From the Pastor – 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 8, 2017

From the Pastor – 27 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10/8/17)

One of St. Paul’s favorite topics was prayer, and today’s reading from his letter to the Philippians is no exception to that. He says, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” For Paul all topics are appropriate for prayer because we need to share and consult with the Lord about everything.

God knows what is on our minds already, of course, but He also desires that we make a conscious effort to communicate with Him on these subjects. In addition, Paul points out that our prayers need to be infused with thanksgiving. We should not just petition the Lord and make requests. It is equally important that we think about, identify, and acknowledge our blessings.

We have often pointed out that stewardship is a life of gratitude, a way of living which encourages us to focus on gifts, not on problems and challenges all the time. If we strive to have grateful hearts, our prayers come much more easily, and we tend to be much happier and more upbeat in our lives.

The noted author, philosopher, journalist, and theologian G. K. Chesterton is well known in Catholic circles because he converted to Catholicism during his life, and was an excellent conveyor of the faith. In terms of living grateful lives he said, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” That includes thanks to God.

Pastoral Pondering

From the survey: I know there are a lot of needs all over the place, but it seems like we are having second collections almost every week. At times, it seems overwhelming.

I agree with the sentiment. Certainly, there are at times special circumstances such as the hurricanes and earthquake that require an extraordinary response, but it seems things are coming from all sides. This has been a topic of discussion in various leadership groups in the parish. One proposal that I like very much is to eliminate ALL second collections. The exception would be an extraordinary circumstance such as noted above. We would then simply budget for the annual second collections and others would simply apply to the Charitable Giving Committee for consideration. This would, of course, require everyone to increase their weekly giving to take account of this, but then everyone knows what is budgeted, and we can be more intentional about our giving and not worry about being overwhelmed. Last week the annual report was included in the bulletin which outlines the last fiscal year and the proposed budget for the present fiscal year. With the Finance Council’s help and your generosity, we were able to increase charitable giving significantly and plan to continue working towards a true “tithe” of our resources. This requires faith and generosity of all involved, but I firmly believe that the Lord cannot be outdone in generosity. We just have to take Him at His word.

From the survey: We moved here about two years ago, and I was surprised that there is no Faith Formation on Sundays. It can be difficult for families in our busy world to manage faith formation during the week.

Since I have been pastor at the parish, there have been limited Faith Formation opportunities on Sunday morning; although, Sunday evening is regularly used for Faith Formation and Youth Ministry. In previous assignments, Sunday along with weekdays were utilized. In looking at the Sunday Mass schedule, we would need to see what adjustments could be made to provide an adequate time slot for Faith Formation. The benefit of this, would be to provide a time slot for some type of Adult Education while the children are in class, e.g. “Doughnuts and Dogma” or “Faith Facts with Father”. The down side would be changing the Sunday Mass schedule. People get very used to routines, and change can bring challenges. I do think this is something that needs further consideration. The most logical change would be to shift the 7:30 am Mass to 7:00 am, and move the 9:00 am to 8:30 am. This would provide 45 minutes before the 11:00 am Mass that could be used for faith formation. Should such a change be implemented, Diocesan approval would be required and enough lead time to give everyone an opportunity to adjust.

Communion notes: There have been ongoing questions about the discontinuation of distributing the Precious Blood at the 11 am Mass. As I indicated several weeks back, it was decided to do this to help expedite the distribution of Communion at this Mass. So far this has been helpful. I would also ask your assistance in maintaining a proper care and reverence when receiving. In recent weeks, we have seen an increase of spillage of the Precious Blood and Hosts falling to the floor. Most of this can be avoided by slowing down. I would also ask parents to take some extra time in reminding children how to properly receive. Many of the spills have been younger children receiving. Also, please remember that if you do not have the use of both hands when receiving, the host will be placed on your tongue. It is not acceptable to receive with one hand. This is often what leads to Hosts falling. Thanks for your help with this!

