Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The recent completion of the south wing of the church courtyard brings an end to our project. The wing includes a hall (nearly exactly the same size as upper Smith Hall), a conference room, and what will soon be a small gift shop. In deciding what to call the wing, we went back to you, the parishioners, and what you voted for when naming the bells. The bells were named in order of most votes. The fifth most popular name was St. Michael. I hope you will enjoy your St. Michael Hall and Conference Room.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

A great many of you asked about the book I referenced last Sunday in my homily. (Now, don't let the title mislead you – this is no self-help book in the way of our culture!) The title is Humility Rules: Saint Benedict's 12-Step Guide to Genuine Self Esteem by J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B. Father Augustine is a Benedictine monk who teaches and coaches rugby at St. Louis Priory School in Missouri. He applies parts of the Rule of St. Benedict to everyday life. The "self esteem" he mentions is one deeply rooted in God's will for each of us. He uses extensive humor to make his point in a series of very short chapters that can be read each day. At the end of each, he gives a little "homework" from, "Make sure the last thing you read tonight before going to bed is Scripture," to, "Spare the life of a bug. Bonus points if it's a mosquito."

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!

April and May can be some of the busiest months in a parish! The celebration of the glorious Resurrection of Christ leads to a flurry of holy activity. One of the greatest upcoming celebrations for our parish is the conferral of the Holy Sacrament of Confirmation. This Wednesday, April 18 at 7:00pm, we onceagain welcome our Bishop, the Most Rev. Robert E. Guglielmone, for Confirmation as almost fifty of our young men and women will be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. During Confirmation, God the Holy Spirit comes upon us, just as at Pentecost when He descended upon Mary and the Apostles fifty days after Easter (see Acts 2:1–4). Please pray for each of our youth who will receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen! For eight days we have been celebrating Easter Day, and today we come to the Octave (eighth) Day. In the Jubilee Year 2000, Pope St. John Paul II named this Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday.

As we continue to celebrate this joy-filled Easter Season, join us this afternoon, Sunday, April 8, at 2:30pm in the church for a special violin concert. Maestro Matteo Fedeli returns to St. Mary's to fill our church with the sweet sounds of a 1709 Pietro G. Guarneri violin, graciously on loan from a private collection. Maestro Fedeli will be accompanied on piano by Ms. Carol Cook of Aiken. This concert is free and open to the public, so bring your friends! This year, we have arranged to have the piano up front so that you will have the best possible view.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

First, we give a very warm welcome to our Bishop, the Most Rev. Robert Guglielmone, who is here to bless the new mosaic of the Blessed Mother in the garden after the 11am Mass. Be sure to wish him also a happy anniversary of his ordination as Bishop!

As we begin Holy Week, allow yourself to walk with Jesus in His final steps to save you and, in fact, the whole world. Make time to spend with Him. Some highlights of the week:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church from this Sunday may be observed. Crosses remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday, but images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil." – from the Roman Missal for the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Go on…take a break…you deserve it! In fact, the Church insists on it today. Here at the halfway point of Lent, the Church gives us a little break from our Lenten penances on this Sunday of joy called Laetare Sunday. The fourth Sunday of Lent is a break in our otherwise penitential season. The priests and deacons wear rose, the color of the dawn, symbolizing anticipation; and music, having been restrained since Ash Wednesday, is given joyful free reign once again. This day takes its name from the opening words of the Mass, the official Introit: "Laetare, Jerusalem" – "Rejoice, Jerusalem… Be joyful, all who were in mourning!" (From Isaiah 66:10-11).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Due to an unexpected glitch in the social media universe, we recently lost our previous St. Mary's Facebook page. However, we have set up a new and improved page. All we need is you to "like" us again. So click here and like our new page. It is a great way for the parish to share with you the most current news and events, including recent pictures from our own seminarian Will Frei receiving the Ministry of Acolyte in Rome, another official step to ordination to the priesthood. We also share upcoming events and special announcements about Mass times. While social media may have its pitfalls, it can also be used for tremendous good.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As I write this, the parish mission is in full swing, and we've had a fantastic turnout. It is truly a great way to "get us into" Lent. As with anything that involves so many moving parts, it could not have gone so well without the help of a great number of staff and volunteers. So, a big "thank you" is in order to each and every person who helped in any way.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and He remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan." – St. Mark 1:12-13

We have entered once again into the desert of Lent with Christ. This Lent can be the one that transforms you like no other, if you are willing to open up your heart and allow Christ inside. You have nothing to lose… and literally everything togain.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

First, many thanks to everyone for the compassionate outpouring of love and concern – and chicken soup! – over my recent illness, which kept me from celebrating Mass last Sunday. We are all especially grateful for Fr. Ernie Hepner and Fr. Renaurd West for so willingly jumping in to take Masses so that there was no interruption to our Mass schedule. As I write this column, I am feeling a thousand times better. Thank you!

This Wednesday, February 14, is Ash Wednesday. While it is not a Holy Day, it is nevertheless an extremely important day in the life of every Catholic, who seeks to be a more faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. Masses are at 7am in Old St. Mary's; 8:30AM, 12noon, & 5:30PM in the church; and 7PM (in Spanish) in Old St. Mary's.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"The anniversary of a church's dedication is celebrated with the rank of a solemnity." - Roman Pontifical, Rite of Dedication of a Church, 27.

This weekend at all Masses, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Anniversary of the Dedication of St. Mary's church (transferred from Feb. 2). The annual celebration of a parish church's dedication outranks even most Sundays of the Church's liturgical year. The true beauty of the Church, of course, is with the capital letter, "C," i.e., the baptized members of the Mystical Body of Christ, of which our church building is an important symbol and has an important function. It is here in this building that we are formed to be the Church living and receive His saving Sacraments. Jesus is the Head and we, the baptized, are the Body (see 1 Cor. 12:12-26). Be who you are called to be – Jesus Christ!