Deacon Barry, my brother deacons, dear friends and all gathered. On behalf of the entire Yusko family, I want to thank you for your presence here, for your many words of comfort, and even more the many prayers, and Mass intentions you have offered at the death of our mother, Florence Yusko. I want to thank the dear parishioners of St. Joseph’s, as our mother felt very welcomed with each visit, as I am sure she thanks you for your continued formation of her deacon son. This week has been trying, as well as inspiring, as many have recounted the virtues with which God has blessed Mom.   There is one virtue that we can agree that centered mom’s life here on earth.   Her faith. Emotions well up in each of us, as we grapple with mom’s passing as we think of her impact on our lives. Your prayers and expressed thoughts have given us c

Deacon's Corner for February 2, 2018  In Sunday’s scripture readings we see how Job “sings the blues” (JB 7: 1-4,6-7). The great lament on the drudgery of life. My mind wanders to early mornings on the Babylon LIRR platform as commuters face another cold Winter’s trek into the “city” and what could be just another day of toil. The hope of an eventless train ride is dashed, as the announcement crackle s over the platform speakers and cries out yet another train delay. Job speaks to our lament of today, “Is this as good as it gets” ? We often feel the longing for something more! Parish life can be the center of activity for us, whether in our Sunday worship, bringing the kids to religious education or tending to our prayer life and spiritual well-being.  For others, particularly the millennials, being drawn to have the Parish of St. Joseph as the central place in their lives can be chalked up to wishful thinking. Bishop John Barres calls us all toward Dramatic Miss

Discovering a Community of Joy! On the weekend of the First Sunday of Lent in 2017, I had the privilege of celebrating Mass outside my home parish on a Saturday evening with the people of St. Bernadine's in West Baltimore . "Their home under the dome" as they referred affectionately to their parish. For those unfamiliar with West Baltimore , it is a community that struggles with crime and poverty as industry and opportunity abandoned the community decades earlier.   My daughter Faith works with the Sisters of Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry, which supports the community with various charitable services. We stayed at the volunteer house on Saturday night and went to the 5:30 pm Mass. Abandoned buildings and condemned properties abound as you could imagine the neighborhood's heyday as we drove by magnificent churches, old factory mills and remnants of the Baltimore Ohio railroad. Faith had long wanted Debbie and me to come to town and live the experience