May 26th, 2024 – The Most Holy Trinity
Dear friends,
This weekend we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
Who is God? Three divine persons, one God?
As I enter my fifth year of priesthood, I realize that I know less about God now than my first year after ordination. What I have lived these years in ministry has led me to realize that the mystery is so great, and my understanding so limited at times that the only path forward becomes love.
Think of the people you care the most about. Do you know them completely? Do they make complete sense to you? My guess is that the answer is “no,” and yet, we love and care deeply about them.
This Sunday, I invite you to renew your love and trust in God. Little children know few things about their parents, but one thing they know is that they are cared for and loved by them. May we also come to experience the only necessary thing: that God loves and deeply cares for us.
With love,
Fr. Carlos
May 19th, 2024 – Pentecost Sunday
“I have stepped from that region of me that did not love all the time.”
(St. Teresa of Avila)
Dear Friends,
Happy Pentecost!
As we celebrate the Holy Spirit and the love outpouring on our Church in so many ways, know of the love, prayers, and support of your parish priests and lay staff!
To all who are experiencing God’s great love through Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Ordination, Reconciliation, Marriage, Anointing, and all the joys of a Spirit-filled Church whose love of Holy Scripture and the Sacraments fill our hearts these days — PEACE!
As our ancestors in the faith had to step out of the comfort zones of their lives and live like Christ in a world that has always been limited, let us accept the Pentecost challenge to let the Holy Spirit fill every region of our lives so we can then go to the world and spread the Holy Spirit! God is alive and we are called to spread the word!
Sincerely, with love,
Fr. Tim
May 12th, 2024 – Seventh Sunday of Easter: The Ascension of the Lord
There is so much to celebrate this weekend!
First, we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord—the day our Savior returned to the Father, completing his ministry on earth. He did not leave us alone, but promised us an advocate—the Holy Spirit. We eagerly look forward to the celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit next weekend at Pentecost.
Secondly, we celebrate Mother’s Day. Motherhood is a special vocation that helps build up the kingdom. Please know of our prayers and support for all mothers—both those who are biological mothers and those who fulfill the motherly role to others.
Third, this is a special weekend for me as my first Mass after ordination last year was celebrating the Ascension of the Lord. I am deeply grateful for your unwavering support and prayers throughout this journey. I cannot believe it has been almost a year since my ordination. It has been a great adventure and I thank each and every one of you for your prayers and support.
My actual anniversary of ordination is May 20. This year, it falls on a Monday, which is my day off. I do not typically celebrate a public Mass on my day off. However, because it is my anniversary as a priest, I would like to make an exception and celebrate a public Mass. You are invited to join me for Mass on the anniversary of my ordination on Monday, May 20, at 7:00 pm at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
Celebrate well this weekend and thank you again for your prayers and support.
God Bless,
Fr. Joseph
May 5th, 2024 – Sixth Sunday of Easter
Dear friends,
We are now in the month of May, a special time for us to honor Mary, the mother of God and our mother. She is the one that sings, “the Almighty has done great things for me.” Truly, the Lord loved Mary in a singular way and made her all beautiful and immaculate.
She is our sweetness and our hope, for we recognize in her the honor of our race and the sure help in our Christian journey.
In the Gospel for this weekend, Jesus says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and your joy might be complete.” Mary heard and believed the words of her son, the reason why she also sings, “my spirit rejoices in God my savior,” for her joy was complete.
As we begin this month of May, may we approach the intercession of Mary with much confidence and trust. As once she said to Saint Juan Diego, “am I not here who am your mother?”
