Behold Your Mother

05-12-2019Pastor's LetterRev. Gregory B. Wilson, VF

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!)

Many thanks are in order for all who brought and cooked our food, helped arrange the fun and games for the children, who gave us music, and who helped set up and break it all down. To all of you, thank you! One note: We had hoped to have plenty of jump castles for the children, but the company that provides them cancelled due to the threat of bad weather. With the possibility of high winds, it is certainly better to cancel. However, pray for next year!

With Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Confirmation, First Holy Communion, and our May Procession/Parish picnic now behind us, we look forward to a more “normal” month. Do mark your calendars for the actual feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, on Friday, May 24th. Come join us in Old St. Mary’s for a special Mass at 5:30pm.

At the Easter Vigil on April 20, we had 8 people baptized, 5 received into full communion of the Catholic Church, and 18 for the Sacrament of Confirmation. On 29 April, there were 50 young men and women who received Confirmation from our Bishop, and 45 boys and girls who made their First Holy Communion on 4 May. Please pray for these your brothers and sisters that the grace of the Sacraments will bear great fruit! And for our young ones, please pray for their parents and godparents since so much of the faith rests on their teaching and example in the home.

An update on the Columbarium project: We are nearly there! We just need a few more people to reserve/purchase a niche to be able to move forward with the columbarium. Please contact Patrick at the parish office for more information.

Finally, a few years ago I published a link to a video that explains the often misunderstood teachings of the Church regarding same-sex attraction. I encourage you to watch the following link, a video called “The Third Way,” which features interviews with several people with same-sex attraction who have finally found peace through the Catholic Church. The video is less than 40 minutes long, and can be found at this link: www.mycatholictube.com/videos/the-third-way/

In Our Lord and Our Lady,
Father Wilson

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