Weekly pastor’s post (April 28 – May 4)

This week is a bit of a whirlwind – at least from where I’m sitting. On Sunday evening, I drove out to my folks’ place on the peninsula in preparation for an all-day visit to two of the five communities I will be serving starting in July. I got to meet the PAAs, the principal, and the deacons of the region. Though there is plenty more to be discerned and discovered together, it was great to spend the day with them.

Back home in Shoreline, we’ll be celebrating our Confirmation Mass with Bishop Elizondo this Wednesday, May 1 at 6:30 pm. Our students have been preparing since last summer for this day – I am proud of their perseverance and enthusiasm in learning the faith, discerning God’s call, and choosing to continue forward in the life of faith. Its going to be a great celebration. If you’re available, I hope you join us in celebrating their full initiation into the faith.

Before jumping into this weeks events & priest anniversaries below, I’d like to ask you to take a moment to pray for our new parish families. Placing our trust in God, though an essential part of our faith, is hard. As the upcoming transitions draw near, I find my own heart is fairly restless – vacillating between eager excitement and nervous anxiety. Please take a moment to join me in offering one of my favorite prayers, the Litany of Humility, that we may more fully abandon ourselves to God’s providence!

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April 29 – Today is the memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, mystic and doctor of the Church. At a young age, she began devote herself to mystical marriage to Christ and dedicated her life to serving the sick and poor. She was also a great advocate for reform in the Church. Read more from Elizabeth Scalia at Word on Fire.

May 1 – Today is the memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker. His primary work was as the foster-father of Jesus and spouse to Mary, but he was also a carpenter. Of the many good examples he gave the Lord, Joseph modeled for Him and for us the holiness of human labor. Read more at the Vatican News website.

May 2 – Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, Saint Athanasius is celebrated by Christians of both the East and the West. One of his nicknames is the “Father of Orthodoxy”, given to him because of his deep opposition to the heresy of Arianism. Read about him at Aleteia.

May 3 – Today’s feast celebrates Saints Philip and James. Philip was one of the first disciples chosen by Christ, himself bringing Nathaniel to meet Jesus. James (called the lesser or younger) was the author of the epistle that takes his name and later became the bishop of Jerusalem. Read more about them at Loyola Press.

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