Pastor's Corner

From the Pastor

Pastor's Corner

May 24, 2026

This weekend, we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. It marks the end of the Easter Season, a season of fifty days during which we celebrate the resurrection of Christ and all that it symbolizes for us.

This celebration of the the Resurrection includes the feasts of Ascension and Pentecost. Jesus is risen from the dead, and He ascends to the Father and is united with Him. And although He is one with the Father, the Holy Spirit of God remains with us as we journey to become one with god.

The Feast of Pentecost reminds us that the Spirit of God is within us. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, we receive the same spirit that Christ gave to the apostles on that day of Pentecost when He ascended to the Father. The Spirit that propelled them into the world to proclaim the gospel is now within every disciple.

The word “spirit” comes from a Latin word meaning breath. However, the word used in the book of Genesis is the Hebrew word “ruah,” meaning the breath of life. God breathes into the nostrils of his creation – Adam, and by extension, all humanity – and gives him His spirit, or the breath of life. And so, we are filled with God’s life, or His “Spirit.”

Easter has been about Baptism, and Baptism is about rising to new life. This new life is fueled by the presence of the Spirit. At Confirmation, we are reminded of the gifts that the Spirit brings understanding, us: wisdom, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and that we have been filled with the Spirit and are wonderfully equipped to do the work of the kingdom. Each and every one of us is called to use the gifts of the Spirit to do God’s work. We all do it to the best of our ability. Parents teach by bringing their children to Mass and to CCD, and, most importantly, by their fear of the Lord.

We are all called to use these gifts just as the apostles did: to spread the kingdom of God. After Christ returned to the Father, they went to every corner of the world to teach what Christ had taught them and to bring to others the healing presence of Christ.

We all have received these gifts. They help us to navigate a world that seems in so many ways not to be using the gifts of the Spirit. You and I are called to cooperate with the Spirit and to continue the work of the apostles – the work of Christ.

Maybe you can recall when you received the sacrament of Confirmation and became fully initiated into the Church. Part of the preparation to receive the sacrament was not only to learn more about our faith (remember all those questions!), but we were also to consider how we can live as disciples of Christ, using the gift God has bestowed upon them.

Our Baptism, and our recommitment to that Baptism during these fifty days, reminds us that we seek to live the new life of the risen Christ. As we move from the Easter Season into Ordinary Time, we are reminded that we have been filled with the Spirit and are wonderfully equipped to do the work of the kingdom.

Each and every one of us is called to use the gifts of the Spirit to do God’s work. We all do it to the best of our ability. Parents teach by bringing their children to Mass and to CCD, and, most importantly, by their examples. Others who volunteer their time and their talents in any way for the good of others also give witness to the work of the Spirit.

This year, the feast of Pentecost can inspire us as we prepare for our approaching consolidation into one parish family! In our faith community we have many opportunities to donate our time and talent, in ministries as lectors, altar servers, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, choir members and cantors, and CCD teachers and helpers; as active members of our Altar & Rosary or Holy Name Societies; or in parish activities such as our annual Festival. Our consolidation can inspire us to work together, as the disciples did, to carry the Gospel message to all we meet.

We are all called everyday to witness to the Spirit within us. May this Pentecost Sunday especially inspire us as we prepare for our new mission as one people of God, united in His service.

Faith Like a Child

If you Google Search recommendations on how to raise generous children, almost every list of ideas begins with — or at least contains — the directive for adults to be good models of generosity themselves. Our children learn from our actions much more than from our words. Of course, when I think back over the years while my children were growing up, I think I may have learned as much from them as they learned from me. There is a time between early childhood and middle school where a child seems to be freer to give and share than at any other time in life. It is around the age of First Communion when the cries of “mine” turn to laughter and smiles, and the urge to be a part of something bigger than oneself leads to sharing. Before you know it, the child hits the pre-teen years, and once again, he or she becomes the center of the universe. I believe that the previous paragraph is all true, however, the stages described seem to repeat themselves throughout adulthood. Don’t you agree? Sometimes we fall into seeing ourselves as the center of the universe, or we become consumed by our state in life or with what we have acquired. Also, we at times are generous and loving people. It is sin that draws us back into ourselves and away from any meaningful life of stewardship and generosity. In order to be freed for love, we need role models to help us see what really matters. We need to reflect on the example of many of our brothers and sisters in Christ. And, yes, we need to look to children who may be at the point in their lives where sharing is fun, and love is something in abundance.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse