Dear Friends,
After last week's bulletin had been sent for publication, I realized I omitted important content. I asked you to pray for our students who recently received the sacrament of Confirmation and for our second graders receiving their First Holy Communion this weekend, and I ask that you continue to pray for them. I forgot to thank the people involved in their preparation. Thank you to Mary Mancha from St. Mary's and Theresa Korte and Theresa Scheurer from Resurrection for preparing the second graders for First Communion. Thank you to Louis and Mary Mancha from St. Mary's and Melissa Heichel from Resurrection for preparing the kids for Confirmation. Bishop Thomas was impressed by our Confirmation kids and how well prepared they were, along with their attentiveness and reverence during the Mass. Thank you Theresa K., Theresa S., Melissa, Louis, Mary, and Jenny Ewing for everything!
The month of May is known as the month of Mary. We celebrate Mother's Day next Sunday, and because we follow the 4th Commandment to honor our parents, we honor, respect, and celebrate our earthly mothers, and we also celebrate our Mother in heaven. This is probably why we have May Crownings, as we honor our heavenly Mother. There are a few Marian feast days in May: Our Lady of Fatima on May 13 and the Visitation on May 31. While not on the universal liturgical calendar, the feast of Our Lady of Consolation is celebrated on May 25. I recommend making a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey. It's a beautiful church with a pleasant shrine park with the Stations of the Cross down the street; it's a place in which many have experience miraculous healings and the intercession of our Lady. If you haven't been there, I strongly urge you to go.
Thinking about our diocesan prayer and our Bishop's vision for the diocese of living as holy disciples, holy families, and holy vocations, the Blessed Virgin Mary exemplifies all three of these. She is the first of all disciples, the first one to follow her Son, the most faithful of all disciples. Mary belonged to the Holy Family with Jesus and with St. Joseph. They provide a model of holiness for our families and provide an example of love, unity, commitment within the context of a family. She lived out her vocation of being the Mother of God, the one bearing and bringing into the world the Son of God. May we turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask her to help us in living as holy disciples in holy families, fulfilling holy vocations.
We are saints under construction, honoring our Lady and becoming holy disciples, holy families, and holy vocations. Have a great week!
In Christ,
Fr. Matt