Dear Friends:
As you read these words, our parish will have completed the celebration of the reception of First Communion for over one hundred children. We congratulate them on this important milestone in their lives as Catholics, and we pray that they will receive the Eucharist regularly and often. It is incumbent upon parents to see that their children, all of them precious gifts of God, are properly formed in their faith. In our time, the proper observance of Sunday has been eroded. One clear sign of this is that children today are much more likely to be brought to soccer, baseball, or football games or dance lessons and gymnastics classes on Sunday than they are brought to Mass. This is to be deplored. While playing team sports or attending dance lessons or gymnastics classes is not evil in itself, it is no substitute at all for an active life of faith. As we all know as adults, life will get tough at times and when the winds blow and storms erupt, we will need something to hold fast to, and a soccer ball, a baseball, a football, or dancing and gymnastics shoes will not be enough. Our children will need to have a living faith, a vibrant relationship with the living God. They need to be taught that God remains with them always and will see them through anything and everything that life throws their way. Of great assistance in this is their being taught to pray regularly (and by that, I mean daily), their receiving the sacraments regularly (and by that I mean weekly Mass and reception of Communion as well as confession several times a year). Not to be overlooked, of course, is the good example that parents and grandparents and all of us can give.
The Easter Season is beginning to wane as we now approach its conclusion with the celebration of Pentecost on May 28. A clear sign of this is the celebration of the Solemnity of the Ascension on this Thursday, May 18. There will be four Masses celebrated in our parish for the holy day. Please be sure to take a bulletin by way of reminder. You always can, of course, check for the bulletin on the parish website.
Have a good week.