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June 19, 2022Dear Parishioners,
June is certainly a busy month for the parish and school. Last weekend our parish Knights of Columbus hosted a “Reading of the Declaration of Independence and Discussion of the American Creed.” All around the church hall Knight Robert Masse hung flags from America’s history: from the early days of the revolution to the first stars and stripes. He then delivered his address to those attending. He read the Declaration as if he were proclaiming it to Americans in 1776. After the reading he explained America’s founding principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It was an excellent presentation and a reminder of the benefits we enjoy in this country.
June also brings with it graduations. On Friday, June 10th we celebrated the graduation of our 8th graders from St. Teresa School. On Monday, June 13th we celebrated Kindergarten and Pre-K graduations. Finally, our last day for our parish school was this past Thursday. Prayers and congratulations to our graduates. A safe and happy summer to all students, families, and teachers.
June is a month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Sacred Heart Devotion began when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received private revelations from Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke to her on June 16, 1675, and asked her specifically to promote a feast that honored his Sacred Heart. St. Margaret Mary described her experience with the Lord: “My divine Heart is so passionately fond of the human race and you, particularly that it cannot keep back the pent-up flames of its burning charity any longer. They must burst out through you and reveal my Heart to the world to enrich humanity with my treasures.” Following this revelation, Jesus united His heart with hers in a fusion of mystical love and joy. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is devotion to Jesus and his love. It is a sign and a symbol of both the divine and human love that Jesus has for his Father and us. It also symbolizes the interior life of Jesus, which led to his willingness to lay down his life for us.
This weekend we celebrate Father’s Day and the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (Corpus Christi). This celebration reminds us about the amazing gift of the Eucharist. As part of our celebrations we held Eucharistic Adoration at the end of the 10:30am Mass. Eucharistic Adoration (which involves the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, hymns, incense and benediction) is one of the most important devotions in our spiritual lives. It offers us a chance to answer Jesus’ question in the Garden: “Could you not keep watch for one hour?” (Mk. 14:37). Archbishop Fulton Sheen recommended a daily Holy Hour, ideally before the Blessed Sacrament. Pope Pius XII in “Mediator Dei” pointed out that the different forms of Eucharistic Adoration “have brought a wonderful increase in faith and the supernatural life to the Church.”
Next weekend we will have our Missionary Coop Appeal. We will hear about the good work of the Xaverian Missionary Society of Mary throughout the world. It was founded in Parma, Italy, in 1945 by Rev. Father Giacomo M. Spagnolo, SX and Miss Celestine Bottego, an American. They work in Italy, U.S., Mexico, Brazil, the D.R. of Congo, Burundi, Cameroun, Chad, Japan, and Thailand. They spread the Gospel to non-Christian peoples while providing pastoral, catechetical, educational, medical and social services. I look forward to hearing more about their work and doing our part to support the spread of the Gospel.
God bless,
Fr. Barrow
