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From the Pastor – 5th Sunday of Easter

Apr 30, 2018

From the Pastor – 5 th Sunday of Easter

St. John captures the essence of what kind of love is expected from us toward our neighbor and those in need as he opens our Second Reading with “Let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” Jesus made that point several times in His own teachings. It follows the old adage that “Actions speak louder than words.”

We have pointed out numerous times that being a good steward requires action. It may be easy for us come to an understanding of what it means to love one another; and additionally, we may speak of doing it; but the true measure is what we do, how we live our lives.

The best examples of stewardship of that we may be aware in our parishes and community involve what we see and experience in others. That is the most effective way to be taught and it is the best way to teach others. Do it and live it.

That is John’s point is it not? He continues his instructions in the Second Reading by saying, “We should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us.” The Norwegian playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen, who had a great appreciation for the written word, once stated, “A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed.”

The point of Jesus’ Parable of the Two Sons (Mt. 21) in which one son says he will do his father’s will but does not while the other says he will not obey, but repents and does what his father asked, is quite clear that deeds mean more than intentions.

Pastoral Pondering

This past year has been marked by a lot of changes in the staff with restructuring, retirements, etc. It has been a year of evaluation, staff formation, and planning as we seek to use both human and fiscal resources wisely and well.

As you know, we are in the process of searching for a new Director of Sacred Music as Laura moves to Colorado in May, and you may have noticed the position openings in Faith Formation. We have been actively trying to formulate the best way to offer formation for everyone here at the parish. This is a monumental task, but I believe that we are now in a better position to address it. In consultation with Theresa Benson, Director of Faith Formation, it became clear that in order to best use resources, it was not possible to keep a Director of Catechesis. That position has been eliminated. We wish Michael Griffith well as he pursues new opportunities. Once the elementary and middle school coordinators are in place, we will be able to develop a robust program of adult learning and formation. My desire is to have all the components in place and present that plan to the parish in the fall. Please keep all of this in your prayers.

I want to thank everyone who has offered feedback regarding reorganizing times for Mass on Sunday. Most have been helpful and provided good insights as we examined the various possibilities. After reviewing all of the input, the following schedule has been suggested: 7AM, 830AM, 1115AM. The 100PM and 500PM will remain unchanged. ‘This provides adequate time for faith formation and adult opportunities while allowing for parking constraints. Once the requisite approval is obtained from the chancery, our plan is to begin the new schedule in July.

Finally, I want to offer a word of thanks and appreciation to Laura Maclean. Laura has served the parish as the Director of Music for 19 years. This is not an easy task in a parish that has grown so much during that time along with attempting to adapt to new pastors, new parochial vicars and new realities. Laura, in my experience, has always brought a great deal of joy and care to her music ministry. She is intentional about being joy-filled and strives to offer God worship and praise that is worthy of His majesty. Parting and following a new path can be difficult, but I know you join me in assuring her of our prayers and best wishes as she heads to Colorado in mid-May. We will certainly miss her, but I am sure her husband will be very happy to have the family reunited.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Sixth Sunday of Easter

By John Putnam • 03 May, 2024
Our readings today call us to love as Christ loves. In our Gospel, Jesus says, “Love one another as I have loved you.” The ways Jesus has loved us and continues to love us are endless. We are called to imitate this love. And He tells us the greatest way to do this when He said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” It is difficult to live that out in our humanity. Yet, it is made much easier when we faithfully love Christ. The fact of the matter is, as our love for Christ increases, so too does our capacity to love others. There are countless moments when we can do just that — for instance, waking up Saturday morning to attend daily Mass instead of sleeping in, or talking to God in the car on the way to work instead of listening to music. These are simple ways to express our love for the Lord by laying down our lives for Him. The more we find ways to love the Lord, the more we will find it easier to put aside our selfishness and serve others. Christ’s command to love others may seem daunting. Yet, Christ would never ask something of us that we cannot live out. All we need to do is take baby steps. Ask yourself, "How can I better love Jesus right now?" for it is in loving Christ that we will better love others, and it is in loving others that we love Christ Himself. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2024 Pastoral Pondering  Last week I had the opportunity of spending the afternoon with my childhood pastor, the Reverend Fred Thompson. He served as the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Newton, NC for over 30 years. He is now 91 years old and continues to live a fairly independent life. We lost touch when my family moved from Newton to Hickory as I began grammar school but reconnected during my undergraduate studies at Lenoir-Rhyne College. We have stayed in touch since then. Such connections from the past are very important. At least in my case, Fred knew things about my parents and my adoption that I never did, and he is always happy to share a story or two. I bring this up because memory, what we refer to in the Mass as anamnesis, is essential not only to our faith but to society as a whole. Our collective memory is important. Significant events of the past are passed on from one generation to the next, and we hopefully learn from our mistakes so that we don’t repeat them. In the Catholic context, we are being obedient to Christ’s command at the Last Supper, do this in memory of me.” And it is through that remembrance that we cannot the past with the present and look with hope to the future – Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. This is why Sacred Tradition is so very important to our understanding of the Faith. That which is handed over (traditio) is essential because it forms the framework upon which the Church travels throughout the centuries. The same is true in families. In the past multiple generations would live together or in close proximity to each other. Children learned about life from a variety of family members with varying degrees of lived experience and a wealth of memory. With our society becoming more transitory and human interaction being impoverished by the reality of technology, families need to be very intentional about connecting with the past. It helps us all understand who we are, why we are here and for what we were made.

