One year anniversary: How time flies by! It was just a year ago when I arrived at the Church of the Holy Family. I am very thankful to God and to Bishop Boyea for assigning me here. It’s been a joy getting to know you and serving you. Thanks for your patience with me and for being merciful with my mistakes.
Thanksgiving Masses: What a joy it was to be at the thanksgiving Masses of two of our newly ordained priests—Fr. Peter Lawrence and Fr. Brian Lenz! We are very blessed that God chose these men to be priests. They both have a desire to lay down their life for the People of God. Both of them are very happy they were able to spend some time at our parish before becoming priests. We look forward to the day, God willing, when our current seminarians, John Vinton and Alberto Nickerson, will celebrate thanksgiving Masses at our parish.
Religious Vocations: Speaking of vocations, parishioner Peter Cook left on Wednesday, June 29, to enter the Abbey of St. Paul in Wisques, France. I will miss Peter. He joined Fr. Gary and me for Morning Prayer each day at 6:30 a.m. By the way, if you think that God may be calling you to be a priest, please join Fr. Gary for a discernment gathering on Sunday, August 14. Please contact him if you have any questions. Please continue to pray for vocations. We need priests.
Religious Sisters: Another vocation note. It was a great joy to preside at weekday Mass and see two other religious sisters (besides our own Sister Sharon) in the assembly. The two sisters are Sister Philomena Moncrieff from the Queenship of Mary and Sister Pamela Catherine Peasel of the Franciscans Sisters of Christian Charity. What a great witness to our Catholic faith! These two young sisters were home on a short break visiting their families. By the way, I will be attending a couple of religious profession Masses in late July/early August. If anyone is interested in attending, please let me know.
Iraq: A few months ago I mentioned both in a homily and in my journal that a priest friend of mine, Fr. Gerry Gawronski, spent a week in Iraq ministering to the refugees. After much prayer and discernment and approval from our bishop, Fr. Gawronski has decided to spend the next three years in Iraq. I can’t tell you how much I admire his courage and faith. Please join me in praying for him.
St. Thomas: This Sunday, July 3, is the Feast of St. Thomas (the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time supersedes celebrating his feast day). Known as the “doubting one,” St. Thomas is probably one of our favorite saints. It seems as though we too want to see the nail marks in the hands and feet of Jesus before we fully believe. St. Gregory the Great wrote that “the faithlessness of Thomas aids us in our belief more than does the faith of the disciples who believed…When he is brought to believe by feeling with his own hand, every doubt having been removed, our own mind is confirmed in faith. Thus the Lord permits his disciple to doubt after his resurrection, but he does not forsake him.” The Lord doesn’t forsake us, as well, when we doubt at times.
Getting informed: Speaking of faith, many people have remarked to me how much they have grown in their faith by listening to Catholic radio while driving or watching great Catholic movies and talks on our Catholic faith on Formed.org. What a great way to spend our time!
Independence Day: I hope you enjoy the 4th of July with the freedom God has given us. After 9 a.m. Mass, I plan on going to my sister’s house. My mom will be there and I’m sure we will play cards. We used to play a lot of euchre. Now I enjoy playing a game called “hand and foot.”
Have a blessed week (I keep praying for some rain) and be assured of my prayers and love for you.
Msgr. Jerry
Saint quote of the week: “We should love and feel compassion for those who oppose us, rather than abhor and despise them. We should pray for them and not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by goodness. We should heap good works like redhot coals of burning love upon their heads so that when they become aware of our tolerance and gentleness they may undergo a change of heart and be prompted to turn in love to God.”
St. Anthony Zaccaria (1502-1539) whose feast day is July 5.