News: I am writing to you at a time when the church is mourning the death of Pope Francis who died in the early morning hours of Easter Monday. The church as an Easter people participate in the dying and rebirth of life as an expression of our short existence on earth, as the psalm says “seventy or eighty years for those who are strong.” We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the college of Cardinals in choosing the next Pontiff, and that he will be a holy man of God who will shepherd his people in the ways of the Lord. It seems like yesterday, around this time of year when Pope Francis was announced as the next pope. He will be remembered as a reformer pope who sometimes caused controversy in his approach. He, being formed as a Jesuit and serving the Society of Jesus before taking on a role in the episcopate as a bishop, seemed to address church issues in unorthodox ways. He tried to make the people of God aware of the sacred humanity of Christ and the malaise of rigidity that can hamper progress in areas of doctrine versus hands on charity to the poor, unwanted and the marginal. His choice of name for his pontificate was an example of breaking with convention in order to point the church in a direction it would rather ignore like Lazarus with his sores at the rich man’s door. His reminder to Catholics of “the cries of the poor, “the needs of the sick and wounded as he compared the church to a field hospital in an ongoing battle for the souls of humanity. His break with traditional Catholic’s liturgy was viewed by many as a divisive move on the mystical and ancient worship that seemed to be attracting so many of our young who have become disillusioned with the stale septic secularism that has seep into our practices. He viewed it as an effort to unify the universal flock. I didn’t always agree with his approach but by looking closer it was obvious to me that he cared deeply for those who appeared in the eyes of the world to have slipped through the cracks of civil society, that part of humanity that many were willing to write off as lost causes. Which to Francis were a growing number that we as Christians could not ignore. It comes to no surprise that during this Jubilee year of hope that Our good Lord would call home his servant at the end of his final lent of which he wrote: “Sisters and brothers, thanks to God’s love in Jesus Christ, we are sustained in the hope that does not disappoint (Rom 5:5). Hope is the “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” It moves the Church to pray for “everyone to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4) and to look forward to her being united with Christ, her bridegroom, in the glory of heaven. This was the prayer of Saint Teresa of Avila: “Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one.” May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope, intercede for us and accompany us on our journey.
May 2nd: First Friday Devotion with Mass at 7 pm followed by all night Eucharistic Adoration with benediction in the morning. We are looking for adorers to cover overnight hours. Rev. Joseph Akilo will preside.
May 3rd: First Saturday Devotion at the shrine, starting at 9:00a.m with Holy Mass, Rosary, Confessions. Followed by coffee and light refreshments. The Spanish Rosary Community will hold their monthly First Saturday meeting at the shrine with a rosary, music and fellowship at 3:00 pm.
May 13th: Candlelight procession: We will start the feast day off with adoration at 7am and continue all day with a pause at 6pm; Then mass at 7pm with Rev. Henry Shea S.J. then exposition, Rosary procession, and Benediction. I hope you can join us.
May 17th: The Pro-life Mass at 10:30 am. Following Mass there will be a pro-life rosary followed by a talk. This month A special guest will speak to us. Rev. Mike McNamara will lead us.