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Pentecost

By John Putnam • June 6, 2025
Today we reach the finale of the Easter season with the celebration of the great Feast of Pentecost. Reflecting on today’s readings, inspires a sense of awe as we consider the mighty power of the Holy Spirit at work giving birth to and sustaining our Church. Just as awesome — the same Spirit is calling to us this day to take up our part in the Church’s saving work. In the first reading, from Acts, we see the creative genius of the Holy Spirit moving through the newly confirmed Apostles “who began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The large crowd, gathered from all over the world were “amazed” and “astounded” that each one could understand the Apostles speaking in their own language. Each one of us, young and old alike, is personally called today by the Holy Spirit into the same mission as that of the first Apostles — to advance the Kingdom of God in our corner of the world. Just as He did on that Pentecost day, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in our “own language” to give us the Good News of the Gospel and urge us to share it. We can think of our own language as the particular gifts, talents, and passions we possess. We experience the presence of the Holy Spirit through them and we are meant to put them to work in grateful service of the Kingdom of God. When we consider the stewardship way of life we are called to live, we often focus on the challenges it poses. Surrendering ourselves to God is indeed a challenging way to live. But it leads to a life that is exciting, creative, and deeply rewarding. Stewardship allows us to experience life as a great adventure because it is a life guided and directed by the very source of power and creativity— the Holy Spirit! © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering At the dawn of creation, the Spirit hovered over the waters (Genesis 1:2). In that very moment, God breathed life into the world. That same breath, that same Spirit, was breathed into the apostles when Jesus said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22) The Holy Spirit is not an abstract force. He is the breath of God , the Giver of Life, who animates the Church and renews our hearts. Without the Spirit, we are like dry bones in a desert. With Him, we are brought to life and made new. In the Acts of the Apostles, the Spirit descends upon the disciples like tongues of fire, and they begin to speak in different languages. But notice this: though they spoke in many tongues, they all understood one another . The Spirit doesn’t cause confusion—He brings unity. In a world divided by language, culture, politics, and pride, the Holy Spirit builds communion. He makes us one body in Christ. He does not erase our differences, but He harmonizes them. As St. Paul says, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.” We are each unique, with our own gifts and personalities. But the Holy Spirit brings those together for the common good of the Church. Unity in diversity—that is the hallmark of the Spirit. The apostles were afraid and hiding before the Spirit came. But when the Spirit descended, they were transformed. Cowards became courageous. Fishermen became preachers. Ordinary men became saints. That is what the Holy Spirit does. We too are sent—into our families, our workplaces, our communities. We are sent to proclaim the Gospel not always with words, but with our lives. We are called to be witnesses of mercy, joy, and truth in a world desperately thirsting for God. And the good news is: we are not alone . The Spirit is our Advocate, our Helper, our Strength. He prays in us when we do not know how to pray. He inspires, guides, convicts, and consoles. Let us open our hearts more fully to the Holy Spirit. Invite Him into your life daily. Ask Him to stir up in you the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Let us not treat the Holy Spirit as a distant mystery, but as a close companion. Let us walk by the Spirit, live by the Spirit, and be on fire with the Spirit.  Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Amen.

From the Pastor - Seventh Sunday of Easter

By John Putnam • May 30, 2025
On this Feast of the Ascension, we celebrate Christ’s triumphant return to the Father after perfectly accomplishing His mission on earth. But we also can also view this Feast as a celebration of the “launch day” of our commissioning as Christ’s disciples. Today’s Gospel draws our attention to the clear instructions that Jesus gave His disciples (and to us) just before ascending to the Father: “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." Embracing a stewardship way of life, with its emphasis on the use of time, talent and treasure, helps us to live in such a way that our very lives speak as a witness of the Good News of the Gospel. While we take time to reflect and renew our commitments in these three areas annually as a parish family, it is of great benefit to take some time individually throughout the year to take stock of the commitments we have made — looking at both our strengths and our need for continued growth in each area. On this Feast of our "launch day," take some time to celebrate your victories as Christ’s disciples and renew your commitment to remain faithful to Him and the unique mission He has entrusted to you! © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering In Matthew 28:20 Jesus reminds the apostles, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I have always taken great strength and consolation from these words. They are foreshadowed in the Old Testament in Isaiah 41:20: “Fear not for I am with you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” These are words from a God who loves us and who desires our good. A God who desires to make His dwelling with us and to inspire us to live lives worthy of Himself. They are words that help us prepare ourselves to celebrate Pentecost and to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in us and among us.  Next Saturday evening, we will celebrate the Rite of Confirmation and Reception into Full Communion with our candidates who have been participating in the OCIA process. Please keep them in your prayers and help them find their place within our parish community. In the morning next Saturday, we are privileged to host the diaconate ordination for seven of our diocesan seminarians. As noted previously, one of them, Michael Lugo, will be with us for the summer. This parish is phenomenal in helping these young men find their “ministerial feet” so to speak. And we always welcome the opportunity to be blessed with their enthusiasm and energy. Finally, the Diocese has approved our moving into the construction phase for the rectory project. The prep work has already been done, and the actual building phase should begin in the next few weeks. This weekend, we are making a final push to reach our campaign goal. If you have not done so, we need your help and participation. The goal is doable and, together we can accomplish much. Assuming our fundraising keeps apace our hope is to begin the main-campus project next summer. Between now and then we will be doing some evaluations and, where necessary, value engineering to help us stay on track with the plan.
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