Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ – Please enjoy this excerpt from Bishop Robert Barron at wordonfire.org, which he wrote after spending several days in the hospital unable to move or eat very much. God bless! – Father Wilson

“Without food, the body quickly collapses; without spiritual food, the soul atrophies. It really is as simple as that. Though materialists of all stripes want to deny it, there is a dimension of the human person that goes beyond the merely physical, a dynamism that connects him or her with God. Classically, this link to the eternal is called the soul. …

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Our summer marches on. People have been enjoying well-deserved vacations. We’ve enjoyed many visitors to Aiken and to St. Mary’s in particular. It’s hard to believe that in about a month, school will begin yet another new year. “Tempus fugit” my grandmother’s clock said – “Time flies.” It is good to take a pause and remind ourselves of the value and sacredness of time itself. This time is given to us as an invaluable gift. Let us learn to use it ever more wisely with the help of God’s grace from the gifts of His divine life within us – the Sacraments – to bring faith, hope, and love to our families, to our friends, to visitors and guests, and within ourselves. Time is precious and, except in movies alone, our experience of it marches one way only. Never wish time away – it never comes back. We must use each moment as a precious gift and value each soul as the priceless treasure he or she is.

Of course, one way to sanctify time is to join in the ancient practice of the Liturgy of the Hours. We are blessed at St. Mary’s to have this regularly on Mondays and Wednesdays, currently at 7:30 and 11:30am. (See the bulletin for the normal schedule, which resumes September 4.)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
One thing people look for to determine if we are alive is if we have a heartbeat. That seems normal, except in our day and age. A priest friend of mine, Fr. Charles Byrd, recently wrote a thought-provoking reflection about companies such as Netflix and Disney threatening to stop production in his home state of Georgia, if they enact a law protecting a child’s life after his or her heartbeat is detected. Catholics stand for dignity of both mother and child. Here follows his excellent reflection.
– Father Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Recently, I came across this great little article about a type of love we seem to be losing – Friendship. Enjoy this except by an unknown author. (Note: The David and Jonathan mentioned are from 1 Samuel 18.) – Father Wilson

“Once upon a time, there was friendship. Once upon a time, society accepted that the love of friends could be the single most important thing in a person’s life, and they did more than just accept, they celebrated the fact. Throughout history, discourses and sermons have been written in praise of friendship. When Alfred Tennyson’s friend Arthur Hugh Hallam died tragically young in 1833, he spent the next seventeen years writing the great poem “In Memoriam” as a memorial to his friend; and Hallam is a first name used among the Tennyson family to this day. …

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Mark your calendars! The celebration of the bicentennial of our diocese will begin soon. On July 11, 1820, Pope Pius VII created the Diocese of Charleston. Our first Bishop, John England, arrived in Charleston on December 30, 1820. At the time of its creation, the diocese covered both North and South Carolina as well as Georgia. I will be sharing more about our history as the year-long celebration unfolds.

The official kickoff will be a Solemn Vespers, celebrated by the Most Rev. Robert E. Guglielmone, 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, on Thursday, July 11, 2019, at 6:00pm at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 120 Broad Street in Charleston. All are invited to this special celebration.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Three big solemnities happen to crop up all at once this week. Monday, June 24 is the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. There are only three birthdays our liturgical calendar celebrates: Jesus, Mary, and St. John the Baptist. St. John is the patron Saint of our diocese, so what a great day to come and pray for all the people of the Diocese. May we keep focused on the mission – spreading the Good News?

Friday the 28th, we have the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which always falls the Friday after Corpus Christi. The next morning, June 29th, we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, two “biggies” when it comes to saints. Also, our parish was founded on this day in 1853, so it is a marvelous celebration to remind us to keep focused on Jesus Christ.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

First, a very important message: A sad consequence of original sin from time immemorial has always been people attempting to defraud others. In our day fraudsters use technology to appear as a loved one or other trusted individual in our lives. You will recall a few times I have cautioned about people claiming to be me using email – often utilizing similar-looking email accounts – attempting to scam others into sending money or buying certain gift cards.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is with great personal joy this weekend that I welcome my brother, Deacon George Wilson, his wife, Janet, and their children to St. Mary's. My brother was ordained a deacon on February 9 of this year. He is a member of St. Paul the Apostle parish in Spartanburg. Currently, he plans to serve at the 5pm Saturday and 11am Sunday Masses here for Pentecost. We had a beautiful blessing of the plaque last Sunday honoring all the women religious that served St. Mary's and the surrounding area from 1900 to 1997. These faithful women gave themselves to Christ and His Church in heroic ways, and it is our pleasure to honor them. The plaque is mounted in Mother Teresa Hall.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

How do you sufficiently thank someone who has served faithfully for so long? As our school year comes to a close for our beloved St. Mary’s School, we are immensely grateful to Cathy Green, Office Manager and School Secretary, who is retiring after thirty years of dedicated service. Yes, thirty years! Generations of children remember Mrs. Green, who not only ran the office, but often acted as nurse, counselor, referee, and more for countless students over the years. She has given herself generously in so many ways and will always be a part of our school. Please be sure to thank Mrs. Green for her incredible dedication to our school!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

First, please note that daily Mass on Memorial Day (May 27) will be at 9:00am in Old St. Mary’s. There will be no confessions or Mass that evening. How grateful we are for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country! God of power and mercy, you destroy war and put down earthly pride. Banish violence from our midst and wipe away our tears, that we may all deserve to be called your sons and daughters. Keep in your mercy those men and women who have died in the cause of freedom, and bring them safely into your kingdom of justice and peace. Though Christ our Lord. Amen.

In many places in the Northeast, Thursday, May 30, would mark the day Our Lord ascended into heaven after forty days: “[Jesus] presented Himself alive to them by many proofs after He had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).” However, liturgically in most of the United States (including our diocese), the celebration of this feast is moved to Sunday. So, if you have just joined us from a diocese that celebrates the Ascension on Thursday, note that it is not a Holy Day of Obligation here.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Pope St. John Paul II’s motto was Totus Tuus, “Totally Yours.” He had placed himself totally in the arms of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that he might imitate her eternal “Yes” to God in everything. She teaches us by her example and intercession how to offer an enthusiastic “Yes!” to God’s plan for our own lives. We can learn how to be good and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ by imitating the best and first disciple, Mary.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The first word that comes to mind to describe last Sunday’s May Procession and Parish Picnic is, “Wow!” First, we thank God for what turned out to be a beautiful morning and afternoon when all weather predictions had said otherwise. Our guests of honor were our First Holy Communicants, who had just received their first Communion the day before. They led the procession down Park Avenue with rose petals and flowers. This year we added flags from the countries of origin of our parishioners, showing that our faith is truly catholic, a word that literally means “universal.” (If you did not see your country’s flag, please let us know so we can add it next year. We’re still learning about the fantastic diversity of our parish!)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Jesus said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’” – St. John 19:27

Saint Mary’s parish is your home, regardless of where you came from. Join your family as we celebrate our unity at our annual Parish Picnic, today, Sunday, May 5. (Please note that there is no 12:30pm or 5:00pm Mass on May 5 so that we can celebrate as a family.) At the end of the 11:00am bilingual Mass, we will make our annual Procession in honor of our Blessed Mother, Help of Christians, down Park Avenue and back to the church, where we will crown the statue of Mary to the left of the altar. This year the procession will include flags representing the heritage of all our parishioners and how the Church brings us together as one great witness. As we honor our Blessed Mother, let us learn through her help and intercession to incorporate her total and constant “Yes” to God’s will in our daily lives.