Pastor's Pen

 

May 22, 2022, the Sixth Sunday of Easter

Congratulations: Today we join together as a parish family in offering one of our own, Christopher Hughes, congratulations upon his ordination as a deacon this weekend. For men who are advancing toward the priesthood, becoming a ( transitional ) deacon is their entrance into major orders and thus the final step before being ordained a priest. Being ordained a deacon then entails a most solemn commitment which is reflected in the three promises that those who are about to enter major orders are required to make before the bishop in the presence of the clergy and laity assembled for the liturgy of ordination in the Cathedral Church.

• In the presence of God and his Church, are you resolved, as a sign of your interior dedication to Christ, to remain celibate for the sake of the kingdom and in lifelong service to God and mankind?”
• “Are you resolved to maintain and deepen a spirit of prayer appropriate to your way of life and, in keeping with what is required of you, to celebrate faithfully the Liturgy of the Hours for the Church and for the whole world?”
• “Do you promise respect and obedience to your ordinary and his successors?”

In St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River, Christopher and three other men answered affirmatively to these questions posed to them by Bishop Edgar Da Cunha and thereby committed themselves to a life of celibacy, prayer, and obedience to the bishop. These promises bind them to these three essential elements of ordained ministry which they will exercise for the next year as deacons in the local church that is the Diocese of Fall River before being ordained as priests. Such commitments obviously run counter to the spirit of our present age in which sexual immorality is rampant, faith is fading, and individualistic autonomy is prized above conformity to any authority whatsoever. So more than simply offering our congratulations upon taking such a major step, let us promise our continued prayers for Christopher and his classmates John, Brian, and Thiago; that in keeping these solemn promises they will join all ordained clergy in being light for the people of God so that they, in turn, can be light for others in a world increasingly confused about what is right and good.

Catholic Appeal: Thus far 161 households of the parish have donated or pledged $37, 455.00 to the annual Catholic Appeal. All households of the parish are encouraged to be as generous as possible to this annual request from Bishop Da Cunha to help him to fund the continued good works of the various apostolates, ministries, and charities of the local church to which we all belong which is the Diocese of Fall River. The appeal will close on June 30th.

Return of the 7 AM Sunday Mass: Beginning next weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, and continuing through Labor Day we will celebrate Mass at 7 AM on Sundays.

Ascension Thursday, May 26th: This coming Thursday marks 40 days since the beginning of Easter, a day on which tradition holds that the risen Jesus made his departure from his disciples and returned to his Heavenly Father. This holy day is one of obligation; Masses will be celebrated on Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM, and on Thursday at 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM. This feast also reminds us that there are then 10 days remaining in the Season of Easter which will conclude on Pentecost Sunday, The nine days leading up to Pentecost are the original novena recalling when the disciples of Jesus prayed for nine days to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So let us make this novena as well asking that the gift of the Spirit we have received will be rekindled in each of us and all the baptized, especially those who have fallen away!