May 16, 2021 – The Ascension of the Lord

From our Parochial Vicar, Father Sinoj Pynadath:

  1. Retirement: By now you must have received a letter from Fr. Jerry Riney about his retirement. It is really heartbreaking and this is not the way any of us wanted this to happen. But we realize out of our love for him we have to accept and respect his decision. Try to imagine how hard it was for him to make this decision; 46 glorious years in the Ministry of the Lord, what a blessing! He will retire on June 8th and until then he will continue to be on medical leave. He will be with us some weekends to celebrate the Eucharist. Let us continue to support him through our prayers and friendship. 

  2. Happy Solemnity! The Ascension of the Lord seems to be an end of Jesus’ mission and he bids farewell to his close associates. But perhaps it is like the farewell of a bride on her wedding day, who is leaving her father’s house going to join her bridegroom. There is physical separation and absence but the joy of where he is going brings comfort and consolation. He does not answer clearly the query of the disciples, but tells them to just leave it to the Father and have faith in Him and trust Him. This “happy” Solemnity of Ascension invites us to happily look forward to the “unclear” future. Let us seek the grace from God to grow in faith and trust in His promises.

  3.  St. Rita: She is one of those saints whose life stories have fascinated me. I have watched the movie on Rita a few times. I encourage you all to watch it; it is available on formed.org. St. Rita is a great witness of faith and trust in God. Her perseverance in trying to do God’s will and bringing peace won her the title as a patron of desperate, seemingly impossible causes and situations. Because she has been involved in so many stages of life (wife, mother, widow, and nun) she buried her family, helped bring peace to her city, and saw her dreams denied and fulfilled. She never lost her faith in God, or her desire to fulfill His will.

  4. Happy Ordination: Coming Saturday, May 22nd, Deacon Corey Dale Bruns will be ordained a priest at our Church. It is a special day for the Diocese, a more special day for us. Corey has been part of our parish in his pastoral year and in most of the important occasions and has been of great help to us. All of us may not be able to participate in the Ordination Liturgy in person, but I encourage you to be present for the Holy Hour on Friday, May 21st, and his second Mass of Thanksgiving on Monday, May 24th. Let us continue to pray for Corey as he is approaching the Sacred Order of Priesthood. 

  5.  Confirmation on Pentecost! Next Sunday is the Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. We remember the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the early community of believers. The Spirit is the soul of the Church and through the Spirit, Christ continues His mission on earth by using the members of His Body as the primary instruments of bringing His life and love into our world. Let us prepare to celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit in us to be the missionary disciples of Jesus. Let us also pray for the 16 young members of SSC and BSC parishes who are going to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on this Day. The liturgical color for Pentecost is red, representing the Holy Spirit; you are welcome and encouraged to wear red at Masses on the weekend of May 22/23, the Solemnity of Pentecost!