To My Spiritual Family of Holy Redeemer and St. Anthony,
A Meaningful Weekend Ahead: The juxtaposition of Pentecost with Memorial Day means that next Saturday & Sunday, May 27 & 28 is a weekend filled with sentimental and religious meaning. That meaning will be supercharged with Eucharistic overtones here at the parish, as we host the relics of St. Manuel Gonzales Garcia and Blessed Carlo Acutis. And if all this wasn’t enough, two new priests will be ordained for our diocese at the weekend’s start. Whew! That’s a lot! Please allow me to say a word about each of these events:
1. Pentecost is the liturgical solemnity that is second in importance only to Easter itself. The Holy Spirit, the Love between the Father and the Son is, according to St. Paul, “poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5).” when the apostles received the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they were filled with the necessary courage to preach the Gospel to all peoples. May a fresh outpouring of the Spirit provide that same evangelical courage to you and me!
2. Memorial Day solemnly reminds of us those brave American service members who gave “the last full measure of devotion” so that you and I might live in freedom. Many of us also call to mind our own deceased family members and friends at this time. I intend to visit the graves of my own parents during the course of the weekend. Each of you, similarly, is invited to the annual outdoors Memorial Day Mass at St. Joseph cemetery. Please bring your own chair or blanket to sit on. I will be with my brother on Memorial Day itself, so note that there are no confessions or Mass in the parish on Monday.
3. We are truly privileged to host the relics of St. Manuel and Bl. Carlo. A Spanish saint by birth, St. Manuel once wrote: “My faith was looking at Jesus through the door of that tabernacle, so silent, so patient, so good, gazing right back at me.” Bl. Carlo, the young Italian, once reflected: “The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on earth we will have a foretaste of heaven.” These two saints will be with us throughout the Pentecost weekend for your private devotion, and we will have the opportunity for communal veneration during our 1:00 pm Holy Hour on Saturday, May 27.
4. On Friday, May 26, at St. Peter Cathedral, Bishop Persico will ordain two young men to the holy priesthood Christopher Beran and Cory Pius (a particularly fitting name for a servant of God). I plan to be at the ordination Mass in Erie. Please keep these soon to be new priests in your prayers!
Jennifer’s Mission Immersion: Our Faith Formation Director, Jennifer Wortman, departs this week on a Catholic Extension sponsored mission trip to Uvalde, Texas and the southern border area. We can expect that this will be an emotional and profound several days for Jenn and her travelling companions. Experiences like this help our parish leaders to know and understand the many aspects of our Church’s mission to the poor and suffering. They, in turn, can then share that heart knowledge with each of us.
Faith Formation Needs: We are fortunate that Jenn’s mission trip is wholly paid for by Catholic Extension. But to assist with our local youth, teen, and adult formation, we need your help. In your packet of offertory envelopes, you’ll find a newly included one for “Faith Formation.” Your donations will assist with regular Sunday faith formation classes for our kids. You will also be supporting the participation of our students in events like NCYC. Furthermore, you will be helping our leaders to attend personal enrichment conferences that allow them to grow in their knowledge and love of the Lord. Finally, you will be helping us to pay the salaries of Jennifer, Nicole, and Toby as they lead us in our own faith development. Any Sunday is a good day to drop that envelope in the collection basket. Thank you for your generosity!
Mary, Mother of the Holy Redeemer Pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe Pray for us! St. Anthony Pray for us! St. Joseph Pray for us!