O SACRAMENT MOST HOLY: The beloved St. Padre Pio observed that: “It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun, than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.” Photos of this great priest show him, during the consecration, totally transfixed as he gazes in wonder at the Host which he holds in his hands. What an amazing gift the Lord has given us in the Eucharist! The gift – quite literally – is the gift of Christ himself. When we kneel before the altar at Mass, we kneel before the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of God’s own Son. We kneel before the very presence of God! Jesus promised – and we heard this in last Sunday’s gospel reading – “I am with you always (Mt 28:20).” In no place is this promise more clearly fulfilled than in a tabernacle in a Catholic church. Jesus is there! One of my favorite saints, Blessed Dina Belanger (a religious order sister), when she had duties to complete in the convent, would struggle to walk past the convent chapel without entering in. Christ’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament was magnetic for Dina. She would feel herself being irresistibly drawn to Him, even at those times when she was bound by obedience to be elsewhere. As we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi today, may we too be drawn ever closer to Christ. His love is freely given to us, particularly in the Eucharist.
THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR: No . . . not Christmas . . . Vacation Bible School week is the most wonderful time of the year! It’s right around the corner you know – July 29th to August 2nd – and with “Scuba” being this year’s theme, sea urchins and octopi and other sea creatures are already to be seen swimming around in the Holy Redeemer salty sea. Thank you to all who have donated your time, your crafting skills and your resources. Donations are definitely still being accepted. Parents, please get your young ones registered. After all, VBS week is the most wonderful time of the year!
OUR ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL GRADUATES: We offer warm congratulations to the entire 6th grade class of St. Joe’s School as they prepare for graduation this Monday evening. In a special way, we want to recognize the following students: Wesley Richard, one of our loyal and faithful altar servers; Sophia Ward, who has sung at Mass for us and who has also filled in as a server; Connor Schwabenbauer, one of our amazing young lectors; and John Harvey, son of our Director of Liturgical Music, Rachel. The primary 6th grade teacher, Kate Brennan, is aways with us at the 4:30 pm Mass, and we thank her for being such a wonderful Christian example to her young charges. The Warren County Catholic Community is extraordinarily blessed to have St. Joseph School in our midst. We offer our sincere gratitude to Ms. Brennan, Mrs. Fanelli (6th grade science and parishioner), Mrs. Pearson (principal) and the entire staff of the school. God bless each and every one of the 6th grade graduates!
DRAGONS AND KNIGHTS: Congratulations to all the local high school seniors who will be graduating this Friday night. To the best of my knowledge, there are no Sheffield Wolverines, Youngsville Eagles, East Forest Fires or Tidioute Bulldogs graduating this year from our parish families (please correct me if I’m wrong), but we definitely want to wish God’s riches blessings on the Dragons and Knights from among our parish community. We wish the same to all those 2024 high school seniors who call St. Joseph Parish home. Hopefully, every one of our graduates will become a great and holy saint! Have a beautiful late spring week everybody.
God bless! Our Lady of Guadalupe – Pray for us!
St. Anthony – Pray for us!
St. Joseph – Pray for us!
Fr. Steve