Veni Sancte Spiritus!

Veni, veni, Sancte Spiritus,
Veni, veni, Sancte Spiritus!
Come, Holy Spirit,
Come, Spirit divine!

Holy Spirit, come with might,
Enkindle within us the spark of your light.
Dispel the darkness,
Illumine the night,
Come, Spirit, come…

Spirit of God upon us shine,
Beacon of light, God’s own design.
Ignite our hearts with flame divine.
Come, Spirit, come…
Come, Spirit come!

Ready, Set, Go!

On Thursday we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord which launched the ministry of the apostles. Jesus gave the apostles a foreshadowing of the gifts of the Holy Spirit yet to come. He commissioned them to spread his gospel throughout Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria... to the ends of the earth. He was then taken from them, lifted up, and was gone from their sight.

In his wake, Jesus left much to be done. His plea for evangelization in Biblical times, of spreading the Good News would not be accomplished in one day, by one person, in one part of the world. And fast-forward 2,000 years... what part can we play in this seemingly enormous task of evangelization? The cliché, “Rome wasn’t built in a day!” comes to mind.

There are all sorts of ways to build up the Body of Christ on earth. We can do our small part, in our small space and time, by means of sharing the Church’s mission with those who may not be familiar, by caring for the poor in Jesus’ name, by loving and giving back, by sacrificing. Love is manifested in the unselfish sacrifice of Jesus, as he became our Living Bread.

Why are you standing there looking up at the sky? It’s time to get to work! The mission is set before us. It is up to us to complete the work He began here on earth!

O Mary, Our Mother

It can certainly be said that motherhood is a selfless vocation. From the moment a child is born, a woman nurtures it, giving of herself, caring for and loving that child to maturity and beyond. Holding her child in her arms is like holding a dandelion that has gone to seed. With each moment, each gust of wind, a little more blows away until she is standing there with just the stem in her hand. She knows that she must let go and allow those seeds to land where they may, to take root and grow. When her children are grown, and living on their own, a mother can no longer cradle them as she once did, but can only watch from afar, try not to judge, and give them tools for adulthood in her own kind way.

Imagine the Blessed Virgin Mary, a young mother herself, caring for the Child Jesus through adulthood, knowing the path He would eventually take, and where it would lead. Mary knew what it was to let go. She knew the pains and the joys of motherhood. She gave herself up as a sacrifice for those pains and joys.

Our Blessed Mother — our spiritual mother loves us beyond compare. There is nothing she wants more than for us to live good lives, worthy of our place in heaven. As we place flowers at her feet during this month of May, let us always remember to pray to her, asking for guidance as we continue to mature and grow in this garden of life!

Mary, “Queen of the May”

“O Mary, we crown Thee with blossoms today, Queen of the angels, Queen of the May.”

On Sunday during the 12:00 Noon Mass, our First Communion students will crown a statue of Mary with flowers in an age-old tradition that Catholics have celebrated since the 16th century. In May of 1784, at the Church of Camillians in Ferrara, Italy, a statue of Mary was crowned publicly for the first time, beginning the tradition of this popular celebration of the “May Crowning.” The tradition quickly spread to central Europe, where faithful pilgrims processed with a statue or icon of Mary into the church, while singing Marian songs and praying Hail Marys. Today, though not as often since Vatican II, that tradition still exists in many Catholic churches throughout the world.

But why is the month of May chosen in correlation with the Blessed Virgin Mary? No one really knows the reason, though it has been suggested that because blossoms emerge in the month of May, it is the fitting time to adorn our lives with beauty, and what greater beauty than Christ’s mother, the Blessed Virgin?

May is here. Let us sing our Marian songs, pray the rosary daily for the salvation of souls, and consecrate our lives to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of the May!

Pray for the Shepherds

“I know my sheep, and mine know me.” - John 10:14

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. A shepherd always walks ahead of his flock, leading and guiding with a gentle hand. His rod and staff comforts. Those who follow the shepherd are protected from harm. His sheep know his voice and trust him. We should always pray for those who faithfully shepherd our Church: Pope Benedict XVI, the bishops of our diocese: Bishop David Zubik and Bishop William Waltersheid. Saint Joseph Parish has been blessed to have had faith-filled spiritual leaders both in its past and present. Let us always remember to pray for those pastors who have shepherded this parish with spiritual leadership:

† Fr. Francis Ward (1891-1894)

† Fr. Joseph Toner (1894-1897)

† Fr. Michael Hughes (1897-1911)

† Fr. McCabe (1911-1923)

† Fr. Patrick J. Healy (1923-1952)

† Fr. Robert M. Murphy (1952-1961)

† Fr. John A. Larkin (1961-1980)

† Fr. Francis L. Pucci (1980-1981)

† Fr. Lawrence V. Holpp (1981-2000)

† Fr. Malcolm McDonald (2000-2003)

† Fr. Michael A. Caridi (2003-2008)

† Fr. Richard S. Jones (2008-Present)

Getting Rid of the Crabgrass

It’s that time of year again. Time to get outside, to take a walk through the garden and the lawn. It’s time to weed and seed. But whether you’re a gardener, or just a person who likes a well-manicured lawn, one thing is true: you will encounter crabgrass.

Crabgrass (Digitaria), grows by spreading its low-growing stems over the soil, sending out spikelets or digits (like fingers), its florets producing seeds which fall to the ground, germinate, and produce more weeds. If gone unnoticed, it will spread and continue to germinate throughout the growing season, eventually choking out healthy plants. Crabgrass can often be seen growing even among the most beautiful flowers in our garden.

Like crabgrass, sin deposits its seeds and spreads, sometimes just beneath the surface. We may ignore its tentacle-like hold on our lives until it becomes uncontrolled behavior which threatens to choke out our healthy self. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is an effective way to rid the "garden of our soul" of its weeds of sin. It allows light to enter and seeds of goodness to germinate, producing only beautiful flowers and healthy "soul-gardens."

As crabgrass is a symptom of an uncared for lawn, so sin is a symptom of a neglected "soul-garden." Spring is the season of growth and rebirth. Light is abundant and rain moistens the earth. What better time to eradicate the "crabgrass" in our own souls! During these seven weeks of Easter, may we nourish our "soul-gardens" with waters of rebirth and lifegiving prayer and penance. Happy gardening!

Divine Mercy Sunday

Saint M. Faustina Kowalska, who served the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland, is well-known for her diaries in which she describes the vision of Divine Mercy. Her diary dated Feb. 22, 1931 reads:

"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, ‘Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.’ The pale ray stands for Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the depths of My most tender Mercy at that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross... Fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him."

At the hour of 3:00 PM each day, we are asked to stop and implore God’s Divine Mercy for sinners as well as ourselves. “In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion” (Diary 1320).