From the Pastor - Fifth Sunday of Easter

By John Putnam • 26 Apr, 2024
Our readings today teach us what it means to bear fruit as disciples of Christ. We hear in each of our readings that it is from the Lord that good effects will be produced in our lives. In our first reading, we hear about disciples who were preaching the Good News and defending the faith. The work they were doing was “with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.” It was not their work alone, but the work of God. We must ask ourselves, ‘how is God bearing fruit in my life?’ and ‘have I invited the Holy Spirit to work in me?’ The more we try to produce good effects in our lives, the more we will become disappointed if all we are relying on is our own efforts. It is only by inviting the Holy Spirit into our everyday moments that we will see goodness poured out. Jesus clearly tells us how to do this in our Gospel. He says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.” We can remain in Christ by staying faithful to His commandments and frequently receiving the sacraments. And our day-to-day moments should be a reflection of those commitments. That could mean opening our day with a prayer of thanksgiving, smiling at those we see on the street, asking God for help as we begin our workday, praising God in moments of trial, taking time to listen to our spouse after a long day. To remain in Christ means, in all that we do, we do it with the Lord. When we live a life like that — as a branch never separated from its vine — God will produce bountiful fruit in our lives. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2024 Pastoral Pondering I have had a few folks interested in what exactly occurs when a diocese received a new bishop, so I thought I would outline the process a bit for a contribution to your knowledge of Catholic trivia. Before a new bishop can be appointed, the diocese in question has to be vacant. A vacancy occurs through death, retirement, resignation or removal. In our case, Bishop Jugis submitted his resignation based on his deteriorating health, one of the reasons that a bishop can ask to be relieved of the administration of a diocese. Once the Holy Father accepts the resignation, the See becomes vacant. During the interim or sede vacante (vacant seat) period, the diocese needs to have someone to keep things going. This is done by either a priest, who is appointed administrator or by a bishop, who is known as an apostolic administrator. In our case Bishop Jugis continues as the apostolic administrator. Since his successor has already been named, Bishop Jugis can help prepare for the new bishop’s transition. As soon as a see is vacated, several offices and one advisory body cease to function. Any vicars general or episcopal vicars lose their office and the Presbyteral Council ceases until reconstituted by the new bishop. Both the Judicial Vicar and the Chief Financial Office of the diocese continue in office to insure the ongoing functions of their offices. Bishop Jugis, as Apostolic Administrator, has asked those priests who were serving as his vicar general and episcopal vicars to continue performing their functions in the interim. When the new Bishop is installed, he can reappoint the vicars or appoint others to take their places. If a priest is appointed as the new bishop, he must be ordained a bishop before he can assume the office. Once ordained, a ceremony occurs, usually a Mass, during which the newly ordained bishop takes possession of the diocese and assumed the full pastoral care of the Diocese. Hence, Bishop-elect Martin will be ordained on May 29 th and then will take possession of the Diocese on the following day.  A lot of work can be done to prepare for the new bishop’s arrival prior to his coming. Nonetheless, the first few weeks of his administration will be taken up with settling into his new position and getting his bearings. This is very similar to a new pastor coming to a parish; albeit, on a larger scale. During these early days of the new administration, the new bishop decides on vicar appointments and reconstitutes the Presbyteral Council and makes any other decisions that he deems appropriate for pastoral care. Often new bishops spend a good bit of time visiting the new parishes of the new Diocese to get to know his priests and meet his people. In Bishop-elect Martin’s case, he will be ordaining transitional deacons on the Saturday following his own ordination and then ordaining priests two weeks later, so he will indeed “hit the ground running”. Keep him in your prayers.
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