Dear Parishioners,
This has been a whirlwind of a day…actually of a week…no, a month really. This is typically a busy time of the year for us but so much is going on right now that it’s hard to remember when I was involved in so many things. But the Lord is good and provides the strength necessary to do what needs to be done. And most of all, he provides the people upon whom I rely, and they come with many God-given gifts and with generous hearts to serve the people of this parish. So please pray for all of our staff…new and veterans alike… who give so much. They are really my joy and I’m so grateful for all they do to keep everything afloat.
Much is happening in the school right now as the 8th graders prepare for graduation, which will take place this Monday, May 20th , at 6:30pm in Lux Hall. I have gotten to know many of them pretty well and they will be missed as they move on to high school. Please pray for them and for all those who are graduating at this time of year.
Yesterday our new principal, Mr. Lorenzo Jones, introduced himself to our school faculty and shared with him his vision for our school community. He was honest with them about the fact that he had applied for this position at several Catholic schools but specifically chose St. Leo the Great after he and I shared our visions and goals with each other. He felt (as I do), that we have a similar vision which will allow our parish school to become a place where the children entrusted to us can grow academically as well as spiritually. I am confident that he will be a strong leader for our school community and I already look forward to the new year ahead of us.
This Monday, May 20th, is the 35th Ordination Anniversary for Deacon Pat Berigan. So please congratulate him and thank him and Joan for all they do for our parish community. I continue to feel their support and am grateful to have people I can share ideas and ministry with. We will celebrate this special occasion as soon as this crazy month of May is behind us.
This past Friday we celebrated the last School Mass with the students. Next year we’re going to increase these monthly Masses to twice a month, and will likely have other grades attend Mass more often, as currently the 8th graders attend Mass every Friday morning. The one question the students ask me the most is, “When are we going to church again?” and I’m really happy they ask that question! We are going to be focusing next year on how our Catholic faith can have a positive influence on all of our students, whether they are Catholic or not (or even non practicing). It’s a great challenge today as you yourselves know from other family members who no longer practice their Catholic faith on a regular basis. But I am hearing that things are starting to turn around in that respect and I know the Holy Spirit is always working to bring people to faith. We just need to do our part in cooperating with the grace of God, especially by our witness or example.
We welcome Carter Hruby into God’s Church this Sunday as he is baptized into our faith. May he grow with his parents and godparents into a man of living faith.
This weekend we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, which brings the Easter Season (the last 7 weeks) to a close. The paschal candle will be moved from next to the pulpit where it has been lit for every Mass since the Easter Vigil and it will be placed by the baptismal font where it is of course lit for every celebration of baptism. But before you see the green vestments of Ordinary Time, we have two more feasts that follow Pentecost but are separate from our Easter celebrations: The feast of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ & the feast of the Holy Trinity.