Weekly Pastor's Corner
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
W/E 09/06/25-09/07/25
We, as Catholics and American citizens, are still fresh with the sense of tragedy with which we have been enveloped in the wake of the terrorist shooting of children and the elderly at Annunciation Parish in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We continue to not only pray for the victims and their families but to commit to actions which will bring an end to violence by gun, of whatever type, in our communities. We pledge to work toward increased protection of the most vulnerable in our midst and to do whatever we can to bolster the security of our place of worship and work. We thank you for your commitment to the work and generosity that it will take to guarantee our goals. Saint Michael, pray for those children.
We sing with the Psalmist as he/she writes Psalm 90, "In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. Especially in these times in which peace and security are denied and violence wins the day, we need to seek the solace of refuge in God to thwart such, and yet the reality is that while before Covid hit, we as a parish were averaging over 500 people total on a weekend in attendance at Mass, now we are fortunate to see 250. Where have the others gone? Is it a malaise motivated by a diminution in faith, or are there other reasons? Is it a lack of reinforcement at the level of the family or a destruction of the family unity caused by social factors? We have seen that in the wake of tragedy; people return to God. It was true of the time immediately following 9/11, and it is evidenced in the tight embrace mothers and fathers gave to their children in Minneapolis. What will make it a sustained response and reach? We turn again to the Psalmist and pray, "in every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge”.
We remind you that our monthly invitation to come after the 11:00 a.m. Mass is made for everyone this Sunday. We had a great response last month, and we hope to see it again. We are thankful that many have taken advantage of our celebration of the Sacrament of the Sick and have come to be anointed after Saturday, 4:00 p.m. Mass on the fourth weekend. This reception satisfies the need for the sacrament and so makes it easier to be relieved of the sense of accepting it in an emergency.
